The “North Korea Travel App” boasts of a surprisingly vibrant tourist economy, with plenty to do and see in Kim Jung-un’s kingdom. For instance, visitors to the country will enjoy odd sights like a 10-lane highway built by a generation of youth that is hardly used today. Or restaurants where foodies can learn where to eat roasted sparrow or snakefish served wriggling on a plate with its nervous system still intact.

There are also plenty of museums celebrating the “revolutionary” achievements of the country, curious mega-projects like the vaguely pyramidal Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang that has been under construction since 1987 and sports destinations like the Masik-Ryong Ski Resort…

“Tourism was what sparked my initial interest in the country, and I always got a lot out of the visits,” O’Carroll said in an email exchange. He first visited the country in 2009 while studying for his master’s degree in nuclear nonproliferation, and went back twice more as a tourist. Since “coming out” as the person behind NK News in March 2013, he hasn’t been back; most journalists are prohibited from entering the country.