North Korean Defector Tour: Unique Insights

Join a private DMZ tour with a North Korean defector. Savor authentic North Korean cuisine and hear captivating stories. Book now for a unique experience.

Duration: 8 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Goyang - North Korean Local Food Restaurant (Managed by a North Korean defector)
    Enjoy a delightful lunch at a North Korean cuisine restaurant operated by an authentic North Korean defector. This unique establishment, among the few in Korea, serves at least four traditional North Korean dishes. Guests can hear captivating stories about North Korean…
What's Included
  • All admission fees
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Lunch
What's Not Included
  • Travel insurance
  • Hotel Drop off
  • Meals
Additional Information

This tour is the only one led by an English-speaking North Korean defector. Through Jun, who arrived in South Korea in 2017, you’ll experience contrasting historical perspectives of the Korean Peninsula and gain a deeper cultural and political understanding of North Korea than any other tour can offer.
Moreover, only on this tour can you experience…

Location
Goyang
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(100 Ratings)
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Richard_m
Jul 26, 2025
Excellent!! - A real, true, personal, candid and authentic story of his defection…very memorable. I would recommend to anyone…skip the other touristy tours and listen to Jun’s story instead.
Review provided by Viator
Adam_d
Jul 18, 2025
The best tour of our vacation - Unlike all the other tours, this one is pretty much unique. First of all, Jun is an excellent guide, and his command of the English language is excellent. He was able to answer all our questions, he was extremely friendly, and he had very interesting insights about Korea and the rest of the world. This isn't the unique thing, of course, but it does make for a fantastic and worthwhile tour all on its own. The unique thing is the fact that he is a north Korean defector and thus has a fascinating perspective on everything we were seeing in Korea, not to mention his insights on life in North Korea and his experiences both during his escape and since starting his life in South Korea. You will not get these insights on any other tour of the DMZ - and it is this that raises the tour from just being excellent to being a truly unique and 100% worthwhile experience. His tour is also actually cheaper than other private tours, which it really shouldn't be, given its uniqueness and his skill as a guide, if you need any other reasons to choose this tour during your stay in South Korea. Added to this, his story of his escape from North Korea--as other reviewers have said--is truly inspirational. I cannot recommend him highly enough. If I could give more than 5*, I would.
Review provided by Viator
Timothy_e
Jul 15, 2025
Well worth the... - Well worth the experience! Not your typical DMZ tour; I'm sure I wouldn't be as informed as I am had I gone on one of the other bus tours that just takes you to all the tourist sites. It was very captivating to hear Jun's story about how he escaped and his experiences living in North Korea, and what sparked his interest and motivated him to eventually planning an escape. Highly recommended and just know that a good portion of the fees you pay go directly to his remaining family in the North.
Review provided by Viator
Jacob_m
Jul 11, 2025
Do this tour!! - Jun is an amazing person and provided us with insight into the situation in North Korea that I consider priceless. I cannot recommend it enough.
Review provided by Viator
Michaellmns
Jul 9, 2025
Incredible Experience - I highly recommend taking this tour with Jun. Talking with him is an incredible and inspiring experience and his tour was undoubtedly the best part of my visit to this country. It is much more than simply seeing the sights – you will learn a lot and completely rethink anything you thought you knew going in. You will hear firsthand about North Korean culture and experience it yourself through food and through Jun's storytelling. Thank you again Jun for sharing your story!! I wish you the absolute best.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maryandleong
Jul 3, 2025
A tour not to be missed. - This tour is amazing. Worth every cent. Jun is amazing. His story is both heart wrenching and inspirational. The lunch was really lovely. Definitely the highlight of our trip to South Korea. It was a small group - maxi of 4 people. This was the main reason for picking this tour. Overall, the tour exceeded my niece and my expectations.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katarina_s
Jul 2, 2025
Jun gave an amazing and... - Jun gave an amazing and impactful tour. His unique perspective as a north korean gave us such unique insight into the politics of the dmz, unification, korean history, and the situation in north korea. His story of escape is incredibly brave, and should be heard by everyone. i would recommend this tour for anyone who is interested in korean history, getting insight into the current situation at the dmz, and for learning more about north korea. this was FAR better than any other tour we could have been on, and was so much more impactful. if you’re looking at some of the casual dmz tours with gondola rides, take this one instead!
Review provided by Viator
Katherinewj8853sc
Jun 30, 2025
An experience we will never forget - It is hard to put adequate words on how meaningful this experience was for us. This is not an ordinary tour. This is several hours with an incredibly engaging, intelligent, and insightful man who defected from North Korea and generously shares his story. It started with a delicious meal of North Korean food where he tolerated all of our questions about what his life was like in North Korea. Then we toured the unification tower, and that is where we sat down and he shared the details of his escape. My teenage boys, husband and I listened with rapt attention. He provided very important insight and context about the DMZ that quite frankly is missing from the exhibits there. There is really no other way to visit the DMZ. This was a life-changing experience for us and one that we will never forget. Thank you Jun!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mariast6734ae
Jun 25, 2025
Best choice we made - Above and beyond our expectations, Jun's first hand knowledge and perspective was such a highlight of our whole trip. Would definitely recommend to all travelers as a must do.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mrs0
Jun 18, 2025
The ONLY way to learn about the DMZ - I took this tour more than a week ago and have been holding off writing a review, trying to find the words to do this tour justice. My husband, 18 year old son and I had the honor of spending the day with Jun. He is thoughful and charming, and gave us a tour unlike any other. We chatted effortlessly from the start, and felt comfortable asking whatever questions came to mind. His story is powerful, and brought tears to our eyes more than once. In my opinion, this is the ONLY way to learn about the DMZ. Jun's story will stay with us for a very long time. Book this tour, you won't regret it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $150
up to 4 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).