THE PYONGYANG CUP
North Korea’s First Mixed-Team Hockey Tournament / Social Experiment in Social Trust Building
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
You might be surprised to learn that North Korea has a hockey league, and even more surprised that we want to send you to play with them. We want to open your eyes to a different side of one of the most politically isolated nations in the world by connecting directly with people— in this case hockey players from the countryside towns of Hyesan, Manpo, Kanggye and more.
We hope through the mutual love of hockey and teamwork, we can bridge the gap between our worlds and foster understanding and camaraderie between citizens. Not only will you play hockey with North Koreans, but you’ll be on the same team as them working together towards a common goal, a first in North Korea.
More than a hockey tournament, the Pyongyang Cup is an experiment in changing cultural perceptions both in the Western world and in North Korea. By proudly displaying that we can work together to the public, we hope that we can change how we see one another.
We invite you to join us and play in the first international mixed team hockey tournament ever held in North Korea.
After a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the DPRK’s continued border closures, the Pyongyang Cup is scheduled to take place from February 13-24, 2025 after receiving approval from the DPRK’s Ministry of Sports.
TOURNAMENT DETAILS
Dates: February 13-24, 2025
Participation Fee: $3750 USD
Includes local transportation, 11 nights of accommodation (sharing twin rooms), three meals daily, DPRK visa, international train tickets from China to Pyongyang, team jerseys, guides, coaches, rink fees, tournament fees, and all activities on the itinerary.
Capacity: 28 international and 28 North Korean hockey players; up to 10 non-playing foreign spectators are welcome.
Skill Expectations: Men’s or women’s rec league and above.
Arrival and Departure Point: Shenyang, China.
Restrictions: This program is not open to American or ROK passport holders. Dual citizens with a passport from other than these countries may register.
The Pyongyang Cup is hosted as a 4-team round robin tournament with 6 total games. Three of the teams are comprised near equal North Korean and foreign players, while the forth team is a DPRK club team. The 2025 tournament is largely hosted in Samjiyon city in the central-north off the country.
Players are drafted during tryouts conducted by our Western and North Korean coaches, where players are evaluated based on a series of drills and scrimmages. We aim to create teams of balanced skill level.
Each mixed team has a North Korean coach, a Canadian team manager, as well as a helper/translator. Each team forms their own distinct culture— their own team name, their own cheers, handshakes, and hopefully local fan base (all games are open to the public).
Social activities are held both on and off the ice; foreign players will also participate in other cultural exchanges and events around Pyongyang, Samjiyon, and Hyesan throughout the tournament.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
DAY 1. ARRIVAL IN SHENYANG, CHINA
Orientation and safety briefing
Introduction presentation by your team managers
Get to know each other Chinese dinner
DAY 2. SHENYANG / PYONGYANG, DPRK
Early morning bullet train to the Chinese-DPRK border city of Dandong
Clear Chinese and North Korean immigration and customs
Take the international train to Pyongyang
Arrival in Pyongyang
Welcome dinner with North Korean staff
DAY 3. PYONGYANG / SAMJIYON
Mansudae Grand Monuments visit
Private charter flight to Samjiyon (1.5 hrs)
Watch a local hockey game between local DPRK club teams
Samjiyon School Children’s Palace visit
Samjiyon walking tour
DAY 4. SAMJIYON / HYESAN
Drive to Hyesan City
2.16 Holiday celebrations in Hyesan
Hyesan Music University student performance
Language exchange activity
Pochonbo Monument
Hyesan Taekwondo School group training
Mass Dance
DAY 5. HYESAN / SAMJIYON
Return to Samjiyon
Player meetings and team formation
Introductions
First team on-ice and off-ice practices
Samjiyon Ice Sculpture Festival
DAY 6. SAMJIYON
On-ice and off-ice team practices
Games 1 and 2 of the Pyongyang Cup Tournament
Traditional Korean bathhouse visit
Team dinners
DAY 7. SAMJIYON
On-ice and off-ice team practices
Games 3 and 4 of the Pyongyang Cup Tournament
Korean cooking school
Ice fishing with Korean teammates
DAY 8. SAMJIYON
Hike to the summit of Mount Paektu, Korea’s highest and holiest mountain
Picnic lunches with your North Korean teammates at Lake Chon, Mount Paektu
On-ice and off-ice team practices
Games 5 and 6 of the Pyongyang Cup Tournament
Cup Presentation and Awards Ceremony
Concluding dinner with players and coaches
DAY 9. SAMJIYON / PYONGYANG
Downhill skiing in Samjiyon
Domestic flight to Pyongyang (1.5 hrs)
Juche Tower visit
Duck BBQ dinner in Pyongyang
DAY 10. PYONGYANG
Pyongyang city walk
Public ice skating
Exchange and basketball game with students at the Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies
Party Foundation Monument and Kim Il Sung Square
Pyongyang Metro
Program concluding dinner in Pyongyang
DAY 11. PYONGYANG / SHENYANG
Take the international train from Pyongyang to Dandong, China
Clear DPRK and Chinese customs and immigration
Continue to Shenyang city by bullet train from Dandong
Reflection session and discussion
Dinner in Shenyang
DAY 12. DEPART FROM SHENYANG, CHINA
Departures throughout the day, no scheduled activities
Photo Gallery
