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The Koryo Group's office is located in a Sanlitun courtyard in Beijing. [Photo/CRIENGLISH.com]

The Koryo Group's office sells North Korean souvenirs and books and documentaries about the DPRK. [Photo/CRIENGLISH.com]

Most tourists head to the DPRK in groups to take advantage of the price and ease of travel.

"Most people who go on group tours are normally independent tourists," Bonner said. "But because North Korea is so different in the way that it runs its tours, you might as well go with a group."

Despite Koryo Group's range of business, the number of staff remains small at about 10, each of whom is passionate about Koryo's work.

"We don't really get into projects just for profit," Bonner said of his staff. "It's almost a family-run thing. We do things we like to do. We do projects that we believe in."

Projects that Koryo's staff believes in revolve around engagement with North Korea, a principle that permeates its everyday operations. The Koryo Group collaborates with a tour company in North Korea to organize tours.

"We work with North Koreans very closely," Bonner said, noting that being objective is an important part of communications.

Last year, Koryo took 1,300 tourists to North Korea, and while the amount of contact that tourists have with locals in North Korea is still relatively small, the effects of tourism are growing. Bonner notes that more North Koreans are learning English and seeking new business opportunities.

Creating opportunities for engagement is somewhat a crusade for Koryo.

"In each place that's opened to foreign tourists, we try to open more sites for people to see and more activities for people to do with locals to encourage interaction and exchange," Carr said.

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