‘No cafes, brands, ads, or Netflix': Cork woman on her trip to the world's most secretive country

Cork woman Janet Newenham is one of only a handful of Westerners to travel to North Korea in recent years. She tells Sarah Horgan what she witnessed in the secretive state, including a strange trip to the hairdressers

Sun, 18 May, 2025 - 19:59

Sarah Horgan

For decades, North Korea has been the world's most insular and secular state, allowing in only a trickle of visitors every year, and keeping close tabs on their every movement.

Then, in January 2020, it closed its doors completely, with the ruling party blaming the move on the covid pandemic.