I am joined by Fragkiska Megaloudi who spent two years living in North Korea under the UN, an organisation with a surprising amount of freedom to roam around the country. Or, so it used to be. Fragkiska is a fascinating individual with an incredible background. We couldn't help but chat for 2 hours, so this episode will be in two parts.

More from Fragkiska -

The Book (In the Land of Kim: Two years in North korea) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F98D8KJ8 (paperback & kindle)

Ebook: https://books.apple.com/us/book/in-the-land-of-kim/id6746357349

Website: https://fragkiskamegaloudi.com/

Substack account (in English): https://substack.com/@fragkiskamegaloudi

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Thanks as always to my Patrons!

Support me over at Patreon, it's free to join and you can choose your tiers for ad-free access!

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I chat to North Korea film expert Nick Bonner, who's attended every PIFF since 2002, for some insider knowledge on everything from how to process works to cute anecdotes like how acting can lead to getting yourself a husband.

Koryo Tours will be attending PIFF 2026 and will be posting on their Instagram and YouTube accounts. Make sure to follow along!

North Korean Films produced with Nick Bonner

Koryo Tours & Studio on Vimeo - Aim High in Creation / Game of Their Lives (Vimeo) / Centre Forward ("North Korea’s best football film ever made” - Simon Cockerell)

Comrade Kim Goes Flying Film Review (by me! Youtube).

Comrade Kim Goes Flying (Vimeo)

Anecdotes

Joss Stone in Pyongyang

Pyongyang International Film Festival Info

PIFF 2025

Bend it Like Beckham at PIFF

Koryo Tours North Korea Film Productions

North Korean Film Star Photography

The North Korean Film Studio

Yanggakdo International Cinema

PIFF 2026 entries - email nick@koryogroup.com

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Just me on the show today as I get a bit passionate about a topic close to home; content creation on North Korea. As much as I have my qualms with some of the content that has come out from Rason and the Pyongyang Marathon - I don't believe it was 'influencers that closed North Korea'.

One big argument I forget to mention here is....

North Korea closed after just *one* group of tourists went in. About 20-30 of them - and not even half of those influencers.

Most of the content produced came out *after* it already announced it closed.

Anyway,

Enjoy!

And leave a comment below!

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Anna and I talk about some of the interesting content that has come out online since the marathon and what it's like to produce 'normal' or 'mundane' nuanced content on North Korea, away from the sensationalist headlines.

Follow Anna Pelova's work -

TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@visiteverycountry/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/annapelova/

Contact me: zoediscovers@gmail.com / @zoediscovers /@zoediscoversnk

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I get together with Greg at the Beijing office for an impromptu meet-up and discuss all things behind the scenes at the Pyongyang Marathon.

Links mentioned:

Eastern Bhutan 2026 (with Greg)

https://koryogroup.com/tours/offbeat-eastern-bhutan

Bangladesh & Bhutan Combo (December 2025, with Greg & Zoe!)

https://koryogroup.com/tours/koryo-bhutan-and-bangladesh-adventure

International tours -

Koryo Tours may not be able to do DPRK tours at the moment but they have a great list of international tours!

https://koryogroup.com/international-tours

Kangwon Greehouse -

https://koryogroup.com/blog/new-north-korea-tour-itineraries

Info on Munsu Waterpark -

https://www.dailynk.com/english/n-korea-cracks-down-on-water-park-corruption/

https://www.dailynk.com/english/n-korea-arrests-water-park-manager-for-alleged-secret-leaks-to-foreigners/

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A here there and everywhere episode as I take you into Pyongyang and for a bit of the behind the scenes of the Pyongyang Marathon.

Pyongyang Marathon 2026 Updates

PYM 2026 Early Bird (closes 1st Sept 2025)

Pyongyang Marathon Vlog

Koryo Tours & Afghanistan

Michael Palin in North Korea

Contact me: zoediscovers@gmail.com / @zoediscovers /@zoediscoversnk

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On this episode of Discover North Korea, I take you on a much-awaited AIR KORYO flight back to Pyongyang for the Pyongyang Marathon. We start in Beijing Airport and finish with some conversations with North Korean colleagues at Pyongyang Airport. The next couple of episodes will be covering my time in Pyongyang & the Pyongyang Marathon!

The Pyongyang Marathon 2026 has not yet been announced. Watch this space for more info!

Follow me on:

@zoediscovers / @zoediscoversnk

Koryo Tours -

@koryotours / koryogroup.com

Sign up to the newsletter for updates on the Pyongyang Marathon and North Korea tours

subscribepage.io/koryo-tours

Koryo Documentaries -

https://koryogroup.com/engagement/category/film

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The final episode of our Rason trip! We enjoy our last few sights on the tour as well as have a little interview with our young guide Miss Kim.

Tune in next time when I TAKE YOU TO PYONGYANG.

Thank you to my Patrons and to the Koryo Tours gang for your constant support.

NOTE: North Korea borders are once again CLOSED indefinitely. Rason tours are now suspended. I will be posting updates on my Instagram & all other platforms. (@zoediscovers / @zoediscoversnk).

🔗 North Korea Tours - https://koryogroup.com/tours/dprk-north-korea/group

🔗 Read about my first trip here - https://koryogroup.com/blog/back-in-north-korea-the-return-to-rason

🔗 Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/zoediscovers

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