WONSAN (NORTH KOREA) - When he booked his tour, Swiss lawyer Rafael Studer hadn't seriously considered the option of jumping out of a Russian-made helicopter at 2,000 meters strapped to a North Korean soldier. The two-day festival was part of efforts by the sanctions-strapped and diplomatically isolated country to boost hard-currency tourism in the Wonsan region. So it was that Studer found himself half-hanging out the door of a Mil Mi-8 helicopter, 2,000 metres above the newly-renovated and upgraded Wonsan airport, strapped to a North Korean military parachutist. The US State Department strongly advises US citizens against travelling to North Korea in any capacity, citing a "serious risk of arrest and long-term detention." Jacques and fellow pro-skydiver Klaus Renz from Germany said the equipment used by the North Korean parachutists was generally high quality.

Source: Bangkok Post September 25, 2016 06:11 UTC