That Popular Hostel in Berlin? It’s North Korean, and It’s Closing
By ALISON SMALEMAY 10, 2017
BERLIN — The City Hostel Berlin operates out of a large, anonymous building in what was Communist East Berlin,
but it’s a short walk from Checkpoint Charlie and other attractions and has become a popular place to stay, with good ratings on TripAdvisor and Yelp.
Philipp Lengsfeld, a Berlin deputy for the center-right Christian Democrats in Parliament, said the North Korean connection "was an open
secret — every cabdriver knew that." The unusual rental arrangement began in the 2000s, according to various German news outlets.
Martin Schäfer, a spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry, said the hostel would be closed in compliance with stiffer sanctions passed in November by the United Nations
that specifically ban any commercial dealings with North Korean embassies or on their property.
The only tip-off that this hostel differs from others in a city long a magnet for the world’s youth is the dreary embassy next door, where North Korea’s flag flaps from a pole near a poorly tended garden and
that country’s ruling family, the Kims, is enshrined in a photo display on a gray metal fence.
The German government confirmed Wednesday that it was acting "as swiftly as possible" to cut off the currency flow after German news outlets reported
that North Korea was charging an unnamed German businessman €38,000 a month (about $41,000) to operate the hostel.
The hostel, a former diplomatic quarters, has been earning the Kim government tens of thousands of euros a month over the past decade,
but it will soon be closed to comply with the latest United Nations sanctions imposed over North Korea’s nuclear tests.
