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Just how isolated is North Korea? 6 facts to consider

6. North Korea gets 1,500 Western tourists a year

David Guttenfelder/AP
Soldiers and civilians gather on the steps in front of a statue of North Korea's late leader Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, April 14. All tourists to North Korea are required to pay respects to the statue.

  • By Jenna Fisher Staff writer

Tourism in North Korea is highly controlled by the government, and though Pyongyang is lately pushing tourism, it is not a frequently visited destination. Roughly 1,500 Western tourists visit each year, according to the BBC. Most foreign journalists have their cellphones confiscated at the airport and minders shadow every move, though this appears to have loosened up lately, according to the AP.

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