US photographer reveals 'Behind the DMZ'
Alecia Janeiro, center, poses in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang in 2017 with her guides Jeong-im, left, who she met in 2015, and Jeong-hwa. / Image courtesy of Alecia Janeiro
By Jon Dunbar
Sitting around someone's living room looking at their vacation photos sounds like a drag. But there's a twist: that living room is Haebangchon hot spot Living Room, the trip was to North Korea and the photographer is U.S. expat Alecia Janeiro.
She visited the North in 2015 and 2017, entering five cities _ Pyongyang, Gaeseong, Sariwon, Wonsan and Sinuiju.
“I was one of the few Americans allowed on the train to cross the border from Dandong to Sinuiju,” she told The Korea Times. “I also traveled to Wonsan by minibus, so I've seen a fair bit of Kangwon Province on the other side.”
Janeiro, who's lived in South Korea nearly nine years, decided to share her photos publicly in an exhibit titled “Behind the DMZ,” aiming to dispel the numerous myths about travel to the reclusive North.
“I want to show people that much of what they have been told about visiting the North is untrue,” she said. “Most articles about travel to the North get everything wrong, due to misinformation, lack of research and an inability to resist the urge to sensationalize.”
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“Because of myths and misunderstanding, people do not look at the North as a place with regular, innocent people,” she said. “As a result, many people blindly support sentiments like those expressed in Trump's U.N. speech, when he threatened to 'totally destroy' North Korea. Perpetuating the myths and lies is dangerous.”
She reports she enjoyed relative freedom of movement, not just seeing a few select sites in Pyongyang. Her guides were friendly and did not prohibit interaction with locals. She also says from 2015 to 2017 she witnessed increased economic activities, more stable electricity, more cars on the road, and more mobile devices.
She traveled both times with Young Pioneer Tours, the same tour company used by the ill-fated Otto Warmbier, who died in a coma after being released from North Korea, where he'd been imprisoned under accusations of stealing a poster.
“I definitely do not think visiting the North is for everyone,” Janeiro said. “Travel in general is not for everyone, but I especially would not recommend everyone go to places with very strict laws and controversial governments, like the DPRK. We have seen what can happen when people who visit are reckless and do not follow the laws.”
Janeiro will hang 35 of her photos in Living Room on May 25 for about a month. All photos are for sale, and a portion of sales will support a charity run by Young Pioneers to support Pyongyang Center for the Deaf.
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