British tour guide attempts to show the human side of North Korea despite claims of her spreading propaganda

A British tour guide who shows groups of tourists around North Korea says everyone’s “wrong” about the country — and it’s just a “normal” place to live. Zoe Stephens, 31, has visited North Korea 30 times since March 2016 — taking countless “foreigners” from the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia with her. She says there are set rules the group has to follow in order to avoid trouble — like traveling in a two guide-to-one tourist ratio, and never taking silly photos of art resembling dictator Kim Jong Un. The tour guide posts videos of normal life in Pyongyang, North Korea, on TikTok — and says people in the comments accuse her of spreading propaganda. But Zoe wants people to see the “amazing” side of the country — from hikes with amazing views to the “lovely humans” that live there.Zoe, an international tour and marketing manager, originally from Liverpool, said: “I want to show people the human side of North Korea — a lot of foreigners think people there are starving and trying to escape. “But in reality, people just go about their everyday life there. “I love going for hikes in rural North Korea — and in Pyongyang, my favorite things to do are literally just grabbing coffee and getting my hair done.”Before North Korea closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020, Zoe used to visit the country once a month.But in March 2025, she went back for the first time in five years.Her tours usually begin in Beijing, China, and head towards Pyongyang, North Korea — and every time she takes her group out, she needs to undergo a one-hour briefing session on the rules. “I want to ensure everyone’s safety, and help them challenge cultural misconceptions,” she said. “There are three general rules you follow as a traveler; when taking photos of any image of the leader, you have to remain respectful.“You can’t take any photos of the military or construction sites. “Stick together as a ...