Between September 5-12, NK Pro joined 128 other foreign journalists to visit North Korea for events to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the country. As with many media trips to the DPRK, the visit comprised overwhelmingly of time spent in Pyongyang under the close supervision of minders and interpreters supplied by North Korea’s Information Committee.

But amid the backdrop of ongoing summit-level diplomacy between North Korea and leaders from key countries like the U.S., ROK and PRC, September’s media trip was a rare chance to see first hand how rapidly changing international