In 2019 I hatched a plan to sneak into North Korea. I flew London to Bangkok, then Phuket, and finally Seoul. The idea was simple: spend two days in South Korea finding someone who could get me across the border for a couple of hours.

I tried everything. I walked the fence line where activists parachuted pamphlets. I stood on the rail at the train station built for peace, staring across at soldiers in mirrored sunglasses. I even tried getting into the “blue building” at the demarcation zone. A South Korean guard looked me in the eye and said no. He warned the soldiers opposite would shoot.

I never stepped onto North Korean soil, but I left with something better. Proof that I am willing to try the impossible, not for notoriety, but to test myself, to know deep down I can adapt, pivot, and get ahead of what comes next.