Traveler goes viral for trip to one of the most secretive places on Earth

A British traveler recently went viral after documenting his unique experience as one of the first Western tourists to visit North Korea in over half a decade.

Mike O'Kennedy boasts more than half a million followers on his YouTube channel, "Mike Okay." His travel documentary about his journey to North Korea, "Inside North Korea After 5 Years of Isolation," accrued over 3 million views in the first week since it was posted on Feb. 28.

O'Kennedy, who said that he likes to "do things as uncensored as possible," spoke with Fox News Digital about his experience visiting the isolated country. He arrived in the city of Rason on Feb. 20. (See the video at the top of this article.) 

"I'm not qualified to talk about it politically," he continued. "But what I can say is, it's an incredibly proud country."

O'Kennedy's candid video of the trip showed several strange situations. While flying over North Korea, he and his fellow plane passengers were required to keep their window blinds closed to prevent them from seeing the country from the air. 

North Korea partially resumed international tourism last year after nearly half a decade, according to tourist operators. 

The country partially re-opened its borders in 2023, Fox News Digital reported.

However, reports now say that trips to North Korea, as of Thursday, have been canceled.

"Just received news from our Korean partners that Rason is closed to everyone. We will keep you posted," China-based KTG Tours, which specializes in North Korean tours, said Wednesday on Facebook, as BBC reported.

He told Fox News Digital that there was "pressure on the whole situation."

"This is the first time any foreign tourists and non-Russian and non-Chinese tourists have entered the country for five years," he said. 

"So, there were times where you could cut the tension with a knife. You could feel the weight of this moment."

Though O'Kennedy wasn't granted the freedoms he would normally enjoy during his travels - such as interacting with locals, using the bathroom without permission and taking solo walks - he was still acutely aware of the special treatment that he and his fellow tourists were getting.

O'Kennedy said he witnessed dozens of enthusiastic children from Rason perform a song and dance dedicated to leader Kim Jong Un. The show included futuristic space costumes, a light show and visuals of rockets.

O'Kennedy also said that he had never encountered an area remotely similar to North Korea before. 

"So, there was a level of [a] kind of control and curiosity, but not on the same level as [North Korea] was. This was very restricted to the point where it sometimes felt a little bit claustrophobic."