There are two ways of getting to North Korea: the cheap way and the expensive way. Read about the expensive way here— a tour that I had done in November 2016- aroundtheentireworld.com/an-irishman-in-north-korea/

There is however a cheap way of stepping foot in the country and it involves flying to Seoul in South Korea and taking a trip to the DMZ Zone, the border between both countries, about 1/2 hours away by bus.

Firstly, you will need to book a tour in advance and send a copy of your passport to the travel agent so that they can verify your identity. I think Americans are unable to do the DMZ tour—this was certainly the case last time that I checked—but every other nationality can once everything is approved.

The DMZ area is a large stretch of land that separates the north from the south and it’s a fascinating place. The area is heavily monitored and has one of the most surveillance borders anywhere in the world, but it is safe to do the trip accompanied by a tour guide and a local soldier, there is extra security and numerous passport checks throughout the area.
There is one area, the blue room, a building that passes through both countries and once across to the other side of the room, you are officially on North Korean territory, once crossed to the other side of the concrete slab present to split the countries.

It’s all very safe and there is an agreement in place meaning that North and South Korean soldiers can’t be in the room at the same time unless there is an urgent meeting or tour from the north side to the south side. I also did the tour in 2016 from the other side to the south. You are being monitored at all times once inside the building and a soldier is guarding the door into North Korea, but you can take as many photos as you like once inside the blue room.

Once finished from that side, the tour continues and you can continue to look across the border for a couple of miles. The bus stops a couple of times at the gift shops and a nearby restaurant for some dinner before going back to Seoul. It’s a fun way to spend a day and one of the most recommended things to do in South Korea and certainly the easiest and cheapest way of going to North Korea.