Uh, sorry but how is this even a question? Is visiting South Korea “effective”? Is visiting Nigeria “effective”? Of course not, they’re vacations. What exactly would you do in North Korea… smuggle USBs and tell them about freedom and mukbangs??
it seems possible that more Western visits to North Korea would strain the resources of the Kim regime.
1. I imagine you’ll be paying them 2. Is this supposed to be a good thing?
Experience in North Korea would probably also build one’s career capital (by boosting reputation, signaling risk tolerance, and (perhaps) establishing relationships in the DPRK & China). This seems especially salient for folks who are aiming at diplomatic & public policy careers.
No one is going to get hired for taking a trip to a foreign country, that’s something you put on a freshman college application not a resume in the real world. You don’t get a reputation for taking a vacation, except maybe a bad one if you brag about taking a sightseeing trip to a dangerous country against the advice of the actual State Department. No one needs “risk tolerant” policymakers, what risks do you think policymakers have to deal with?
What exactly does China have to do with DPRK? Is DPRK somehow crawling with Chinese officials that you are going to befriend on the street??? And what are you even going to do with a relationship, “hey man I really hope you stop your nuclear weapons program” ???
What exactly would you do in North Korea… smuggle USBs and tell them about freedom and mukbangs??
In this Quora answer, there’s some interesting stuff about chatting with their North Korean guides & other North Koreans about what life is like in the US.
What exactly does China have to do with DPRK? Is DPRK somehow crawling with Chinese officials that you are going to befriend on the street???
The most common route for US citizens to get into North Korea is through China. Depending on how one structures their trip, they could end up working closely with Chinese guides, etc.
Uh, sorry but how is this even a question? Is visiting South Korea “effective”? Is visiting Nigeria “effective”? Of course not, they’re vacations. What exactly would you do in North Korea… smuggle USBs and tell them about freedom and mukbangs??
1. I imagine you’ll be paying them 2. Is this supposed to be a good thing?
No one is going to get hired for taking a trip to a foreign country, that’s something you put on a freshman college application not a resume in the real world. You don’t get a reputation for taking a vacation, except maybe a bad one if you brag about taking a sightseeing trip to a dangerous country against the advice of the actual State Department. No one needs “risk tolerant” policymakers, what risks do you think policymakers have to deal with?
What exactly does China have to do with DPRK? Is DPRK somehow crawling with Chinese officials that you are going to befriend on the street??? And what are you even going to do with a relationship, “hey man I really hope you stop your nuclear weapons program” ???
I pretty strongly disagree with this, but worry that there’s too much inferential distance between us presently to engage in a useful discussion.
I believe that historically, the DPRK government has covered much of the costs of such trips.
In this Quora answer, there’s some interesting stuff about chatting with their North Korean guides & other North Koreans about what life is like in the US.
Also, smuggling anything in is probably a bad idea.
In my (weakly held) model of diplomacy & international business, much progress gets mediated through personal friendships.
Personal friendships with tour guides and hotel staff?
The most common route for US citizens to get into North Korea is through China. Depending on how one structures their trip, they could end up working closely with Chinese guides, etc.