Welcome to the Pyongyang Metro

[tiistaieuforia]

I hear everything a tourist sees in North Korea is set up, the whole visit is like a huge theater play that you're a part of. It makes me sad to see how a lot of those people looked away immediately as they saw you, it's apparently illegal to look at a foreigner.

North Korea is so fascinating (even though the human right violations are sadly suvere), I hope I get to travel there before the whole system breaks down.

[airptxl]

dangerous?

[TokyoMetal777]

I feel so sorry for the common people of North Korea...

[TheKres7787]

I don't get it. Isn't it forbidden to shot things with cam there? Call me dumb sure but that's teh impression.

[zaruka]

@TheKres7787 No there are plenty of videos of the metro.

[TheKres7787]

@zaruka aha it's allowed to record metros. But why do you go there really? Aren't you worried? Is it holiday trips? I'll admit it's one heck of an exciting trip to make. :)

[zaruka]

@TheKres7787 That is why I go. It is more to study North Korea.

[TheKres7787]

@zaruka ok cool

[zaruka]

@TheKres7787 No. There are not many photography restrictions in Pyongyang. There are when you get out of Pyongyang but these are not as bad as you think. I have photographed many small towns and the other major cities.

[Bloodlovefreak]

Cute uniforms though..

[dudestir127]

I noticed in this and in other videos of the Pyongyang subway, it seems like the train completely empties out before you get on. Is that really what happened or no?

[zaruka]

@dudestir127 This is a main metro stop so it generally does but in my experience not always.

[Maasdam1993]

They run old Eat Berlin subway cars.

[Dodek72]

Great video. Made me feel like I was there.

[zaruka]

I have some better cameras this time. I will load anything I take. I will do more video. I have 16 days in North Korea this time.

[sadsgify]

@zaruka Hope to see your new videos.

[zaruka]

@sadsgify Just got back from North Korea again. I will check what video I have. I took 8000 photos and an unknown number of videos. I will post something.

[TheDhezballah]

@zaruka Why do you keep going back to NK?

[zaruka]

@TheDhezballah Good question. The reasons are that one does not see many things by going once. I also want to see changes over time. Lighting is not the same for photography and the guides are different. We have encounters with normal people and those are priceless. There is always something different to experience there. I want to see the society as it is today, not yesterday. Having gone in 2007 is not the same as now.

[TheDhezballah]

@zaruka Interesting, I just never really saw it as a dream holiday destination

[cbohar84]

Is it true the other metro stops in Pyongyang are alot less elaborate than the ones shown on most tours? You said youve been to five and I think most tours only take you to one or two..;.

[zaruka]

@cbohar84 That is true. Some of the other ones are supposed to be nice but they vary. Also I have seen some stops that are closed. Most tourists get two stops. I go on the long tour and we get more but by no means do we see all. I head back into North Korea this Saturday so I will ask about closed stations and what the other stations look like.

[royceoytube]

@zaruka I wish you a safe trip to and from this country, If you can, maybe can you upload videos from this coming trip your going on?

Thanks

[teddychenghonlam]

@zaruka

There's even a conspiracy that there's only 2 stations on the line-the two that you're supposed to travel in.

All the people there are probably actors.

[perestroikaMoska]

@Zaruka can we go beside DMZ and Pyongyang during the visit?

[violasarre]

I thought tourists are surrounded by personal "bodyguards" all the time. they allowed you to take pictures and film?!?!?!

[zaruka]

@violasarre The guides are with us but I have made three trips to the DPRK and we can wander a bit. See my photos on Flickr user Zaruka. I have taken over 11,000 photos in North Korea. BTW - I have seen five metro stops. It is getting a bit more relaxed.

[harrisonconstantinou]

it only cost about 0.02$ to ride the subway(20 won)

[kzbxvz]

@harrisonconstantinou Yes, the cheapest underground ride in the world and also the most bizarre.

[Bluesonata9]

Is it safe to even enter or visit North Korea ?? I don't think they allow even tourists to go there for just tourism!

[Karoke77]

@Bluesonata9 They restrict people to guided (escorted) tours.

Foreigners can only see certain areas.

And only 2 stations (showpiece / model stations) can be seen by foreigners.  =(

[SouthernMilitaryGuru]

@Karoke77 Luckily due to a mechanical problem correctly one tourist group got redireted to Kaeson Station which is not one of the normal two. Although it is not a ugly dark platform like some rumors suggested it is much more functional and less lavish than the rest and probably more representative of the Metro. There are also more people in the photo of Kaeson Station supporting the idea that when tourists are there they reschedule to keep more NK's away from them.

[SouthernMilitaryGuru]

@Karoke77 Pic of Kaeson station is on wikipedia now.

[zaruka]

@Karoke77 I have been to five stations. There is a longer tour now.

[Karoke77]

@zaruka Oh!! That means they "made nice" 3 more stations o_O

[zaruka]

@Bluesonata9 I have been three times and I am going again in September. Over 1000 westerners go there annually.

[PsexyPsychopath]

Some of those kids just did not want to be seen

[zaruka]

@PsexyPsychopath Indeed that is true. At that time (2008) most people were camera shy and stayed away from cameras and foreigners. In 2010 we had Korean pulling out small digital camera to take our photo. Quite a turn around. They now wave to us.

[johnny0g]

they're subway is very clean, not like NY. i'm from NY and the subway smells like urine!

[Neakal]

@johnny0g I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that. I was actually quite surprised.

[timosha21]

so its only the 2 stations then?

[otacs2]

@timosha21 No, only two stations you may see as a tourist (you are not allowed to visit other stations)

[Neakal]

@timosha21 For tourists, yes. I've spoken to a foreigner who was working in North Korea and he mentioned being allowed to visit other stations due to his work. He said its reasonably extensive and functional (when there are no shortages). Apparently, those two stations are among the best though.

[Neakal]

Nice video. North Korea fascinates me and I like seeing details of daily life.

Not sure if this is right but I read about a visitor who noticed the same groups of people appearing at different points of the station. He was wondering if the whole thing was a show.

Also, is it me or were the student group leaders nudging the rest of the kids away from the crowd? I swear a few of them were staring or even going towards you before changing direction all of a sudden.

[zaruka]

Indeed I have read the same thing. For these shots the tour group was late - nearly two hours late and it was rush hour. We took by surprise people in the metro. This encounter was not staged and I did see people emerging at other metro stops and female soldiers going in, something we could not photograph. When the metro is not working (power failures) I think these two stops are open for tourists and it is staged. I have seen old films that show it could be. I have since been back too.

[Neakal]

Aah ok. That makes sense. To be honest I am surprised the tour people even let you catch the Metro on its normal state. Would have imagined they would just cancel it when they realised they were off-schedule.

Oh well. Thanks for your reply. I would really like to see it myself someday.

[zaruka]

It is really worth going. I was suprised too especially to see more normal people. This is a better part of the city with party cadres and high officials living in the area and is not representative of all of Pyongyang. On these tours you occasionally get a glimpse of the real North Korea because they cannot hide it.

[poonad]

@Neakal I met someone who traveled to North Korea and she had the same experience. She compared pictures of the metro with a friend of hers who had been there months earlier and there were the same people.

[Neakal]

@poonad Judging from the rest of the comments (including Zaruka's), I feel it may be staged or not depending on whether they have power cuts or shortages or whatsoever.

I visited North Korea myself during June and to me, it seemed fairly natural. Some of the people looked pretty surprised when we entered the cars. A few of them even left. That said, our visit was not part of the plan but came after lots of arm twisting and our minder was not happy. The place was not in its cleanest too.

[roffelsaurus]

@Neakal a white woman filming them straight in the face would warrant a brief look :)

[napajedlacek]

damm Kim Ir sSen communist bastards

[jzh101]

this is supposedly the world's most underground subway. the lowest.

[mymito8]

Ah, the great underground train where you can travel two stops with your official follower. In other places you use the metro to do the sightseeing, in Pyongyang the metro is already the sight to be seen...

[thibaulthalpern]

They allowed you to bring and use a camera? How was that possible?

[hadabenz]

NK's subway was one of the NK's greatest achievement... so obviously he was allowed to videotape the scenery because they display the country's goodness... NK gov't only bans videotaping in rural areas or areas that are poorly managed...

[TheAntikommunist]

The subway was delivered from Eastern Germany so it wasn't even NK's own achievement

[constableLSA]

WRONG information. Strange enough, these type of subway cars originally came from WEST-Berlin, where they were constructed between 1955 and 1965. However, 25 cars have been transfered to East-Berlins subways network in 1988 in return for some track maintenance done by East-Germany on those western "ghostlines" under eastern territory.

[uudrakgvens94]

WRONG information too , the subway cars are chinese , the stations were maked by russian and north koreans , and they have so much east german buses

[Omithy]

@uudrakgvens94 The subway cars are NOT Chinese. They are from West Berlin, the D (Dora) Class.

[uudrakgvens94]

u can take photos and videos but official says what u can take and what not

[draceadanadrian]

pionyer school children , my mother and father had school costumes like that :)))

[vinicio1984]

Very good!Thanks for the video,it has been really interesting, probably more than a National G.'s reportage.

Which is your opinion of your N.K. experience? ciao!

[Matt007b]

wow neat video..i'd love to visit that place one day..

[zaruka]

I am copying my passport now for a return visit in September. There is an extended metro tour this year for the second time people. I have to do this. I am applying today!

[swiFtey08]

y would u want to go there u cant do anything

[Omithy]

You're an idiot if you think that!

[WingsOTWorld]

I look at all the young faces of the school kids and wonder what fate lies ahead of them. All the clean cut, pressed uniforms, and ponder what are they learning in school. And to every single North Korean who exited that train, will they still be alive and well in 5 years?

[zaruka]

That is a very good question and when one is there it is something you think about. I used to watch the kids in the USSR and wondered about that in the 1980s. Interacting with the kids is fascinating. We did that at the Kim Il-Sung monument and they were just like teenagers anywhere. I am contemplating a return in September.

[BaLayEunMi]

I was there too and the kids were great and the most open of them all. I would love to go back again this year too if I can only afford it.

[IBMeddling]

They don't care that you are filming? The Security and cops in Chicago flip out if people are filming here. (On the CTA)

[WingsOTWorld]

Lol those cops would do well in North Korea then :-p.

[mycochondria]

The escalator (time index ~0:42) looks to be a good 1/10 mile long. Wild! Thanks for posting this one.

[moribund112]

Thank you very much for this video! A rare look inside the Pyongyang Metro.

[zaruka]

We went on a ride in this one. I saw a British woman's film of a ride on the Pyongyang metro. It was too dark for me to really get anything inside.

[lishorsh]

I didn't see any movies taken inside the trains. Are tourists even allowed to use them?