A runner’s loophole: How a YouTuber gained access to North Korea

British travel vlogger Harry Jaggard, known for his adventurous YouTube channel with over 2.4 million subscribers, recently secured rare access to North Korea, not through traditional tourism but by running in the Pyongyang International Marathon.

“I’m not a runner, but they told me I had to be there in a month—I made all the preparations and made it happen,” Jaggard told The New York Post. He completed the marathon in 3 hours and 40 minutes, earning a five-day stay in the notoriously closed-off country.

More footage than expected—but with strict limits

Unlike most visitors to North Korea, Jaggard was permitted to film extensively, though under tight supervision.

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“I thought I’d be able to film just a few clips, but it turned out to be more than that,” he said. His footage included visits to war museums, political monuments, and landmarks glorifying the Workers’ Party and former leader Kim Jong-il.

However, three locations were strictly off-limits for recording: a view tower, a supermarket, and a war museum featuring a graphic anti-American statue from the Korean War era—a depiction of a cow eating a U.S. soldier.

The surreal contrast of Pyongyang’s curated reality

Jaggard described Pyongyang as a city of contradictions—clean, orderly, and surprisingly friendly, yet steeped in propaganda.

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“It was like going on a tour of America but only seeing Las Vegas—all the shiny parts,” he remarked. He noted that most locals appeared deeply indoctrinated, with only a few seemingly aware of the outside world’s advancements.

A fleeting window into the hermit kingdom

North Korea’s borders had been sealed for nearly five years before briefly reopening for two weeks, only to close again without warning. Jaggard was among the few foreigners who seized the narrow opportunity, using the marathon as his entry point.

Reflecting on his journey, he said he departed with “1,000 questions” about life inside the secretive regime. His footage offers one of the rare glimpses into a country that remains largely hidden from global view.

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