Is North Korea the New Zealand of Asia?

It boasts some stunning scenery, but is North Korea the New Zealand of Asia. Photo / surfnorthkorea, Instagram

A US surfer who recently visited North Korea has described it as "the New Zealand of Asia".

Fortunately, he's describing the landscapes of the authoritarian country, rather than its politics.

Forty-year-old Orange Country surf instructor Lamberto Lo travelled to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on a government-sponsored trip to teach locals how to surf.

During his trip, Lo visited pristine waters in places of the country rarely seen by foreigners - closely escorted by government officials, of course.

"New Zealand of Asia - it was so lush, so green, the waters are pristine," Lo told ABC7. "You know, a lot of it is untouched."

Lo teaches surfing in China and has previously coached celebrities like Steve Jobs and Bill Murray. The champion Italian surfer Nicola Zanella also accompanied him on his journey.

He said he was "overjoyed" to share surfing with the people of North Korea.

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Not a bad place for our first SUP session of the trip. The mountains of North Korea have an amazing number of gorgeous lakes and rivers to explore. #northkorea #sup #surftrip #dprk #suptravel #fanatic #addictedtoride #surfnorthkorea

A post shared by Surf North Korea (@surfnorthkorea) on May 20, 2016 at 10:26pm PDT

"The water kind of cleansed off a lot of judgements I may have had before," Lo said.

Prior to his trip, he told the BBC he hoped to build a "solid local surf culture" in the country.

However, North Korean expert Jean Lee said it was a potentially dangerous mission.

"The country does have some beautiful, white sandy beaches along its east coast but I can't think of a place that is more antithetical to surfing's 'hang loose' culture."