North Korea may be bewailing the loss of Dear Leader now, but next year Koryo Tours says they'll be back taking tourists into one of the most mysterious countries on the planet. Just in case you can't take their tours (or you're South Korean), check out Koryo's riveting documentaries about life in the DPRK.

Koryo Tours is known for its guided trips to North Korea, one of the world’s most mysterious countries. But tours are hardly the only thing they do.

Founded in 1992 by Nicholas Bonner and Josh Green, Koryo Tours is a key figure in promoting cultural exchange between the DPRK and, well, the rest of the world. From hosting frisbee and cricket friendlies between North Koreans and visiting teams—sports North Koreans had never seen, much less played, before—to goodwill exchanges with students from Hong Kong United World College, Koryo has done it all. “We also got the country to air foreign films, namely Bend It Like Beckham and Mr. Bean,” says Koryo’s manager Simon Cockerell. “It’s a big deal considering the country only has three channels.”

More impressive are Koryo’s documentaries. They’ve shot three to date, not including Centre Forward, a re-mastered version of the DPRK’s first ever football film. The documentaries are produced by Bonner and directed by Daniel Gordon. The first, The Game of Their Lives, tracks down the last surviving North Korean football players who beat Italy in the 1966 World Cup to “become overnight sensations, before disappearing off the radar entirely,” says Cockerell.

One year later, in 2003, Koryo released A State of Mind, a film about two North Korean girls, aged 11 and 13, training for the country’s famous Mass Games. Then, in 2008, it released Crossing the Line, a riveting piece on the lives of two U.S. soldiers who defected to North Korea in the 1960s.

Bonner and Gordon are now hard at work on their first feature film, a rom-com about a coal miner who becomes an acrobat. “Years ago, Kim Jong Il wrote a book called On the Art of the Cinema. It’s a set of guidelines that all North Korean films must abide by. We are following his template to see what we come up with,” explains Cockerell. The film is due for an early 2012 release.

Stop by Koryo’s Sanlitun store to pick up one of the documentaries. Prices range from ¥100-200. Meanwhile, those interested in joining a tour should contact Koryo about three weeks in advance. Take note that tours are suspended until January (due to North Korean regulations) and that South Korean passport holders will be barred entry.