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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 feature film project. Nicholas is a collector of DPRK art and is currently co-curating DPRK art exhibitions in Toronto and Hawaii. |
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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 including the visit of Middlesbrough FC Ladies to the DPRK in September 2010. 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 works with Simon on the group tours.
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Amanda Carr |
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Originally from Greater London, Amanda studied English and German at Birmingham University and lived in Berlin for two years before moving to Beijing in 2006. She joined Koryo Tours in summer 2010 to lead group tours on a monthly basis. Amanda organises our independent tours with Jasmine and Cornelia. With a background in education, Amanda also coordinates our programmes for school groups wishing to visit North Korea
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Rebecca Zhang |
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A native Beijinger, after completing her degree in Beijing International Studies University, she moved to Singapore to study International Business Management and worked with management there for couple of years. She returned to Beijing and joined Koryo Tours in April 2010 and is responsible for our ever-expanding range of partner agencies from all around the world. Taking regular trips to Korea means she can plan the best itineraries and give our partners the best travel experience possible.
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Simo Herold |
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Originally from Finland, Simo graduated with a degree in International Communications, Design and Branding from the Netherlands and then moved to Beijing for further study in Chinese language, culture and economics. After a few years working and studying in Beijing he joined Koryo Tours in 2009 and has been coordinating tourism, dealing with promotion, management and marketing related matters ever since
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Jasmine Khou |
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Born and raised in Wollongong (a coastal city just south of Sydney), Australia, Jasmine graduated with a degree in Communications, Cultural Studies and Marketing before deciding to uproot her life and move to Beijing, China. She ran around doing all sorts of work before joining Koryo Tours. Now, she works on projects for the Koryo Group and assists Amanda with the independent tours as well as accompanying tours going in and out of the DPRK.
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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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Cornelia Menzer |
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Born and raised in Dresden, Germany. Cornelia graduated with a degree in International Tourism Management and worked in various high-end hotels in France, United Kingdom and Switzerland for a couple of years. She wanted a new challenge in life and therefore moved to Beijing, China in early 2011 to study Chinese. She then joined Koryo Tours and is now coordinating our independent tours.
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Christopher Graper |
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Fascinated with islands and borders, and having once worked as a licensed Parks Canada guide to Niagara Falls, Christopher joined the Koryo Team after his first visit to the DPRK in 2008. Based in Toronto, and operating under the name Koryo Canada, Christopher works to promote Koryo's tours, films, art exhibits and cultural exchange projects in Canada and throughout North America, allowing him to combine his interests in foreign languages, travel and cooking, while acting in accord with his conviction that cultural exchange promotes inter-cultural understanding and peace. Christopher is available for consultation, academic events and media requests.
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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.
