I understand one might refuse to go there out of principle, but on monetary terms alone I think it doesn't matter. The income from tourism is irrelevant for NK.
Besides trade with (and possibly significant aid from) China, NK gets hard currency from selling arms to other countries, and illegal activities such as counterfeiting, smuggling and drug traffic.
Its still always better to go there; it was like this in Burma (before they opened up); and it is like this in North Korea. The more contact there is with the outside world, the quicker things will change.
A boycott only helps the people in power.
I have a feeling things will soon change in N Korea. Its not any specific information I have read, its just a collective pressure that weakens those regimes and those who support them.
Take Burma as an example - the leadership got sick of the failed state, the abysmal economy, the boycott against regime sons and daughters - an absolutely brillant plan whereby countries simply dont accept sons, daughters, and other family members of dictatorships; this hits where it hurts, on a personal level, when you might the the king in your country with $Bns stolen from the people in a bank account but your daughter cant go to school in Australia or fly to Paris. I wish more countries would participate.
Back to Burma, I followed that situation for years and it seemed completely hopeless. But then the Burmese leadership faced a situation: Either change and open to the west or get bought out by China. They didnt want China to come in and own the country so they opened up, and now all sorts of good things happen.
Russia is already uninterested in N Korea - maybe there is some strategic benefit but they wont go so far as to send money. And China, it seems like, wont need them much either anymore, seeing as they are now the worlds factory and they benefit from commerce much more than they ever could from confrontation. China might fall away as an ally and then N Korea is going to reform.
You are, but ignoring things and people never visiting would be worse.
Worse for the regime, yes. They need foreign currency and need to spalsh famous faces on TV "XX came to our wonderful country and was surprised at...". If you think that Erik Schmidt or his daughter know jack about NK and how life is because of their visit, I have a bridge...
Besides trade with (and possibly significant aid from) China, NK gets hard currency from selling arms to other countries, and illegal activities such as counterfeiting, smuggling and drug traffic.
http://theconversation.edu.au/north-koreas-basketcase-econom...