Imagine boarding a flight for a conference in South Korea, only to land in one of the world’s most isolated countries.
That is exactly what happened to Kenyan Daniel Olomae Ole Sapit in October 2014, in one of the most unusual travel mix-ups involving a Kenyan traveller.
Sapit was supposed to travel to Pyeongchang, South Korea, for a United Nations biodiversity conference.
However, a mistake made during the booking process sent him thousands of kilometres away—to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
The confusion reportedly came from the similarity between the names Pyeongchang and Pyongyang.
While arranging his journey, Sapit’s travel agent apparently entered the wrong destination, resulting in him being booked to North Korea instead of South Korea.
At first, the mistake may not have seemed obvious. But everything changed the moment his plane touched down at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang.
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Instead of arriving at the South Korean destination he expected, Sapit was suddenly surrounded by an unfamiliar and heavily controlled environment.
Armed Guards Raised The Alarm
Upon landing, Sapit noticed a heavy military presence at the airport, including armed security personnel.
It did not take long for him to realise that something was seriously wrong.
The Kenyan traveller also discovered another major problem—he did not have a visa allowing him to enter North Korea.
His explanation that he had simply made a geographical mistake was met with suspicion by North Korean authorities.
Detained And Interrogated For Hours
Sapit was detained and questioned for more than five hours.
His unexpected arrival was particularly suspicious to officials because he was a Kenyan national arriving in Pyongyang without the necessary travel documentation.
Authorities reportedly considered the possibility that his unusual arrival could have a more serious explanation, given the country’s tightly controlled borders and heightened security environment.
Sapit had to convince officials that he was not an intelligence operative or someone attempting to enter the country secretly, but simply a traveller who had ended up in the wrong city.
Eventually, authorities accepted his explanation that the incident was the result of a booking error.
But being believed did not mean he was allowed to continue with his journey.
Daniel Olomae Ole Sapit // X
The $500 Penalty
Although Sapit managed to convince the officials that the incident was accidental, he still faced consequences for entering the country without the required visa.
He was reportedly fined $500, equivalent to roughly KSh65,000 at the time.
North Korean authorities then arranged for him to leave the country, putting him on a flight to Beijing, China.
From Beijing, Sapit was able to sort out his travel arrangements and finally continued his journey to South Korea.
From Pyongyang To Pyeongchang
After the unexpected detour, Sapit eventually reached his intended destination and attended the conference in South Korea.
