American tourists are being allowed into North Korea later this summer and fall. Michele Norris talks with Walter Keats, president of Asia Pacific Travel in Kenilworth, Ill., whose company is organizing trips to Pyongyang.

Keats says that tourists are closely monitored -- but it's a good way to get the feel of a society like Orwell's 1984.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's decision to be more open to American tourism stems from a desire to highlight the Mass Games, a huge gymnastics and music exhibition in Pyongyang's main stadium.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.