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Staff Profiles
Koryo Tours is a British run company based in Beijing - the only gateway to North Korea - it is where our North Korean travel company colleagues are based and where the majority of visas are issued. Having our office located in Beijing means that we are ideally placed to both visit North Korea regularly (once a month usually) as well as staying on the front line of any developments there. We also make a point of meeting every single one of our clients personally to deliver a briefing that will mean you are well-prepared to make the most of your trip and maximize its value – a service none of our competitors can or do offer. We are also on immediate hand should there be any problems in China or Korea and as communication can be difficult in Korea we provide a contact between you and your friends and family if you need.
Nicholas Bonner |
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Born in England, Nicholas studied Landscape Architecture and lectured at Leeds Metropolitan University. On a study trip to China in 1993 he visited North Korea with his great friend Joshua Green (who was running TNT couriers in Pyongyang) and has been travelling to the country on a regular basis ever since. A North Korean friend asked them to set up a travel agency as there were none running tours to the country at that time. Finding the country fascinating they set up Koryo Tours and after their first group were hooked. Since 2001, together with film director Daniel Gordon, Nick has produced three documentaries on the country and is currently working on a new documentary and feature film project. Nicholas is a collector of DPRK art and is currently co-curating DPRK artworks for the Asia–Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT), the leading event in all Asia. |
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Simon Cockerell |
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Originally from the South West of England, Simon moved to Beijing in 2000, joined Koryo Tours in 2002 and has since travelled monthly to North Korea. He has become a respected speaker on DPRK having given presentations and lectures in many countries including China, the US, and South Korea as well as on regional and international radio and TV. A keen football fan, organising the first friendly soccer tours to North Korea are among the highlights of his Korean experiences.
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Hannah Barraclough |
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Born and raised in the Midlands, UK, Hannah studied Chinese Language at Durham University, became fluent, and moved to China in 2002. She specializes in cultural projects and has organised school exchanges and various sporting events. Since joining Koryo Tours in 2006 she has regularly escorted groups to the DPRK on a monthly basis, become well-known and liked among our clients and friends in Pyongyang. Hannah organises the independent (non-group) tours that we run as well as handling relations with our ever-expanding range of partner agencies from all around the world.
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Emily Qiu |
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A native of Jiangxi Province in South West China, for 4 years Emily attended Jiangxi Travel Guide University where she received her diploma. She then moved to Beijing where in 2003 we fortunately met and she has been helping us run the office and tours since. In addition she is responsible for running our art gallery and book store. Her career and fun character means that any tourist who is lost during their stay in Beijing will be well looked after.
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Nancy Pellegrini |
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A native of New York, USA, Nancy has been the tour leader and guide for our US tours since 2006. She is the single most experienced American tour leader to visit North Korea (she has visited more times than any American tour leader) and her past work as a professional singer makes her ideal for the inevitable karaoke session when on the tour! She has studied and worked on the Korean peninsula and this experience adds a great deal to the tours that she leads. She has been living in Beijing since 2000 and in addition to her work with Koryo Tours is involved in a diverse array of creative projects and updating Beijing Time Out. |
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In Beijing we work directly with our North Korean colleagues. They belong to the official DPRK travel company (everything in DPRK is state owned) and because they are based in Beijing it means they help us with visa issues etc and ensuring we are kept up to date everyday with the latest travel information. We work with the same people constantly and through our daily contact with them we have developed an unprecedented level of trust and co-operation. This means that we are the first to hear any news relevant to the tourism business and are able to take advantage of our relationship to offer the best possible programs to our clients and partners.
