Andrea Mella, 29, from Chile, works for China Central Television Spanish. She visited the DPRK in February.

A journey into the past

Under Western Eyes

I have wanted to visit the DPRK since I was in university studying history. I think that traveling to North Korea is a unique experience to understand the country's reality. The (visa) application process wasn't difficult at all. There was an online application form, and I filled it out with my personal and work-related information, and also a letter from my workplace. That was all. After two weeks, my visa was approved.

Also, I asked for a special diet, and it was taken care of. The agency didn't know very much about Type 1 diabetes, but asked me for ways they could help, both before and during the trip.

My tour was a private one, and I had the opportunity to ask for a Spanish-speaking guide. But when I arrived I had two guides waiting for me! One was a very young female and the other was a man nearing 40, with prior experience of working with the DPRK government. When we spoke, I learned that he had traveled to Latin America many times and had stayed in Cuba, my husband’s country. So it was really nice to speak to him in Spanish about Latin America.

It was nice and very safe for tourism. The hotel was very good. Honestly, I was thinking of a worse scenario, of a gray and dark city, but to my surprise, Pyongyang is a big city with lots of buildings and cars.

The trip was worth it. I think people have to travel to learn. It is the best way to know the world. Going to North Korea is an opportunity to understand their vision of history.

Juveniu Da Silva and Andrea Mella spoke with Dong Fangyu.