Having Fun at the Beach in North Korea

Having fun at the beach on holiday feels almost impossible when real life in North Korea makes even simple joys feel distant and obscure.

Having fun at the beach should be simple. It’s supposed to be about quiet moments, warm sun, and a short escape from everything else. But when you’re living in a place like North Korea, even that idea feels more like a distant memory than something real. The beach is there, the water is the same, but the feeling is missing.

A holiday isn’t really a holiday when you’re surrounded by silence you didn’t choose, eyes that never look away, and rules that follow you even into the waves. There’s very little room for joy when real life clings so tightly to your every move.

The beach becomes more of a reminder than a relief, a glimpse of what things could be, but never quite are. Even the most obscure details, like the sound of laughter or the freedom to walk alone, feel out of reach.

It’s not about luxury or comfort. It’s about wanting a moment to feel free and realizing, painfully, that some places don’t even allow that.