Western Journalism in North Korea

Western Journalism in North Korea

    The military regime of communist North Korea is one of the most secluded societies left on earth and is regarded as extremely dangerous for western media to step foot into the country. Gardiner Harris, a New York Times journalist, embarked on on a 28 stay in North Korea to gain insight on what life is like  Pyongyang, North Korea's central industrial city and capital. Harris remarked that " strangeness of the place hit hard" as he was placed on a delegated tour led by North Korean military ambassadors. Harris and his other American colleagues were looked upon as if they aliens from another planet and nearly treated as such. Under strict command, they had limited freedom where they could venture throughout the city and constantly monitored during their entire stay. Before landing, one of the diplomats on their flight asked for the numbers of all the journalist's cellphones as well as order them to shut down the ability to communicate via smartphone. Harris reports saying, " It’s not that the people of North Korea are abnormal, it’s that their system is"as the people are placed under complete totalitarian  control of the government. Majority of what Harris and his colleagues were able to report were their written first hand accounts of their stay as well as the tour guided pictures they were granted to take by their mandatory tour guides.[ 2 quotes, 2 pictures, 1 link, 229 words]
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/12/insider/north-korea-western-journalist-invisible.html