A closer look
North Korea operates a highly curated, state-sponsored tourism industry that carefully herds international visitors through fake grocery stores and pristine monuments to present an illusion of extreme prosperity. Tourists are assigned government minders who monitor their every move, heavily restricting photography and completely prohibiting any unscripted interactions with actual local citizens. People actively pay thousands of dollars for the sheer dystopian thrill of participating in a heavily choreographed propaganda play where the penalty for stepping out of line is actual hard labor. It takes a very special kind of cynical privilege to view an oppressive authoritarian regime as an edgy vacation destination just so you can brag about it at upscale dinner parties back in democratic societies
