Democratic People's Republic of Korea
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Finally, we bid farewell to the children. The funny thing was they weren't going to go away unless we went away. But the audience were waiting for them to go away. So there was this "impasse" for a little while 
This school trip really was profound indeed.
[video=youtube;Owt3GLt2B_Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owt3GLt2B_Q&feature=plcp[/video]
This school trip really was profound indeed.[video=youtube;Owt3GLt2B_Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owt3GLt2B_Q&feature=plcp[/video]
Stopped by another tourst shop after the school. Some glimpse on the (dys)function of the planned economy. Asked the sales assistant whether there was a new copy of a book i wanted to buy intead of the display - she just gave a terse no without even trying 
Apartment near the school
North Korean Cola - heard it tasted like Dr Pepper
After the souvenir shop we were taken to visit the Juche tower - something which I had seen on the other bank of the Taedgon river from Kim Il Sung square. Now Juche represents the self Korean religious and political ideology of self reliance. Good in theory maybe but definitely a failure in practice.
By the river, there were more school children rehearsing for some event (in the background, you can see our hotel the Yanggakdo). I was fortunate to be able to capture them in action as well - was disapointed they didn't salute me when walking by
[video=youtube;OFH9lA-XEA0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFH9lA-XEA0&feature=plcp[/video]
More shots of the school children waiting around. I actually happened to wave at a group of girls who reacted by giggling - just reinforced further that these were normal people like you and me!
Apartment near the school
North Korean Cola - heard it tasted like Dr Pepper
After the souvenir shop we were taken to visit the Juche tower - something which I had seen on the other bank of the Taedgon river from Kim Il Sung square. Now Juche represents the self Korean religious and political ideology of self reliance. Good in theory maybe but definitely a failure in practice.
By the river, there were more school children rehearsing for some event (in the background, you can see our hotel the Yanggakdo). I was fortunate to be able to capture them in action as well - was disapointed they didn't salute me when walking by
[video=youtube;OFH9lA-XEA0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFH9lA-XEA0&feature=plcp[/video]
More shots of the school children waiting around. I actually happened to wave at a group of girls who reacted by giggling - just reinforced further that these were normal people like you and me!
Taken to dinner which consisted of Bimbimbab, more communal dishes of fish, pork, potatoes, kimchi! Thought we had a different brand of beer now!
We were then taken to visit a monument to the communist party. This was directly facing the Mansudae Hill where the two statues were. You can just about make it out in the photo that I took from Mansudae Hill. Thought I was fortunate to be able to capture this photo below of some Koreans going home following work! It was peak hour so the public transport was pretty full as well! :shock:
Next stop, was the highlight of my trip - the Arirang Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance which was a truly spectacular performance.
We were then taken to visit a monument to the communist party. This was directly facing the Mansudae Hill where the two statues were. You can just about make it out in the photo that I took from Mansudae Hill. Thought I was fortunate to be able to capture this photo below of some Koreans going home following work! It was peak hour so the public transport was pretty full as well! :shock:
Next stop, was the highlight of my trip - the Arirang Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance which was a truly spectacular performance.
Arirang Mass Games
I had seen and heard so much about the Arirang games and was really looking forward to it as a highlight of my trip. I'm sure a lot of you would have seen snippets of it in the West, with the dazzling costumes, marches, gymnastics display and the famous mosaic pictures which seemingly change scene at will. Note that the mosaic sccenes are created by schoolchildren and are not an electronic display like what my wife thought at first How they manage to choreograph it to perfection, I am not quite sure how though! The performance was held at the May Day stadium, which I think is the second biggest stadium in Asia (see how the communists like to construct things big and grand).
Note that we were a little early - games were meant to start at 8:30pm though we were there at 7:30! Bought a copy of the Pyongyang Times to kill the time.
I had seen and heard so much about the Arirang games and was really looking forward to it as a highlight of my trip. I'm sure a lot of you would have seen snippets of it in the West, with the dazzling costumes, marches, gymnastics display and the famous mosaic pictures which seemingly change scene at will. Note that the mosaic sccenes are created by schoolchildren and are not an electronic display like what my wife thought at first
How they manage to choreograph it to perfection, I am not quite sure how though! The performance was held at the May Day stadium, which I think is the second biggest stadium in Asia (see how the communists like to construct things big and grand).
Note that we were a little early - games were meant to start at 8:30pm though we were there at 7:30! Bought a copy of the Pyongyang Times to kill the time.
TheEmu
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Stopped by another tourst shop after the school. Some glimpse on the (dys)function of the planned economy. Asked the sales assistant whether there was a new copy of a book i wanted to buy intead of the display - she just gave a terse no without even trying
After the souvenir shop we were taken to visit the Juche tower - something which I had seen on the other bank of the Taedgon river from Kim Il Sung square. Now Juche represents the self Korean religious and political ideology of self reliance. Good in theory maybe but definitely a failure in practice.
Good to see you're still hard at work in the DPRK, posting away for our entertainment and edification, ermen. But with Western Imperialist Running Dog comments like these, you might find yourself getting an up-close and personal look at the inside of one of The Beloved (New) Leader's gulags before too long!
My photos will never do justice to the spectacle that it was - need to be there live. But hopefully the photos and videos will give you some flavour. Games were meant to celebrate the birth of Kim Il Sung though also dealt with the communist themes of revolution, war, nationhood, agriculture etc etc!
Starting Act
Village of Kim Il Sung - Mansudae
Rising Sun
Whole stadium erupted into a raptuous applause when the images of these two leaders appeared. To be honest, I wonder how they made it so life like though!
Taekwando
Fireworks at the finale!
Starting Act
Village of Kim Il Sung - Mansudae
Rising Sun
Whole stadium erupted into a raptuous applause when the images of these two leaders appeared. To be honest, I wonder how they made it so life like though!
Taekwando
Fireworks at the finale!
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The Arirang performance was truly breath taking and I have seen nothing like it in my life (people say that maybe the Beijing 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony came close). Lasted 1.5 hours after which we were bussed back to our hotel. After which a few of us decide to go to the revolving restaurant at the top of our hotel to have a drink (didn't manage to take any photos of the restaurant unfortunately)
Next morning, we were due back on a train from Pyongyang to Siniuju, and then back to Dandong. Heard some rumours that the North Korean border guards will confiscate most souvenirs that you bought (e.g. I bought a 2 books, stamps, the Pyongyang times, a map) with the only things allowed across being cigarettes and alcohol. They will also check through your photos to make sure you didn't take anything untoward! Was starting to get worried now as I really wanted to take my books + the newspaper back home!
In any case, the train ride took around 5 hours without any breakdowns on the way and we reached the Chinese border without any delays. We were fortunate that we were the first of 8 other tour buses that arrived around the same time (must have been on the same train) and the border checks were no overly rigorous - just a scan of your bag in the X-Ray machine and through we went. So nothing got confiscated at all! Did not think that anyone's belongings was physically searched - our Chinese tour guide said we were fortunate as they wanted to process everybody out ASAP due to the higher than normal tourist load.
Caught the bus over the Yalu River into Dandong late Sunday evening! Was actually relieved to be out of North Korea and into the relative freedom of China as the propoganda was getting a bit wearying. Even speaking with the North Korean tour guides, they would give the most scripted answers to tough questions (I know that many guide books say to stay away from the tough questions to stay out of trouble, but I found out that the local Chinese on our tour were very opening in asking politically sensitive questions - probably because of their unique relationship and China itself viewing themselves as the "big brother" to the DPRK versus other Western counties). Hillarious I thought. :shock:.
World Food Programme vehicle outside our hotel
Pyongyang Train Station
Train Station waiting room
Train (not ours) + Platform
Next morning, we were due back on a train from Pyongyang to Siniuju, and then back to Dandong. Heard some rumours that the North Korean border guards will confiscate most souvenirs that you bought (e.g. I bought a 2 books, stamps, the Pyongyang times, a map) with the only things allowed across being cigarettes and alcohol. They will also check through your photos to make sure you didn't take anything untoward! Was starting to get worried now as I really wanted to take my books + the newspaper back home!
In any case, the train ride took around 5 hours without any breakdowns on the way and we reached the Chinese border without any delays. We were fortunate that we were the first of 8 other tour buses that arrived around the same time (must have been on the same train) and the border checks were no overly rigorous - just a scan of your bag in the X-Ray machine and through we went. So nothing got confiscated at all! Did not think that anyone's belongings was physically searched - our Chinese tour guide said we were fortunate as they wanted to process everybody out ASAP due to the higher than normal tourist load.
Caught the bus over the Yalu River into Dandong late Sunday evening! Was actually relieved to be out of North Korea and into the relative freedom of China as the propoganda was getting a bit wearying. Even speaking with the North Korean tour guides, they would give the most scripted answers to tough questions (I know that many guide books say to stay away from the tough questions to stay out of trouble, but I found out that the local Chinese on our tour were very opening in asking politically sensitive questions - probably because of their unique relationship and China itself viewing themselves as the "big brother" to the DPRK versus other Western counties). Hillarious I thought. :shock:.
World Food Programme vehicle outside our hotel
Pyongyang Train Station
Train Station waiting room
Train (not ours) + Platform
dontwanttoregister
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Fascinating report. Thank you for sharing!
Conclusion
I thought this trip was eye opening in many respects and actually humanised the DPRK for myself personally. I guess previously, one always thought why couldn't the US / South Korea simply solve the problem by sending a few missles to Kim Il Sung square during their mass celebrations to wipe out the top leadership? Now however, by simply being around North Koreans, you realise that they too are people like you and me, and will be the victims of any conflict. I felt trouble though that the leadership still thought it fit to indoctrinate their citizens with their cult of personality and propoganda, all the way from a young age.
It's clear that their system of Juche is not working and that they still need to rely on foreign aid to feed their people. The great famine of the 1990s was actually discussed openly by our North Korean guides - though they said that the North Korean people understood that it was only temporary hardship to build a better country. The guide also said that they had no choice but to build their military first (which was taxing on their people), to be master's of their own destiny, after which they could go about to fixing their economy. They think that they have the military sorted now, and are focussed on improving their economy.
I do have some sympathy for their military policy given they are a proud race and had suffered numerous invasions in the past. But a lot of that is also probably brought on by their own paranoia, and their insistence on keeping with their system whilst even their closest friend China is moving on. What was interesting though in the 1960s, North Korea industrialised quicker than the South and was one of the more prosperous Asian countries - thought for some reason, they stagnated after that. I guess they just could not keep up in the digital age (which maybe goes against the communist ideology of building big / grand things!)
What was also clearn from my trip was that the North still longed for reunification with the South. Obviously, they understand that the political situation at present doesn't permit it but the Koreans in the DPRK view themselves as part of one Korean people. It was clear that they didn't seem to like the new South Korean President Lee Myung Bak however.
In conclusion, on the ethics of visiting North Korea, I think its quite complicated. By visiting there, I was providing hard currency for the DPRK, which you may argue is propping up the regime further. On the other hand, isolation may also not be the solution, and foreign interaction with the people can only help improve perceptions and ties with the outside world. At the end of the day though, I think the regime would do all it can to remain in power, with or without hard currency. And it is ultimately them that will decide to open up the country. Many of the elite know what the outside world is like though many in the leadership are happy with the status quo. I just hope though that the new leadership does go down the path of reform and not oppress many sections of its population further.
In any case, I thought this trip was eye opening in many respects and actually humanised the DPRK for myself personally. I guess previously, one always thought why couldn't the US / South Korea simply solve the problem by sending a few missles to Kim Il Sung square during their mass celebrations to wipe out the top leadership? Now however, simply being around North Koreans, you realise that they too are people like you and me, and will be the victims of any conflict. I felt sad though that the leadership still thought it fit to indoctrinate their citizens with their cult of personality and propoganda, all the way from a young age.
It's clear that their system of Juche is not working - in the sense that they stil need to rely on foreign aid to feed their people. The great famine of the 1990s was actually discussed openly by our North Korean guides - though they said that the North Korean people understood that it was only temporary hardship to build a better country. The guide also said that they had no choice but to build their military first (which was taxing on their people), to be master's of their own destiny, after which they could go about to fixing their economy, which they are trying to do now. I do have some sympathy for their military policy given they are a proud race and had suffered numerous invasions in the past. But a lot of that is also probably brought on by their own paranoia, and their insistence on keeping with their system whilst even their closest friend China is moving on. What was interesting though in the 1960s, North Korea industrialised quicker than the South and was one of the more prosperous Asian countries - thought for some reason, they stagnated after that. I guess they just could not keep up in the digital age (which maybe goes against the communist ideology of building big / grand things!)
What was clear as well was the longing for reunification with the South. Obviously, they understand that the political situation at present doesn't permit it but the Koreans in the DPRK view themselves as part of one Korean people.
In conclusion, on the ethics of visiting North Korea, I think its quite complicated. By visiting there, I was providing hard currency for the DPRK, which you may argue is propping up the regime further. On the other hand, isolation may also not be the solution, and foreign interaction with the people can only help improve perceptions and ties with the outside world. At the end of the day though, I think the regime would do all it can to remain in power, with or without hard currency. Many of the elite know what the outside world is like though many in the leadership are happy with the status quo. I just hope though that the new leadership does go down the path of reform and not oppress many sections of its population further.
Added later: I also want to admit that I may have not visited the "real" North Korea given that our trip was pre-arranged by the official Korean International Tour Company. From what I gather, Pyongyang is reserved for the elite, with the rest of the country being very poor and lacking. So, please, do not take my TR as being representative of the real DPRK - its probably only how the top 10% live. There are sufficient credible eye witness reports from people who have seen the true situation on the ground to say that I witnessed a facade.
My Links
Photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/107195565659981932634/albums#photos/107195565659981932634/albums
Videos: Angelo Zegna - YouTube
Other Links
A State of Mind (documentary on the Arirang Games): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhAeli1DZRw
NY Philharmonic Performing in the DPRK: NY Philharmonic performs Arirang in N. Korea - YouTube
I thought this trip was eye opening in many respects and actually humanised the DPRK for myself personally. I guess previously, one always thought why couldn't the US / South Korea simply solve the problem by sending a few missles to Kim Il Sung square during their mass celebrations to wipe out the top leadership? Now however, by simply being around North Koreans, you realise that they too are people like you and me, and will be the victims of any conflict. I felt trouble though that the leadership still thought it fit to indoctrinate their citizens with their cult of personality and propoganda, all the way from a young age.
It's clear that their system of Juche is not working and that they still need to rely on foreign aid to feed their people. The great famine of the 1990s was actually discussed openly by our North Korean guides - though they said that the North Korean people understood that it was only temporary hardship to build a better country. The guide also said that they had no choice but to build their military first (which was taxing on their people), to be master's of their own destiny, after which they could go about to fixing their economy. They think that they have the military sorted now, and are focussed on improving their economy.
I do have some sympathy for their military policy given they are a proud race and had suffered numerous invasions in the past. But a lot of that is also probably brought on by their own paranoia, and their insistence on keeping with their system whilst even their closest friend China is moving on. What was interesting though in the 1960s, North Korea industrialised quicker than the South and was one of the more prosperous Asian countries - thought for some reason, they stagnated after that. I guess they just could not keep up in the digital age (which maybe goes against the communist ideology of building big / grand things!)
What was also clearn from my trip was that the North still longed for reunification with the South. Obviously, they understand that the political situation at present doesn't permit it but the Koreans in the DPRK view themselves as part of one Korean people. It was clear that they didn't seem to like the new South Korean President Lee Myung Bak however.
In conclusion, on the ethics of visiting North Korea, I think its quite complicated. By visiting there, I was providing hard currency for the DPRK, which you may argue is propping up the regime further. On the other hand, isolation may also not be the solution, and foreign interaction with the people can only help improve perceptions and ties with the outside world. At the end of the day though, I think the regime would do all it can to remain in power, with or without hard currency. And it is ultimately them that will decide to open up the country. Many of the elite know what the outside world is like though many in the leadership are happy with the status quo. I just hope though that the new leadership does go down the path of reform and not oppress many sections of its population further.
In any case, I thought this trip was eye opening in many respects and actually humanised the DPRK for myself personally. I guess previously, one always thought why couldn't the US / South Korea simply solve the problem by sending a few missles to Kim Il Sung square during their mass celebrations to wipe out the top leadership? Now however, simply being around North Koreans, you realise that they too are people like you and me, and will be the victims of any conflict. I felt sad though that the leadership still thought it fit to indoctrinate their citizens with their cult of personality and propoganda, all the way from a young age.
It's clear that their system of Juche is not working - in the sense that they stil need to rely on foreign aid to feed their people. The great famine of the 1990s was actually discussed openly by our North Korean guides - though they said that the North Korean people understood that it was only temporary hardship to build a better country. The guide also said that they had no choice but to build their military first (which was taxing on their people), to be master's of their own destiny, after which they could go about to fixing their economy, which they are trying to do now. I do have some sympathy for their military policy given they are a proud race and had suffered numerous invasions in the past. But a lot of that is also probably brought on by their own paranoia, and their insistence on keeping with their system whilst even their closest friend China is moving on. What was interesting though in the 1960s, North Korea industrialised quicker than the South and was one of the more prosperous Asian countries - thought for some reason, they stagnated after that. I guess they just could not keep up in the digital age (which maybe goes against the communist ideology of building big / grand things!)
What was clear as well was the longing for reunification with the South. Obviously, they understand that the political situation at present doesn't permit it but the Koreans in the DPRK view themselves as part of one Korean people.
In conclusion, on the ethics of visiting North Korea, I think its quite complicated. By visiting there, I was providing hard currency for the DPRK, which you may argue is propping up the regime further. On the other hand, isolation may also not be the solution, and foreign interaction with the people can only help improve perceptions and ties with the outside world. At the end of the day though, I think the regime would do all it can to remain in power, with or without hard currency. Many of the elite know what the outside world is like though many in the leadership are happy with the status quo. I just hope though that the new leadership does go down the path of reform and not oppress many sections of its population further.
Added later: I also want to admit that I may have not visited the "real" North Korea given that our trip was pre-arranged by the official Korean International Tour Company. From what I gather, Pyongyang is reserved for the elite, with the rest of the country being very poor and lacking. So, please, do not take my TR as being representative of the real DPRK - its probably only how the top 10% live. There are sufficient credible eye witness reports from people who have seen the true situation on the ground to say that I witnessed a facade.
My Links
Photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/107195565659981932634/albums#photos/107195565659981932634/albums
Videos: Angelo Zegna - YouTube
Other Links
A State of Mind (documentary on the Arirang Games): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhAeli1DZRw
NY Philharmonic Performing in the DPRK: NY Philharmonic performs Arirang in N. Korea - YouTube
Last edited:
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Stunning TR, thank you very much for taking the time to write it!
MEL_Traveller
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thanks again for the great report!!
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Thankyou for sharing, the games looked like quite an experience. I thoroughly enjoyed your TR
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