U.S. citizens are banned from traveling to North Korea, but American Justin Martell bypassed this restriction by spending a six-figure sum to obtain a second passport, becoming the first American to enter the country years later.
Film producer Justin Martell became the first American to step into North Korea after five years. However, he notes that the pandemic is still not over in the country, with strict health measures like mask-wearing and temperature checks continuing. Tourists are also prohibited from visiting public markets.
Martell highlights the widespread conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19 in North Korea, citing rumors that it entered the country via a balloon from South Korea. He and his tour operators spent five days in North Korea last week to lay the groundwork for Western tourists to travel there again. The group then crossed a freezing bridge over the Tumen River to return to China.
Martell’s team, including Australians Rowan Beard and Hungarian Gerg Vaczi, plans to take the first Western tourist group to the Rason area near North Korea’s borders with China and Russia this week, with tourists from Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Macau, and Jamaica. Beard, who has organized tours to North Korea for over a decade, notes that the pandemic deepened the country’s isolation. “I’m very excited that the first group is leaving this week,” he says.
However, experiences like bargaining in open markets in Rason are still forbidden, with tour companies working to lift such restrictions. Pyongyang remains closed to Western tourists, although Russian tourists have been allowed since last year, linked to strengthening ties between North Korea and Russia.
Americans have been prohibited from entering North Korea since 2017 after the death of U.S. student Otto Warmbier, who was detained in North Korea and returned in a coma. Martell, who was in North Korea when the travel ban was implemented, believes he was the last tourist to leave with a U.S. passport at that time.
To bypass the ban, Martell acquired a second citizenship through Saint Kitts and Nevis’ investment program, donating a six-figure sum to the government’s sustainable development fund. Martell notes that the process took a year, involving security screenings and financial checks. He also mentions that prices for second passports have risen due to Russian citizens’ increased interest, but he obtained his for a lower cost.
Despite the expense, he sees value in the passport. “If you’re going to spend that much money and time, make sure your passport benefits you not just in North Korea, but elsewhere. For example, with my Saint Kitts passport, I can enter Russia visa-free, which I can’t do with my U.S. passport,” he adds.
Martell observes that guides in North Korea are aware of global developments but avoid commenting on the Ukraine war. “They were cautious on the topic of Ukraine,” he says. Vaczi adds that the guides are knowledgeable about global news, including recent events in South Korea and Trump’s tariffs.
Martell and his team believe North Korea will gradually open up to tourism, noting that photography rules have loosened compared to the past. “They only warned me once, and that was when I was taking a picture of a guide,” says Vaczi. Martell, while not hiding his American identity, says he did not encounter hostility. He recalls a humorous moment when a guide jokingly suggested that local children ran away because they thought he was an “American imperialist.”
Martell also observes that anti-American propaganda in the country has decreased, with posters once seen everywhere now removed and only available upon request. Despite all the restrictions, Martell and his team found the most memorable part of the trip to be the human connections they made with North Koreans. During a school visit, students were more interested in music, sports, and life in America than politics. “For them, it wasn’t about politics, it was about being able to communicate,” he says.