A group of Nobel laureates visited sanctions-bound North Korea over the last week despite objections from South Korea, saying they wanted to extend an olive branch by bringing nonpolitical, academic diplomacy to the isolated nuclear-armed state.
North Korea is largely cut off from the outside world due to sweeping international sanctions imposed on it for its controversial nuclear program. The country tested its fourth nuclear device in January.
The government, fearful of foreign influences, also keeps a tight grip on what its people know about the outside world and their interactions with foreigners.