The following article is part of a series by Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours about being a North Korea tour guide. Views expressed in columns are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

When traveling abroad, a country’s official foreign language bookshop is rarely a must-visit destination. But few nations are as heavily shaped and guided by the writings of just two men as North Korea. 

Books, predominantly by Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, can be found throughout the DPRK, from tourist sites to hotel lobbies. But for serious lovers of North Korean