German conductor Alexander Liebreich is one of the few Westerners to have visited North Korea several times. On his last trip, with the Munich Chamber Orchestra in November, he was surprised how much the situation has changed.

"Is there anywhere in the city that we shouldn't go?"

It is wise to ask this question early on in a trip to Pyongyang. I put it to our contacts at the German Korean Friendship society, who had helped organise our trip.

"No."

"But... is it OK to just walk around Pyongyang, unaccompanied?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"