Russian tourists boarding an Air Koryo Tu-134 departing from Pyongyang to Orang in Oct. 2024 | Image: Victor Krivyy

North Korea is far from a typical tourist destination, often drawing travelers mesmerized by its isolation. But for one recent visitor, it was not the DPRK's seclusion or communist aesthetics that attracted his attention, but its unique status as a home for rare retro planes.

Victor Krivyy from Veliky Novgorod in western Russia visited North Korea in Oct. 2024 during celebrations for the Workers' Party's foundation day, specifically choosing the trip so he could take a domestic flight and documenting the journey for his YouTube channel PoletMe Aviation.