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North Korea Inviting South Korea Over For The Weekend

Who's game for a nice little package trip to North Korea? Anyone? Bueller?

It was announced yesterday that Kim Jong-il is feeling a little neighborly lately and less bomby, and wants to restart family reunion trips from South Korea. Although South Korea hasn't yet said yes to allowing their people to venture over the border, North Korea is re-opening an enclave for reunions at Mount Kumgang, which was once a major money generator for the poor country.

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Tags: Political Travel / Bill Clinton / North Korea Travel / → All Tags

Clinton Kicks North Korea Into Giving Back Jailed Journalists

Thinking about heading to North Korea for the Arirang Mass Games? You better hope that former President Bill Clinton has got your back, just like he has with the two Current TV journalists who were arrested on the North Korean border in March and sentenced to 12 years in a hard labor camp for "committing hostilities against the Korean nation and illegal entry.”

During Clinton's brief visit, which focused solely on negotiating the freedom of the women—Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36—and not North Korea's recent nuclear tests, he met with good old Kim Jong-il, who wasn't looking all that ill.

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Tags: North Korea Travel / Dictatorship Travel / → All Tags

Dictatorship Travel: Pyongyang and Kim Jong Il's Arteries Both Doing Splendidly

Despite what the South Park guys identified as chronic "roneriness", Kim Jong Il's health is just fine, thankyouverymuch. At least that's what the Dear Leader's propaganda machine is insisting. Stroke? Don't even suggest it. Seriously. They'll arrest you.

This past week, an envoy of journalists were given a controlled, guided tour illustrating the country's booming economy and happy populace, of course. This is how an Asia Times reporter recounted his trip to Pyongyang:

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Tags: Gumball 3000 / Celeb Travel / Adventure Travel / → All Tags

Gumball 3000 Makes a Pit Stop in Pyongyang

Participants in the annual Gumball 3000 road rally are known to be a little nuts, racing their souped-up rides across continents at blistering speeds, stopping only to spray Champagne on each other at glitzy locations around the globe. But they may have just carved another notch in the crazy tree with their latest gambit, a pit stop to party in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

The 5,000-kilometer rally began on August 9 in San Francisco, and its globe-hopping route will pass through Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas before ending in China on Saturday, where drivers and crew will cheer on their countrymen and women at the Olympic games. (No, they don't drive across the ocean. There are airplanes involved.)

The Gumballers stopped in North Korea for about 16 hours on Thursday on their way to Beijing. The reclusive regime banned their technologically-advanced vehicles, but, amazingly, extended a welcome for the ragtag band of moneyed misfits to check out the colorful and creepy Arirang Mass Games. Attendees said there was plenty of merry-making, karaoke, and skateboarding, with no reports of incidents, arrests, or reeducation.

Related Stories:
· Partytown Pyongyang: Global Tour Comes to NKorea [AP via Yahoo! News]
· Gumball 3000 [Official Site]
· Gumball 3000 Coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: loqu.com]

Tags: Subways / Public Transportation / Flickr / → All Tags

The World's Best Communist Subways

Wired has a gallery featuring photos of some of the world's "most impressive" subway systems. Moscow clearly wins best in show with "chandeliers, marble moldings and elaborate murals" in some of the city's stations. Opulent subways must be a Communist thing, because Moscow's seems quite similar to the infamous Pyongyang Metro in North Korea.

Perhaps Pyongyang's public transit system was missing from Wired's list because foreigners are only allowed to tour it on closely guarded single-station trips. Still, the photos that have emerged from the secretive North Korean subway show more chandeliers, marble columns and great propaganda murals such as "The Great Leader Kim Il Sung Among Workers."

If seeing inspirational artwork during your morning commute doesn't get your day started off right, maybe you'd prefer a refreshing river cruise?

Related Stories:
· Gallery: The World's Most Impressive Subways [Wired]
· Pyongyang Metro [Official Site]
· Public Transportation coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of the Pyongyang Metro: Pricey]