North Korea
Posted: Sun Aug 16, 2009 3:53 pm
I thought I'd post this sooner or later. Not sure if I've told anyone here, but a few years back, I visited the DPRK. After too many trips to South Korea, my curiosity had grown towards the North and I felt urged to see how different life ran in a different side of Korea. Despite the strict Stalinist regime and worldwide notoriety, I was not afraid to spend some time exploring North Korea and meeting some of the people (although all visitors are strictly required to be accompanied by North Korean tour guides).
Now before anyone shouts 'propagandist' or 'communist', please do realize that the pictures I am about to show you were the only places I was alloweed to visit. Straying off on my own would only spell trouble for me. In fact, I remember a year back hearing about a South Korean tourist who was shot in Kumgangsan (a very mountainous region in NK which I visited before this incident occurred) after wondering off alone.
So in short: please keep an open mind, okay?
Whether you wish to someday visit North Korea or not is entirely up to you. But if you’re sensitive about politics (unlike me), I wouldn’t even think about going. All visitors should be opened minded whilst visiting, and avoid to stir up trouble for the guides or anybody else.
Here are a few of the pictures I took. (Don't mind the time display in some of the pictures. My digital camera was messed up).
The Kim Il-Sung Mausoleum: 1 2
Every year, April 15th is celebrated as the birthday of North Korea’s founder: Kim Il-Sung (father of Kim Jong-Il). This massively clean palace was visited by many North Korean soldiers and many foreign diplomats. Photography inside was strictly prohibited, so I can’t show you any pictures. But I was quite overwhelmed when I saw the preserved body of Kim Il-Sung encased in glass. Every visitor had to bow four times in an orderly fashion and then quietly leave.
The Pyongyang Flower Exhibition: 1 2 3 4
The flower exhibition was loud and bustling. The moment I stepped inside, I was greeted with the happy picture of the two Kims. This is certainly the place where any tourist can get lost, and therefore in deep trouble. Good advice is to keep close with your guides at this place.
The Juche Tower: 1 2
This tower was built dedicated to the Juche Idea, the country’s official state ideology and political system (which can be further understood if you simply do some research). It took a while to take the elevator up to the top, but the view was breathtakingly worthwhile.
Kim Il-Sung Square: 1 2 3 4 5
Quite a crowd! For a second, I was tempted to go crowd surfing…but I’d likely be carried away to jail if I did. I found it very peculiar to see how everybody danced in perfect order. The night is meant to be exploding with fireworks, but sadly, I didn’t stay for that long.
Mansudae Grand Monument: 1 2 3
The grand statue of Kim Il-Sung. Everyone is required to bow at the statue. It’s surprising to see how unbelievably clean it is. Not even a pigeon in site…
The Arirang Mass Games: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I was blown away when I walked into a giant stadium and saw 10,000 kids in front of me (that’s NOT a TV screen, by the way) holding and flipping tiles in perfect syncronisation. And that was just warming up. The 90 minute show was in full swing and I was utterly speechless at the entire performance. Words CANNOT describe what I saw that night…really.
I can show a lot more photos if you wish. I managed to get out of Pyongyang and spend a few nights looking into the more rural areas of NK's other provinces. And of course, I have pictures of the several schools I visited.
BTW: Be surprised or not, but kids in North Korea LOVE Mickey Mouse. Whilst visiting a few schools in Pyongyang, I noticed a lot of them carrying Mickey and Minnie dolls.
Now before anyone shouts 'propagandist' or 'communist', please do realize that the pictures I am about to show you were the only places I was alloweed to visit. Straying off on my own would only spell trouble for me. In fact, I remember a year back hearing about a South Korean tourist who was shot in Kumgangsan (a very mountainous region in NK which I visited before this incident occurred) after wondering off alone.
So in short: please keep an open mind, okay?
Whether you wish to someday visit North Korea or not is entirely up to you. But if you’re sensitive about politics (unlike me), I wouldn’t even think about going. All visitors should be opened minded whilst visiting, and avoid to stir up trouble for the guides or anybody else.
Here are a few of the pictures I took. (Don't mind the time display in some of the pictures. My digital camera was messed up).
The Kim Il-Sung Mausoleum: 1 2
Every year, April 15th is celebrated as the birthday of North Korea’s founder: Kim Il-Sung (father of Kim Jong-Il). This massively clean palace was visited by many North Korean soldiers and many foreign diplomats. Photography inside was strictly prohibited, so I can’t show you any pictures. But I was quite overwhelmed when I saw the preserved body of Kim Il-Sung encased in glass. Every visitor had to bow four times in an orderly fashion and then quietly leave.
The Pyongyang Flower Exhibition: 1 2 3 4
The flower exhibition was loud and bustling. The moment I stepped inside, I was greeted with the happy picture of the two Kims. This is certainly the place where any tourist can get lost, and therefore in deep trouble. Good advice is to keep close with your guides at this place.
The Juche Tower: 1 2
This tower was built dedicated to the Juche Idea, the country’s official state ideology and political system (which can be further understood if you simply do some research). It took a while to take the elevator up to the top, but the view was breathtakingly worthwhile.
Kim Il-Sung Square: 1 2 3 4 5
Quite a crowd! For a second, I was tempted to go crowd surfing…but I’d likely be carried away to jail if I did. I found it very peculiar to see how everybody danced in perfect order. The night is meant to be exploding with fireworks, but sadly, I didn’t stay for that long.
Mansudae Grand Monument: 1 2 3
The grand statue of Kim Il-Sung. Everyone is required to bow at the statue. It’s surprising to see how unbelievably clean it is. Not even a pigeon in site…
The Arirang Mass Games: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I was blown away when I walked into a giant stadium and saw 10,000 kids in front of me (that’s NOT a TV screen, by the way) holding and flipping tiles in perfect syncronisation. And that was just warming up. The 90 minute show was in full swing and I was utterly speechless at the entire performance. Words CANNOT describe what I saw that night…really.
I can show a lot more photos if you wish. I managed to get out of Pyongyang and spend a few nights looking into the more rural areas of NK's other provinces. And of course, I have pictures of the several schools I visited.
BTW: Be surprised or not, but kids in North Korea LOVE Mickey Mouse. Whilst visiting a few schools in Pyongyang, I noticed a lot of them carrying Mickey and Minnie dolls.
!!! Definitely will like to see more!
