MY VISIT TO THE DPRK (North Korea) April-May 2002

The DPRK receives as many visitors in a single year as most major airports see in a single day. In 2000 the country had about 20 000 foreign visitors. Tourism is severely restricted, and is by "invitation" only. To gain a tourist visa one needs a tour company to organize a visit, and one has to provide a visa request letter, and CV, and a letter from ones' employer stating job, salary, and company. The visa will only be provided in Beijing the day before the journey to Pyongyang.

Several of the items in this diary are from DPRK sources and reflect a Stalinist view of the world. They are included because of their historical and intellectual value, as well as the sometimes wealth of data provided.

The train ride to North Korea: 29 April 2002

Note from Nicholas Bonner: In Beijing I am on mobile 13621099277 and +tel/.fax + 86 10 64167544. I will soon send the rendezvous details where I will need your passport (with dual entry visa or multi entry in order to get back into China) and two passport photographs. Please let me know your arrival times. Where you are staying and a contact number in Beijing.

I arrive at Beijing Central railway Station one hour before departure, and check in at Foreigners Waiting Lounge. The soft sleeper train is directly outside and is boarded approximately 30 minutes before departure at 17:25. Although it is directly outside, we have to walk up and through the building and back down to the train. Four berths to a compartment. Two minutes before the train pulls out the loudspeakers start to blare rousing martial marching music. Exactly on time the brakes are released and the train pulls away. Supper is served in the Dining Car. It is extremely Chinese and much of it is rather repellent. I share a compartment with Kathrine Cummins and two gentlemen.

Into the DPRK, 30 April 2002

Crossing the Yalu River

We took the train from Beijing station to Dan Dong on the Yalu River. The overnight journey was comfortable and we were well fed. We disembarked at the Dan Dong station and took the bus to the only bridge across the Yalu. We arrive at approximately 08:00 and pass through Chinese border control whilst the train crosses without us. After waiting for about one hour for Chinese border guards to let us cross, we drove out across the bridge of no return. As we mount the bridge in a 180 degree steep turn, the Chinese guards open the barrier and we pass onto the single lane road of the bridge. Behind us the gate closes and we head across. I turn to Nicholas and say "We are alone now, aren't we?" He says yes. We cross the one kilometer into Sinuiju over the Yalu River, and see the blue bridge where the DPRK half was destroyed by the US in the Korean War. Soldiers boarded the bus at the Korean side and we drove to the train station where we were cleared into the country and had bags x-rayed. We then boarded a train and sat for another hour before the four hours journey south to Pyongyang. I helped load box lunches on the train for our entire car. We are kept segregated from other passengers. In the yard we can see an ancient steam engine shunting freight. Only begging gets two people permission to photograph the steam engine as we pull away from the station. We can see the giant pyramidal tower 30 minutes before arriving in Pyongyang. It is supposed to be a 105-story hotel, but has never been completed, and is already shedding concrete in giant slabs.

Note from Nicholas: The May Day occasion is quite busy and therefore we have had to book an additional train carriage. Our train journey will likely be broken in the morning at Dandong and we will travel by coach over the border to Sinuiji- not cross the border by rail. I have never done this before so we will just have to take it as it comes. We will then re-join the train and head down to Pyongyang.

The first thing which happens in Pyongyang is that we are immediately bussed to may homage at the massive Kim Il Sung statue

Mansudae Monument to Kim Il Sung

Mansudae Grand Monument

Note from Nicholas: We are 'invited' to the DPRK and therefore we ask our tourists to respect the Koreans and their vision of the Great Leader- this involves bowing to pay our respects at the 20 metre statue on Mansudae and at other locations. If you are not prepared to do this it is better not to visit the DPRK as you will cause offence.

On Mansu Hill there is the Grand Monument. An enormous bronze statue of Kim Il Sung was erected in 1982, to honor his 70th birthday. Two memorials are on each side of the Great Leader, showing the class and anti-imperialist struggle. It is customary to show respect by leaving flowers (natural or artificial). Foreign groups are expected to do this too. A background to the Grand Monument is an enormous mosaic, 13 meters high and 70 meters wide, showing the revolutionary sacred Mount Paektu. It symbolizes the ancient and ever continuing revolutionary spirit of the Korean people. The mosaic is on the wall of the Korean Revolution Museum. The statue shows his majestic figure looking far ahead, with his left hand resting on his waist and his right hand raised to indicate the road for the people to follow. The large monuments standing on either side of the statue represent the period of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle, socialist revolution and socialist construction. They are 22.5 metres high and 50 metres long each. The sculptural groups are 5 metres high on an average and their total length is 200 metres. The memorial to the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle stands to the right of the statue. In its centre are red banners with 119 sculptures in relief around it. The memorial to the socialist revolution and building of socialism stands to the left of the statue. In the centre of the monument a red banner is raised high and in its rear on both sides the flags of the Workers' Party of Korea and of the Republic and placards inscribed with "Long live General Kim IL Sung!" and "Let us drive out US imperialism and reunify the country!" stand. Around them are carved 109 figures showing the socialist revolution and construction carried out by the Korean people. And in the rear of this group there is a six-men group portraying the world revolution and the anti-imperialist and anti-US struggle. The pedestal on which the sculptural groups stand, grows progressively higher from the back to the front, and the size of the figures increases so that the indomitable fighting spirit of our people who are moving forward and the development of our revolution along the road of victory are emphasized. And the flag is shown fluttering and the colour of the red flag is accentuated by using a reddish brown natural stone, so that the revolutionary flag of Juche is represented in depth. The Grand Monument on Mansu Hill makes a perfectly harmonious formative ensemble because of the proper arrangement of the sculptural groups against the background of Mt. Paektu mosaiced on the wall, and the position and size of the monument selected in due consideration of the topographical conditions and environment of Mansu Hill. Local people come to the statue at all times of the day and night to lay flowers and observe a moment's silence. It is customary for a delegate from a foreign group to offer flowers. The twice life-size sculptures flanking the statue are extremely evocative and bear testament to their fight for liberation.

It is a grand monument showing the immortal revolutionary history of struggle of the Korean people carried out under the leadership of the great leader Comrade Kim II Sung, the peerless great man. It is situated on the Mansu Hill in the city centre. It was erected in April Juche 61(1972) on the occasion of the great leader Comrade Kim II Sung. The bronze statue of the great leader is in the centre. Two memorials and a grand mosaic mural are on the hill.

It covers an area of 240,000 square metres. The memorials are each 22.8m high, composed of 228 figures(119 figures on the right memorial and 109 figures on the left memorial). The figures are 5m high. The mosaic mural is in the front wall of the Korean Revolution Museum. It depicts the Paektu, scared mountains of revolution, forming the background to the statue.

Nicholas brought flowers from Beijing, so we do not have to buy flowers from the Koreans at inflated prices in US dollars. One person went to lay the flowers, and the rest of us had to stand in a line and bow. The Koreans took photos of us. Then we roamed all about and took photos. We were not allowed to take photos from behind the statue, or of anything but the entire statue.

Yanggakdo Hotel

From there we went to the Yanggakdo Hotel to check in. I shared room 1-20-20 with Hungarian gent. Twentieth floor, room twenty.

Located in the Yanggak Island on the River Taedong. Completed in Juche 84 (1995). Floors: 48. Rooms: 1001 (special class: 10, first class: 23, second class: 90, third class: 878) Beds: 1963. Fax: 850-2-3812930/3812931

Note from Nicholas: Leaving the hotel without the guide or the guides express permission is not possible. If you are feeling the need for 'a breath of air' then a casual stroll through the city is possible but only if accompanied by a guide. It is possible to stroll in the grounds of the hotel but please ask the guide and do not take your camera.

Yanggak Island (Yanggakdo) is southeast of the center and connected to the town with a bridge. The island is long in size and has an area of 1,2 km?. On the island there are only three buildings. The big and modern Yanggakdo Hotel is only seven years old, yet feels more than 20. The Yanggakdo Football Stadium was also built in 1989 and has 30000 seats. The Pyongyang International Cinema Hall dates from 1989 and has various halls with in total 3150 seats.

The hotel was built in about 1994 by the French, and looks to be more than 20 years old. There is so much marble that it looks like a bad mausoleum. Two of the lifts are glass and run up the front of the building to the 40th floor. The foundation is in a triangular shape. Each floor seems to have many staff. Although I cannot find the bugs or cameras, I am assured that they are there, and that I should be careful.

MAY DAY (01 May 2002)

Mangyongdae

We visit the birthplace of Kim Il Sung, and it is very fake looking. We are told that the family was very poor and could only afford to live beside a graveyard. We notice that the family had enough money to have professional portraits taken and hung in their home. Everything is so new and crisp that you can almost smell the fresh paint. Thousands of locals are flooding in as it is a special day. Everyone is dressed in their finest clothes. We are completely ignored by thousands.

Just outside Pyongyang, 12 km from the city center is Mangyongdae situated at the Taedong River and the Sunhwa River. Here Kim Il Sung was born on 15 April 1912, and raised. This 'cradle of revolution' now has become an ideological place of pilgrimage, where schools and other groups of people, including foreign tour groups come. It is located in a very nice and remarkably green park, which attracts visitors. The smell is very nice and the air seems to be very clean. The native house of Kim Il Sung is to show that the Great Leader has humble class roots. His father Kim Hyong Jik was a poor teacher and a peasant on the side and was able to hire this simple house from a local landlord. The small house has a straw-thatched roof, low eaves and mud walls. It was the usual dwelling for rural Korean folk during that time. Inside are some furniture, some utilities and tools, and some family pictures to be seen. On them are his father and his mother, Kang Pa Sok. One of the water vessels is misshapen, therefor it was a bargain when Kim's father, who could not afford much, bought it. Around the house the family graves are scattered under the trees. In Mangyongdae are preserved the priceless relics associated with the immortal revolutionary exploits of the beloved leader Comrade Kim IL Sung and the brilliant feats performed by his revolutionary family. In the straw-thatched house where he was born there is some furniture which clearly shows signs of hard work and the difficult life in that grim period. Among them are vessels on the kitchen shelf, a faded wardrobe, a brazier, a short-legged desk with an inkstone on it in the matted room, an A-frame carrier, a plough and a wooden club in the barn, a malformed water jar and so on.

On Mangyong Hill which dominates the other hills, both high and low in the vicinity of Mangyongdae, there are relics associated with the stories of the great leader Comrade Kim IL Sung's childhood. In Mangyongdae there are also historical remains showing the ardent patriotic ideas and immortal revolutionary exploits of Comrade Kim IL Sung's father Kim Hyong Jik (1894-1926) who carried out revolutionary activities with Mangyongdae as the centre. Beside the straw-thatched house in Mangyongdae stands an aspen tree which Kim Hyong Jik planted with his two brothers in the days when he was a student of the Sungsil Middle School in Pyongyang. The Sunhwa School where Kim Hyong Jik taught children the idea of burning patriotism against Japan is located at the entrance to Mangyongdae, and there is the "Tongrim Pier" on the Taedong River. On the mountain peak which is visible from the native home of Comrade Kim IL Sung, there stands the monument to "the green pine on Nam Hill." Going towards the Nam-ri village from the native home, one will see on the right a low plain hill where old pine trees grow. Here are the graves of grandfather Kim Po Hyon, grandmother Ri Po Ik, father Kim Hyong Jik and mother Kang Pan Sok of the great leader Comrade Kim IL Sung, who dedicated their lives to the cause of the independence of the country and the freedom and liberation of the people. Mangyondae means the beautiful place with ten thousand sights. Kim II Sung was born on April 15, Juche 1(1912), the eldest son of Mr. Kim Hyong Jik and Mrs. Kang Pan Sok.

Mangyongdae Funfair

The Mangyongdae Funfair is 60 hectares large and can receive 100 000 visitors per day. We wait for some time as there is a huge crowd of people at the gate. We are given an hour to wander freely and without restriction. All rides at this amusement (pleasure) park were working. There are lots of May Day fun activities and prizes for locals. There are races and competitions and many fun group activities we have generally lost in the west. I dance with the locals to the delight of the hundreds of onlookers. I was pulled into a ring of about 1000 locals by masked dancer banging drums and 'asked' to dance. Of course I did in my usual tall ungainly way, actually causing the crowd to clap. It is filmed by several television cameras and was shown in Asia and central and northern Europe.

Kim Il Sung Memorial Palace

Near to the Revolutionary Cemetery there is the Memorial Palace in which Kim Il Sung lies in state in a glass coffin. It is however very exceptional for a foreigner to get permission to visit the mausoleum. The authorities want to be completely sure that Kim will be treated with nothing but the utmost respect. We drive by and do not stop. However, on the way past the second time we do stop. We did get to walk about in a discrete corner of the front grounds. We were never allowed to approach the building. All the windows had been replaced with granite and marble. The palace is now the world's largest mausoleum. People who do get to visit inside are whisked along on the world's longest moving sidewalk, and cleaned by jets of air as they approach the dead body. Even their shoes are wiped clean as they move along.

Pyongyang civilian circus

We are driven to the circus for a one hour performance. The evening performance is from the award-winning Korean State Circus with the high-rise antics of the world champion trapeze artistes. It starts on time and is superb. This is not the military circus, which we never saw.

Arirang

We are driven to the gigantic, massive, huge May Day Stadium for the evening performance of Arirang. Without doubt the greatest feat of the country must be Arirang. Technically, Arirang is a sad song of Koreans separated by circumstances. In this case, the circumstances are those brought about by current US imperialism and the division of the country. All over Korea one sees posters proclaiming that "Korea is one." In fact, this is the one thing that both north and south agree upon. What Aririang means this year is the mass display of precision gymnastics, signing, flash cards, and dancing by one hundred thousand performers in the world's largest stadium.

For $30 to $300, far less for locals, people can nightly witness a display of precision choreography at the May Day Stadium unrivaled anywhere in the world. For ninety minutes ten scenes will be played out which include gymnastics by 5000 young children; marching and parachuting by Korean People's Army troops; dancing by tens of thousands of men and women; and the display of massive images by about fifteen thousand people holding coloured cards on the opposite side of the stadium. At one point the image instantly turns into that of the Great Leader, and a truly spontaneous cheer and applause rises from the thousands of Korean spectators.

I spent the time with mouth agape at the spectacle of 100 000 performers working perfectly just for us. Afterwards I was interviewed by Radio Pyongyang about the performance. Later I asked the guide if I could see it again. He was surprised, and cautiously said that it would cost another $30. Others also wanted to go. In the end about ten people attended again later in the week.

Realizing this performance took years of planning, and participants have been hard at work rehearsing since August 2001. The grand opening performance was given to the Dear Leader on 26 April this year. No Olympic opening ceremonies have ever been this grand or this perfect.

The performance consists of 4 Acts, prelude, finale and 10 scenes in all. The performance will be staged from the end of April to the end of June at the May Day Stadium on the well-known Rungna Islet in the middle of the Taedong River, the islet ranking first in picturesque scenery in Pyongyang, the capital city of Korea. May Day Stadium on Rungna Island, built in 1989. It has 150,000 seats. The architecture should remind one of a magnolia. The stadium is the place where during festivities enormous masses of people by waving flags and signs are making tableaus, giant paintings sometimes. It is here that the famous 'mass game' displays take place. A total of over a billion hours practice by thousands of citizens results in a spectacular human art form. This is also the venue for domestic sports events and internationals like the North-South reunification football match of 1991 and the wrestling of the 1995 International Sports and Cultural Festival for Peace.

02-05 May

DMZ

We drive past LOTS of tank traps, gun emplacements, air defence sites, etc. Only 150km, yet 2.5 hrs drive. Very strait road. Lots of tunnels: about 30. Concrete hamlets of urban symmetry are dotted amongst the patchwork of rice fields on the 2 hour journey south to Kaesong. A halfway break at the Sohung Guest House service station that straddles the road is a welcome break on what has to be the least busy main road in the world. Passing through 30 tunnels (more than the sum of the vehicles you will see on the journey) we arrive at the first checkpoint. Our first stop is the Koryo Museum which is housed in the Koryo dynasty Confucian University. Artifacts from armour to Korean celadine porcelain from the 10th century when Korea was first unified at the start of the Koryo dynasty. The city of Kaesong was in South Korea at the outbreak of hostilities of the 1950-3 war and therefore was protected from the bombing that destroyed almost every ancient monument in the North. We drive past various tank traps propped at the side of the road, and the odd gun /tank emplacement and minutes later we pull into Panmunjom, one of the most tense borders in the world where one million troops face each other- separated only by a corridor width of 2kms.

This demilitarized zone has separated North and South since the armistice signing on 27th July 1953. A Colonel from the Korean Peoples Army greets us and two soldiers join us for a drives to the building where the armistice was signed, complete with the original United Nations flag used at the signing.... and a brand new DPRK one. The tension is palpable as we drive into the Joint Security Zone and walk down to the seven huts that actually straddle the border.

We come within a metre or less of the South Korean soldiers and our guide explains how the sides (USA/South Korea and the KPA) come here to negotiate whether it be border disputes, dialogue, personal handovers or the recent inter Korean talks. The microphone lead that straddles the desk marks the demarcation line. Throughout the visit the Colonel is happy to answer questions and photographs may be taken. Though bizarrely serene, with only a handful of troops in evidence- the visit is nevertheless an acute reminder of the tragic division of the Korean Peninsular.

We have lunch at the old Czech. or Polish supervisory commission mission house at Panmunjom.

Neither north nor south Korea can be understood without a visit to the so-called Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and Panmunjom. The 150 km road from Pyongyang, extremely strait and sporting about 30 tunnels through the mountains, is lined with tank traps, anti-tank guns, artillery, and anti-aircraft sites. Upon arrival at the DPRK side of the line a briefing is given by a junior officer who explains a model of the area. Then, after walking through the security fence and driving the last four kilometres to the actual demarcation line, a senior colonel explains the last vestige of the Cold War. At different hours of the day visitors from either side are allowed to visit the central hut where negotiations used to take place on inter-Korean matters. The official position of the North is that talks have now ended due to US intransigence and the "Axis of evil" labeling. The building where the actual armistice talks took place, and where the armistice was signed in 1953, is now more than a kilometer inside the DPRK, and thus inaccessible to southerners or tourists in the Republic of Korea. It is here that the North Koreans show that they are most serious about protecting their fatherland from the "US imperialists and their puppet Korean troops in the south." Hey patiently explain about the division of the country and their fervent desire to see their nation reunified. Although the official public position is that this will only be possible once the US troops are gone, the actual position of the DPRK government and military shows a desire to have a US force stay in place as a balance against a technologically superior South Korean military. Memories of attacks by the Syngman Rhee regime still haunt the North.

Re-Unification Monument

On the way back to Pyongyang we stop at the edge of the city to look at the newest giant monument. It is two ladies stretching out towards each other from either side of the road, and jointly holding aloft a medallion of a map of Korea. It was dedicated only a few months before, and refers to the desire of all Koreans to see the country re-unified. The strangest part of this loveliest monument on Korea has to be the plaques inside. There are hundreds of plaques from pro-Kim Il-Sung organizations (Juche Study Groups) around the world. Some seem to be all of one or two people. Most are from unheard-of places. The Koreans take it all very seriously and point to such plaques as proof the foreigners look to Kim Il Sung and the DPRK as a shining beacon of hope and guidance in the world.

Korean news article on the monument:

"Monument to three charters lauded; Pyongyang, August 19, 2001 (KCNA) -- The monument to the three charters for national reunification is a grand monumental edifice which has been erected to hand down the immortal exploits of President Kim Il Sung for national reunification to posterity. Zhen Shuzhe, party deputy secretary of the Jilin city educational committee who is leading the friendship delegation of Yuwen Middle School in Jilin, China, said this in an interview with KCNA on August 18. The monument was built as a monument of the times reflecting the Korean people's desire for reunification, he said, and continued: The monument was built in specific architectural style and the sculpture of two women holding up a mark of the three charters bearing a Korean map gives a formative artistic depiction of the desire of the Korean nation for reunification. The monument is a clear manifestation of the unanimous desire and unshakable will of the entire Korean nation to achieve national reunification at any cost under the banner of the three charters for national reunification. Witnessing the 2001 grand festival for national reunification seething with the desire of all the Koreans in the north and the south and abroad for reunification, I was convinced that Korea is sure to be reunified in the near future, he added. "

Myohyangsan Mountains

We drive 150km north to the Myohyangsan Mountains to visit the International Friendship Exhibition, and stayed at the Hyangsan Pyramid Hotel. The president of Viet Nam was also in our hotel. Since most of it was empty, the hall lights were turned off in most places. All stairwells were unlit, and emergency exits were locked "for safety."

Visit to the Buddhist temple. It is very fake, and no one is impressed.

The most bizarre part of the mountain visit was the time at the International Friendship Exhibit. This is dedicated to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.. Constructed in traditional Korean style the buildings jut out of the mountainside. The major attraction is Kim Il Sungs' exhibition and once inside it is clear that the interior burrows into the mountain with a total floor space of 28000 m2. With some 80,000 gifts the exhibition is a veritable world tour as each country has its display case. Close allies like China have several rooms given over to various dignitaries gifts. For the European traveler it is a lesson in Non-aligned and Southern Hemisphere geopolitics. Figures like Ceaucescu, Tito, Daniel Ortega and Mugabe have been frequent and generous with gifts such as Ortega's stuffed alligator carrying a tray of drinks, which displays the remarkable imagination needed to give to those who already have so much.

The evening is spent discussing the meaning of massive display of pointless gifts to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. I feel that the gifts are the only tangible sign of legitimacy the regime has. The gifts are 'proof' that the world respects the wisdom and persons of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Others felt that there was a religious quality to the collection. I agree. I spend much time sick in my room.

"Displayed in it are part of the collection of valuable gifts which have been presented as tokens of best wishes to the great leader President Kim IL Sung by heads of states, parties, governments, revolutionary organizations and people from all walks of life in 146 countries. The collection is arranged according to the country of origin of the gifts. The exhibits are imbued with the boundless respect and reverence of the world's revolutionary people for the great leader and their unanimous support and solidarity with the just revolutionary cause of the Korean people. Like its name, the International Friendship Exhibition is a symbol of friendship and solidarity between the Korean people and the peace- loving people of the world. It is a monumental building which reflects the profound respect and reverence held by the revolutionary peoples of the world for the great leader President Kim Il Sung."

On the way to the hotel in the mountains we pass, about 42 km from the site, a military airfield with about fourteen MiG-17s lined up on the runway. They had been polished and placed there so that the President of Viet Nam could see them as he drove by on his way to the mountain hotel. The next day only about 5 remained, having been put back in storage. We were forbidden from taking photographs along that section of road, but were free to film anywhere else along the way.

Pyongyang

Kim Il Sung Square

The big Kim Il Sung square is located in the center of town, at the western shore of Taedong River. The square was constructed in 1954 and later extended and now has an area of 75.000 m?. On the granite surface at certain times there are many people gathered, participating in mass rallies. From the square you will see the Juche Tower at the opposite bank of the river. The ground is covered in small white dots perfectly spaced: showing exactly where one would stand during a ceremony or parade. It is here that one can see the only pictures which are not of the Kim family. Marx and Lenin appear in the square in smaller icons. It is the only place I saw iconic images not of the Kim family members, or of a non-Korean.

Grand People's Study House

The Grand People's Study House, the National Library, is situated on Nam Hill, west of the Kim Il Sung Square. The ten-story building dates from 1982. The roofs are in traditional palace style and covered with blue-glazed tiles. In the hall there are several study-rooms and more than 30 million books are stored in the library. It can accommodate 10,000 persons a day. There were many people looking through the card catalogues, but a large line waiting to use the computer finding aids. We are shown may rooms full of people and eventually taken to the roof to buy souvenirs. There are very few books for sale at the library bookstore.

Korean Art Gallery

Opposite the Korean Central History Museum is the Korean Art Gallery. It was opened in 1954. On a surface of 11.000 m? a big collection of ancient and contemporary Korean art is shown. The collection is a hideous gathering of the best and worst of Korean arts, but mostly the worst. There are a few gems of socialist-realist artwork, but most of the wall space is given over to portraits of the Great Leader and Dear Leader showing the way. There are many new paintings of Kim Jong Il giving on the spot guidance, and even one showing him with his Mercedes sports car. It is incredibly tacky.

Metro

Pyongyang's Metro is second only to the underground metro stations in Moscow for deepness, and probably equal in terms of elaborate art. Kitsch chandeliers light enormous mosaics depicting heroic citizens from all walks of life which stretch the length of the platform on both sides. What's more you are standing more than 100m under ground, having passed through three massive steel shutters that can be sealed in case of nuclear attack. We were allowed to travel from one station only to the next station. I asked if I could travel alone in a different car, and this request was granted. Myself and one other foreigner were in a car full of Koreans: none of whom would look at us or looked as though they were willingly near us.

Civil movie studio

This studio for filming civilian (non-action and non-war) films is located about 16 km north of the city center. The studio was opened in 1947 and now comprises an area of 1 million m?. There are several sets, some with traditional streets, some with revolutionary sites. North Korea film is an important tool of propaganda. Therefore it is interesting to see this Korean portrayal of history and society. Featured on the walk and drive were US and Japanese brothels and casinos and bars. The story is that all scripts were originally written by Kim Jong Il, but now it seems that he only improves and then approves them for production. He is rumoured to have a massive film collection of his own. Strange in a country where everything is banned.

Paddle-Wheel Steamer

We were not taken to the famous Pyongyang Cold Noodle Restaurant on the riverbanks, although I did ask. We were taken to a steam side-paddle-wheel boat and fed a lunch on the deck. I did not think that it would move, but soon after we sat down at extremely crowded tables, jammed in tightly, the boat pulled away from the dock. We circled in the river for less than an hour, and lunch was over by the time we returned. It was the standard raw food and table grill situation. All very tasty but rushed and crowded.

Okryugwan is the most famous restaurant in the DPRK serving raenmyong, the cold noodle soup. There are 3650 seats.

Duck

Dinner at Pyongyang's top duck restaurant eating a Korean barbecue to the strains of Korean opera singers finishes the tour in a typically fantastic manner. All the food is brought raw to the table and cooked on open grills. It is very tasty, though I am still a bit sick and stick with basic food items and soup.

USS Pueblo

Certainly the strangest site in Pyongyang, aside from the constant Kim images, is the US Navy spy ship USS Pueblo. The ship was captured off Wonsan harbour in early 1968, and the man who led the attack on the bridge is now in charge of this historic site. Senior Col. Kim Joon Rok escorts visitors around the ship, telling stories of his one day in the spotlight under the guidance of Kim Il Sung. Visitors are treated to a short video about the ship and its capture, and are then taken on a walking tour of various rooms and decks. Colonel Kim says that he would like to meet the crew again, and hopes that more people visit his ship. The site of Pueblo is symbolic of the struggle of Koreans against invaders. In 1886 Koreans burned and sank the USS General Sherman near the current Pueblo display dock. I walked about and took photos for crew. Far too little time was allotted. We were originally told that the ship was closed and that we would not be visiting. This was a complete lie, as another group had just visited, and it was open the entire time Arirang was playing.

Arch of Triumph

The neo-classical Arch of Triumph is located north of the center and at the south foot of Moran Hill. The Arch is 60 meters high, not accidentally 3 meters higher than the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was built on the place where Kim Il Sung in 1945 after the Japanese had left held his famous speech in which he proclaimed the independence of Korea. The Arch was built in 1982, on the occasion of Kim's 70th birthday. On the Arch there are inscriptions, the "Song of General Kim Il Sung", and the years 1925 and 1945, the year in which Kim officially started the national struggle for liberation and the year in which he accomplished independence. There are also some sculptured reliefs on the Arch. The Arch of Triumph was erected on the square of historic triumphal return at the foot of Moran Hill and inaugurated on 14 April 1982. The subsidiary relieves on the northern face "Long Live General Kim IL Sung!" and "Long Live the Liberation of the Country!" The balcony has the immortal revolutionary paean the "Song of General Kim IL Sung" carved in the frame surrounded by flower patterns, which is 24 metres long and 5.2 metres high and on either side of it figures of buglers sounding the joy of national liberation are shown in relief within squares 5.5 by 5.5 metres wide.

Tower of the Juche Idea

On the eastern shore of Taedong River, opposite the Kim Il Sung Square, is the 170 meters high Tower of Juche Idea.The white tower itself is 150 meters high. On top of it is the 20 meters high red-colored torch. The torch is lightened at night and flickers like a real flame. The tower was built in 1982, on occasion of the 70th birthday of Kim Il Sung. At the bottom is a wall with signs of all kind of organizations and 'Kim Il Sung Study-groups' from many countries that support the concept of Juche. An elevator brings you to the top and from there you have a nice view of Pyongyang. In front of the tower is a group of three, 30 meters high statues carrying the signs of the Korean Workers Party: a laborer, a farmer and an intellectual, symbolized with a hammer, a sickle and a (writing) brush. Sculptured groups, symbolizing Juche Industry, Bumper Harvest, Land of the Learning, Land of Longevity, Juche Art, and Impregnable Fort, flank the tower. In front of the tower there are two grand fountains in the middle of Taedong River. On the occasion of the 70th birthday of the respected leader Comrade Kim IL Sung, the author of the immortal Juche idea, our people built this tower in the heart of the capital out of a unanimous desire and firm will to have his revolutionary exploits remembered for all ages and to fight resolutely for the ultimate victory of the Juche cause. It was unveiled on 15 April 1982. The Tower of the Juche Idea is composed of a torch, the tower body, a group of three people, subsidiary groups, pavilions and huge fountains. The torch which symbolizes the great victory of the Juche idea is significant part of the tower. The torch stands majestically on top of the 150 metre-high stone tower. It is 20 metres high and weights 45 tons. It is made in the shape of a burning flame. The tower body accents the profound ideological content of the Tower of the Juche Idea. It is an important architectural factor guaranteeing the magnificence of the torch. The tower is in the form of an obelisk, the traditional form of stone towers in our country, and has been built in many tiers. With its projection at each corner representing eaves, it has a unique national flavour. The soaring tower presents an excellent sight with its beautiful vertical form. The two faces, front and rear, of the tower bear the large letters "Juche", 4.2 metre-high each, which make clear the character of the tower and at the same time, adorn it. Another feature of the tower is that its four faces are composed of 70 granite tiers with finely polished surface, which symbolize the 70th birthday of the great leader Comrade Kim IL Sung. The front facade of the pedestal is inscribed with a paean. The rear of the pedestal is decorated with over 600 choice stone pieces sent from over 90 countries. The basic motif of the Tower of the Juche Idea has been explained profoundly in an artistic manner by the sculptural groups standing in front and to the right and left of the tower. The sculptural group placed in front is most important in the figure sculptures of the tower. This 30-metre high trio group represents the emblem of the Workers' Party of Korea with a worker, a peasant and an intellectual holding a hammer, sickle and writing brush. This affirms the guiding role of the Party that leads the socialist revolution and construction victoriously, taking the Juche idea as the sole guideline. It is an excellent work of art in itself for its profound content, magnificent size and high artistic techniques. The subsidiary groups on the right and left of the tower vividly show the great vitality of the Juche idea. The six subsidiary groups help to explain the main themes reflected in the torch. The groups standing to the right of the tower symbolize "Juche Industry", "Impregnable Fortress" and "Longevity", representing the vitality of the Juche idea materialized in industry, national defence and public health. The groups on the left of the tower symbolize "Bumper Harvest", "The Land of Learning", "Juche Art", representing the vitality of the Juche idea embodied in the spheres of agriculture, education, science and art. The subsidiary groups are all granite sculptures, 10 metres in height respectively. Two pavilions stand at edges of broad space on both sides of the tower. They add to the beauty of the tower and make it possible to admire the panoramic view of the tower and the surrounding scenes. Harmonizing well with the riverside scenery of the Taedong, the Tower of the Juche Idea presents a picturesque view. The tower is set off beautifully by the park and luxuriant trees on the riverside, lovely stairs on the embankment, the flow of the stream, multistorey buildings providing the tower with a background, and various forms of fountains including two huge ones which send up 150-metre-high jets of water in the midstream.

Childrens Palace

The children are said to be the kings of Korea. Although a strange analogy in a country with an anti-monarchist philosophy, there is a great deal of truth in the assertion. Children are treated very well, with all the benefits of the society granted to them. The best facilities in any given place are commonly the local "Children's Palaces" where children can go after school for extra-curricular activities. The largest of these in Pyongyang features music, singing, dancing, weaving, sewing, swimming, chess, athletics, ballet, gymnastics, computer science, and a host of other activities. Held in often the best facilities around, these classes enhance the social and cultural education of the children in a way that would be the envy of most any parent.

What is odd about the children is the way they look at you, or more often, do not look at you. There are two basic ways to be seen by a child in Pyongyang: either you receive the hate stare, or you are invisible. Many children, still young enough to believe the lessons that all westerners are imperialists who are planning on crushing Korea, stare with unbounded hatred at Caucasian foreigners. Other children have developed the skill of looking right through the foreigners, as though the offending person was not even there. The latter is far more disconcerting.

The Mangyongdae Children's Palace was opened in 1989. It is a huge complex, built to impose and to show the 'superiority of Kim's socialism'. In front of the Children's Palace there are a grand sculpture-group and two enormous fountains, rising 90 and 100 meters. Every day thousands of children come here to learn or amuse themselves. Visitors are shown around the different rooms and can see children dance, play the violin or the kayagum (traditional harp), accordion, practice calligraphy or embroidery, etceteras. After the tour usually there is a show in the theatre. Hundreds of children participate in a big social-realistic show.

Last day, 06 May 2002

Chollima Statue

This statue, erected on April 15, Juche 50(1961) on the occasion of the 49th birthday of the Great Leader, stands a little bit north of the Grand Monument, at the foot of Moran Hill. On a 46 meters high granite basement is the 14 meters high bronze Pegasus (the winged horse from Greek antiquity), symbolizing the fast socialist development of North Korea. On the horse there are the 7 meters high Korean archetypes of the Laborer and (in the female manifestation) the Farmer. The Chollima Statue symbolizes the heroic mettle and indomitable spirit of our people who made ceaseless innovations for postwar rehabilitation in the spirit of Chollima, the legendary horse to run a thousand ria day. The 32m high pedestal was made up of over 2,500 pieces of granite with 360 kinds in different size. On the pedestal a running horse with wings is depicted. The figure of a worker and woman peasant are on the horseback. The statue is 40m high with the horse 14m high and 16m long.

Visit to art studio: it was closed when we arrived. I have no idea what this means, as it was a working day. We were simply not allowed in for some reason. Everything that happens is at the whim of those who are not really all that comfortable with foreigners being present at any time.

Monument to the Foundation of the Party

It was erected to convey down the glorious history of the Workers' Party of Korea composed of workers, farmers and intellectuals. Built on the occasion of the 50th birthday on the WPK on October 9, Juche 84(1995), it is situated in the heart of Munsu Street opposite the Taedong River. It occupies an area of 25 hectares. The tower body depicts a hammer, sickle and brush held by a worker, farmer and intellectual with the height of 50m. Carved in relief on the round granite belt is a slogan "Long Live the Workers' Party of Korea, the Organizer and Guide of the Victory of the Korean People!". The belt shows the single-hearted untiy of the leader, party and people. The pedestal means the long history of the party grown up from the root of Down-With-Imperialism Union. The diametre of the belt is 50m and that of pedestal 70m.

Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum

Visit Great Fatherland Liberation War Victory Museum at the junction of Hyoksin and Yongung Street; 6 km west of the city center and at Puthong River. Opened in 1953. This is a very good place, and is completely unexploited. The exhibits actually tell much of the story of the war in 1950-1953 using US documents and various other items. Although the position of the country is that the south invaded the north and that the tide of war immediately turned, the displays on the period leading to the war are largely correct and quite useful.

There are some places that are hard to think of without also thinking about the war. Korea and Viet Nam are two such places. The difference is that the Vietnamese have largely discarded the war mentality and moved on with developing both their economy and their relations with the outside world. North Korea lives as though the Korean War was yesterday. No where is this more evident than at the Great Fatherland Liberation War Victory Museum, and the Memorial to the victors of the Fatherland Liberation War just outside of the museum. Although the war is central to an understanding of the xenophobic regime, the museum is completely un-exploited as a tourist attraction, especially with the 50th anniversary just around the corner. To walk through the dark and cold halls is to realize that all history revolves around the Great Leader. For instance, in the basement are kept "merited weapons" used by the DPRK to fight the imperialists. The most prominent is a MiG-15 fighter numbered 009. So important is this aircraft that it appears in bronze in the memorial park statuary outside, yet it has no kills to its credit. The only claim to fame of the aircraft is that Kim Il Sung crawled up the ladder, now preserved with the aircraft, and peered into the cockpit, and then gave helpful advice to the pilots. Only the fact that Kim Il Sung looked at it made the aircraft worthy of immortality. In all likelihood the aircraft never flew again once it had been touched by Kim Il Sung.

In 1993, on July 27, on occasion of the 40th anniversary of the end of the war with the armistice in 1953, this monument was erected. It is composed of a gate, the Victory Tower and ten sculpture groups. The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum is a monumental building dedicated to the immortal exploits the great leader Comrade Kim IL Sung performed for the country and the people in defeating the aggression of the imperialist Allied forces. Originally, it was opened at Haebangsan-dong, Central District, Pyongyang, in August 1953 under the name of the Fatherland Liberation War Memorial. The present museum was opened on 11April 1974. The museum has more than 80 exhibition halls. Among them are the introduction hall, halls for the period of the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle and the period of the democratic revolution and the operation hall of the period of the Fatherland Liberation War, the hall of arms and services, the hall of Heroes of the Republic and the hall of the struggle of the people in the rear. There is also an enormous panorama showing the valiant battle to liberate Taejon. On display are materials of historic value, photos, paintings, sculptures, relief models, panoramas, weapons used by the KPA men and so on. The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum is a huge three-storey building documenting both the guerrilla war conducted against the Japanese during their occupation (1910-1945) and the course of the Korean war. Some of the amazing displays include the 15m high 'cyclorama' where visitors are rotated past the part-painting, part-life size model of the battle for Taejon. A large collection of captured American and allied equipment, tanks, fighter planes and armoured personnel carriers fill the basement (it was built around them).

It is a monument to the Korean People's Army and Korean people who defeated the US imperialists and its allies in the Fatherland Liberation War. It was erected on July 27, Juche 82(1993) on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of war victory. It is composed of a gate, the "Victory" Tower, ten group sculptures, a monument to the autograph of the great leader, monument to the dedicated poem and the greens.

Fly Out

Note from Nicholas: We will return on Air China on Monday 6th May: CJ 656 Depart Pyongyang (FNJ) 15:30 arrive Beijing (PEK) 17:20 Note: local time shown . If you are making a connection please note that flights from Pyongyang do not have priority and therefore might not be back exactly on time- should be within the hour however.

The drive to the airport shows us no sign of aircraft coming or going. There are only a few flights per week to or from Pyongyang, and none are allowed to overfly the city. We have gone a week without seeing aircraft. In the terminal we all have to fill out departure customs forms. Then all the baggage is x-rayed and weighed. All the tags are printed with the name of one member of the group. I am given all the tags. Then we proceed through customs and security and upstairs to the departure area. It is far more relaxed than I had expected. Although we are not supposed to take picture, most people are trying to take photos through the upper-story windows in the lounge area. Once again we have to pass through ticket check and visa control. This is the last chance to get a DPRK stamp in my passport. I even try to bribe the inspector with cigarettes. He refuses, but does stamp the ticket: my only proof! I carry the flight manifest for the group through, and find free books in the next lounge. Although why I would want any books by Kim Il Sung or Kim Jong Il eludes me at this point. We walk out to the aircraft, a China Northern MD-82 (DC-9), and I take a photo of the line of five Air Koryo Ilyushins sitting on the tarmac. They are always in the same place, as air Koryo has six aircraft and use five as replacement parts hangar queens. I think ours is the only flight that day from Pyongyang. We taxi forever, and then seem to leave the airport grounds. We in fact taxi to a different runway far removed from the terminal area and not near the main runway. It shows up on satellite images as being almost parallel to the original, so I have no idea why it is used instead.

After out flight dropped us in Beijing (stop-over in Dalain), it would return to Dalain. It would crash into the harbour in Dalain with the loss of all people onboard.

I am glad to be in China! .