People are under the impression that it’s impossible to go to North Korea, but even for Americans, there are ways. The New York Times has a small travel piece that includes the details on going.

The tricky part is the price.

Americans who’d like to take a peek behind North Korea’s Iron Curtain, including the zone have a chance to do so this fall with two tours offered by Snow Lion Expeditions (www.snowlion.com), a Salt Lake City-based travel company. “We have a crack in the door for Americans to get in,” said Steve Pastorino, vice president of marketing for the company, who has found a way to procure visas for Americans through a partnership with Koryo, a British consortium of documentary filmmakers and tour guides who work regularly in North Korea. The 11-day tours visit both North and South Korea, using Beijing as a home base. Highlights of the itinerary include attending the Mass Games, a color-coded, athletic performance organized by the state, and visiting sites like Kumsusan Memorial Palace, the mausoleum of Kim Il-Sung. The trip starts at $5,895, including guides, lodging, meals and admission — but not flights.

Plus you have to live with the fact that you’re paying for the Tuna Fish Eye Pizza Kim Jong-il is eating off the backs of prostitutes flown in from the world over.