The rarely seen passport of a North Korean citizen.
As one of the rarest travel documents in the world, the North Korean passport still carries more power than many other Asian passports.
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| The North Korean passport states: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea requests that all relevant parties allow the holder of this document to travel freely, and provide all necessary assistance and protection." (Photo: [Image caption]Newscom. |
According to Henley & Partners' ranking, the North Korean passport ranks 96th out of 104. North Korean citizens are exempt from visa requirements or only need a visa on arrival when entering 42 countries and territories such as Laos, Cambodia, Timor Leste, Belarus, Egypt, Uganda, Haiti, Bolivia, Iran, etc. They can visit and stay in Kyrgyzstan for as long as they like.
In fact, North Korea has a much more powerful passport than many other Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Lebanon, Yemen, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.
There are four types of passports in North Korea: ordinary (navy blue), official (green), diplomatic (red), and a general passport for official travel (navy blue) issued to athletes participating in international competitions. Not much different from those in other countries, the North Korean ordinary passport has 36 pages with the national emblem printed on the first few pages.
Mike, blogger pageIrresponsible LifeMike had the opportunity to visit North Korea in 2015. On a train, he met a student who was traveling with several others to China after spending the summer in his hometown. He borrowed the student's passport and took a picture of it.
He revealed that he saw a North Korean man using a wallet with the Armani logo, while others wore Real Madrid football jerseys or Mickey Mouse t-shirts. They spoke English quite well and seemed knowledgeable about the outside world.
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| Mike's passport was shown. Photo: Irresponsible Life |
Therefore, Mike believes that North Korea is not as closed off from the world as many people believe. "I was also surprised to learn that there are Korean minority communities around the world, especially in Malaysia where some work as construction workers," Mike said.