Headquarters Canberra, Australia | Website tongiltours.com | |
Tongil Tours is an independent travel company based in Canberra, Australia, specialising in cultural and educational tourism to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).
Contents
Tongil Tours is managed and run by Korean-speaking Westerners with humanities academic backgrounds in Korean studies. The tour operator’s itineraries focus on aspects of North Korea such as its history, art, politics, society and language.
History
Tongil Tours was founded in 2013 by Australian National University student Alek Sigley, and Peter Sukonek joined in 2014 as partner.
Cultural and educational exchange
Tongil Tours facilitated the screenings of two Australian independent films, Mystery Road and The Rocket, at the 14th Pyongyang International Film Festival in 2014, and brought director of Mystery Road, Ivan Sen, to Pyongyang to attend the festival.
In July 2016 Tongil Tours organised the first ever open Korean language study program for Western citizens at a North Korean university, namely Kim Hyong Jik University of Education in Pyongyang. Tongil Tours founding partner Alek Sigley participated in the program, becoming the first Australian in history to study at a North Korean university.