A journalist recently visited North Korea as part of a supervised tour organized by a travel agency, offering an insight into the country's contradictions. The journalist was accompanied by three English-speaking escorts—Mr. Ri, Mr. Kim, and Mr. Yu—who wore badges featuring members of the ruling family. The group visited several locations, including a fish farm, a library, the ancestral village of the Kim dynasty, Kim Il-sung University, and the Juche Tower, from which Pyongyang appeared strangely beautiful. The journalist noted the city's brutalist architecture and orderly movement of pedestrians, contrasting with expectations based on reports of famines and political prisoners. During the visit, the group attended a pizzeria where waitresses performed patriotic songs, and they enjoyed meals made with North Korean mozzarella. They also participated in karaoke, where Mr. Ri's favorite song was "Barbie Girl" by Aqua. Despite this, the journalist observed that Mr. Ri maintained his ideological adherence to the regime. The journalist noted the presence of mobile phones and local applications for online commerce and games, as well as the quality of meals served. However, during bus rides to the demilitarized zone and the coastal city of Wonsan, the journalist observed that much of the agriculture remained non-mechanized, with inhabitants using manual labor for farming and laundry. The journalist also felt that Pyongyang represented a relatively prosperous bubble for a small elite, while the rest of the country remained poorer than South Korea. The journalist continued their exploration through the memories of defectors, meetings with North Koreans who have fled abroad, and the country's cultural productions, which eventually led to the creation of a novel titled The Sorcerer of Pyongyang, which has not been translated into French. The journalist expressed a desire to return to North Korea, experience the daily broadcasts, eat cold noodles again, and do more karaoke with Mr. Ri.