Vintage Brochures Show How North Korea Used to Tempt Tourists Back in the 1970s and 80s

North Korea today is known for being very secretive. Getting inside is tough. Taking photos is often not allowed. It’s hard to know what life is really like there. But it wasn’t always this way. Old travel brochures from the 1970s and 1980s show a surprising side of the country. They paint a very different picture.

These brochures were made when Kim Il-sung led the country. He was the first leader of North Korea.  His goal was to bring tourists to visit. The brochures make North Korea look like a fun vacation spot. The brochures are filled with colorful pictures.

The photos in the brochures show people having a great time. You can see smiling families on sunny beaches. Kids are laughing on theme park rides. People are enjoying meals of tasty-looking local food. It looks like any other place people would want to visit.

These old advertisements show activities like swimming. There’s boating, too. Some brochures show off nice hotels.  They have big, clean rooms. There are pictures of restaurants serving many dishes. The goal was to attract visitors from other countries.

These images are quite different from what we see of North Korea today. Back then, only people from communist-allied countries could visit. It was very rare for anyone else to go. These brochures were part of a specific plan. The plan was to present a positive image.

The old ads also show cultural events. You might see pictures of dancers in colorful costumes. There are photos of parades and festivals. They emphasize the unique parts of North Korean culture. There were images meant to intrigue potential tourists.

The brochures were meant for people from countries that were friendly with North Korea. These were mostly other communist countries. It was part of building relationships with these nations. The brochures aimed to show them a positive side of the nation’s life.

#1 This is how North Korea advertised itself to potential tourists back in the 1970s and 80s when only visitor from allied communist countries were allowed within its borders.

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#2 Among the many attractions potential tourists had waiting for them include volleyball, a favorite sport in North Korea, which is pictured being played here on Wonsan beach.

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#3 Gymnastics classes were another of the cultural offerings for potential communist visitors. Women are pictured taking part in a class on Songdowon beach here.

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#4 The beach in Wonsan is filled with tourists, most like from the USSR, in this 1980s snap that was included in a brochure given to prospective visitors.

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#5 This is the beach at Majon, in North Korea’s second-largest city of Hamhung, photographed some time in the 1990s.

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#6 Unlike the beaches of Spain or Greece, which would have been packed with tourists in the 1990s when this snap was taken, the sand in Hamhung is virtually deserted.

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#7 People enjoying a diving platform in the city of Wonsan. Tourism was and is an important source of income for North Korea, as well as helping spread its propaganda.

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#8 A woman hails a taxi outside Ryanggang Hotel, in Pyongyang, in 1986.

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#9 A mother and her children relax at Taesongsan Waterpark, located near the capital.

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#10 A family enjoys a ride at the Taesongsan Funfair, which is located close to Pyongyang and is still open today. The park is named for Mount Taesong, which it sits at the base of.

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#11 A view of the Mansu Hill Grand Monument in central Pyongyang in North Korea. A statue of Kim Jong-il has since been added to stand next to the one of his father, Kim Il-sung, who is pictured here.

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#12 Parents watch their children take a ride on the funfair at Taesongsan in 1980. The park was first opened in 1977 and features 10 rides, though its main rollercoaster was damaged by flooding in 2007 and does not operate.

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#13 The rocket ride at Taesongsan Funfair. North Korea operates several theme parks around the country, the most famous of which is Pyongyang Zoo, which continues to be a major tourist draw to this day.

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#14 Men and women queue to go on the teacup rise at Taesongsan Funfair some time in the 1980s. The theme park has been updated little since it was first built, and now struggles to operate.

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#15 Bumper cars modeled to look like vehicles from the 1970s and 80s were advertised to potential tourists as a reason to visit.

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#16 The log flume ride at Taesongsan, which is now not operated except on the park’s busiest days having falling into disrepair.

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#17 Kwansong Tancha, the main rollercoaster at Taesongsan, operating in the 1980s. The coaster, once the park’s star attraction, was heavily damaged by flooding in 2007 and now does not operate.

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#18 Guests enjoy some North Korean cuisine at an upmarket restaurant in Pyongyang, in this image taken in 1976.

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#19 Young people dine at Songdowon where an international summer camp for children takes place every year, 1989.

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#20 Parents and children attending the Songdowon International Children’s Camp, held in Pyongyang, 1989. The camp is largely aimed a foreign visitors, and so was advertised in tourist brochure.

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#21 The brochure for the Songdowon International Children’s Camp. The summer camp still operates today, and attracts 400 children from around the world with activities such as swimming pools and video games.

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