Alek Sigley is a graduate student at Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung University and runs the North Korea tour company Tongil Tours. You can read his first column for NK News here.

Life as a foreign student in Pyongyang brings with it many unique perks and privileges. Like resident diplomatic staff and NGO workers, we can walk and cycle freely (with no need for a translator or guide to accompany us) around Pyongyang.

We can spend our money in a wide selection of stores and restaurants that tourists and short-term guests are barred from even