just in in-tray,
Last week one of the guys that went on a trip to N Korea sent through his notes…. Here they are
Here are some takeaways from the trip:
- From a bird’s eye view (whether from our 30th-floor hotel room or the Juche Tower monument), surprisingly the city almost looked like any mid-sized Western town, except with a couple of bigger buildings thrown in the mix and a decent portion of the land earmarked solely for farming. However, the infrastructure is pretty antiquated and poorly maintained: potholes galore, train systems that seemed to be dated by 30-40 years, planes with retro vinyl wallpaper in the cabins and flight attendant call buttons in the restrooms, and very little traffic on the roads (no lane markers on what could be a 4-lane highway).
- The infamous Ryugyong Hotel is expected to be completed by 2012. Construction on the hotel began in 1987. en.wikipedia.org
- 2012 remains a key milestone, marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of "the Great Leader", Kim Il-Song (Kim Jong-Il’s father). The goal of the regime is to become a world power by '12, via expanded construction and infrastructure development. While our tour guides consistently talked the party line, we came across another English-speaking native N. Korean at one of the monuments who was more candid and expressed some skepticism about the pace of development and reform.
Some revealing statistics:
(1) 18x more GDP-per-capita in S. Korea than North (US$19k vs. US$1,050). In contrast, this ratio was 2x W. Germany over E. Germany when the Berlin Wall fell.
(2) 20-30% of N. Korea’s GDP comes from the military, vs. 3% of GDP in S. Korea.
(3) N. Korea’s mineral resources: 140x 2008 GDP. In contrast, S. Korea has virtually no mineral resources, importing 97% of the energy and mineral resources it uses.
- The N. Korean regime refers to the US as “imperialist aggressors” and the South Korean army as “the puppet army of the imperialist aggressors”. Also, when visiting the USS Pueblo, an American Navy ship captured in 1968, we watched a video that referred to the ship repeatedly as their country's “trophy”.
- Once N. Korean citizens reach the age of 17, they’re presented with Kim Il-Sung pins to be worn at all times on their clothing, left of their breastbones (similar to the pins one might wear as a pledge in a fraternity). All of the N. Korean adults we came across on our trip were wearing these pins.
- Our guides were much more open than we'd expected. They were even willing to discuss what they viewed as the pro’s and con’s of Communism (they commented on the security vs. freedom tradeoff). But the guides definitely talked the party line on most occasions—i.e., project an image of strength no matter what and reject all cultural products of the Western world. For example, when asked how full our 47-story hotel was, both guides separately responded 100%...even though it felt maybe 10% to 20% full, at best. When we asked about the only other “deluxe hotel” in town, which was maybe 50% larger than our hotel, they responded in unison that this second hotel was also 100% occupied. They also both knew who Michael Jackson was and were aware that he had recently passed away, but they became very uncomfortable when we asked whether they liked his music, simply shaking their heads and then communicating to each other in Korean. In fact, whenever we apparently crossed the line of propriety with our questions, the guides would simply start talking to each other in Korean until we changed the subject.
- There are only three restaurants in the entire city that are allowed to serve Westerners. We ate in all three during our 40hr trip. The food was actually mediocre; we expected a lot worse. But N. Korean beer was surprisingly fairly good, similar in taste to Tsingtao.
- Reunification is a stated goal of the regime. E.g., the Mass Games was comprised of 5 acts: (1) Intro, (2) Military History/Strength, (3) Happiness (tons of acrobatics…very cool), (4) Reunification, and (5) Finale. Mass Games on YouTube: youtube.com
- 1990s hardships: The end of Soviet aid in 1991 triggered the collapse of many state industries, with today’s industrial output estimated to be between 25% to 50% of the 1990 level. Moreover, the public distribution system at the time, previously the major source of food, collapsed, causing mass famine and 600-900k food-related deaths.
- As a result of these hardships, post-Cold War N. Koreans have relied increasingly on private markets. An estimated 70% to 90% of an average family’s income now comes from market activities.
- The regime maintains tight control over information flow. Our guides do not have home Internet access, and their usage of email is limited to an intranet within their company offices. Mobile phones are also very rare. We were not allowed to bring our cell phones into the country. One of our two guides had a cell phone, but telco services are very much in their infancy in NK and tightly regulated (as expected, calls are restricted to within NK only). The phone that our one guide carried was fairly modern, but the related costs were surprisingly very high: US$240 for the purchase price of the handset and about U$20 per month for the telco service.
- Despite the draconian measures the regime employs to restrict info. flow, according to the Beijing-based operators of our tour company, rumors about foreign affluence are spreading among the general populace. Smuggled radios and foreign video tapes and DVDs are becoming more common as well.
- Reform and eventual reunification will almost certainly come, but the ultimate reunification process will likely be more akin to Hong Kong/China (gradual) than W. Germany / E. Germany (immediate).
Our (very rigid) itinerary:
Thurs 1st Oct
AM: Pre-tour briefing at Koryo Tours office
PM: Flight JS252 from Beijing to Pyongyang. 14:00 departure, arrive Pyongyang, meet your Korean guides who will accompany you during your stay. En route to the hotel stop off at the Arch of Triumph - similar to the French version (but bigger) - commemorates the liberation from Japanese rule. Check in hotel. Go to May Day Stadium - the world's largest with 150,000 seats for MASS GAMES AFTER DINNER
OVERNIGHT: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Fri 2nd Oct
AM: Start the day with a visit to Fountain Park, a picturesque area in the centre of Pyongyang (an opportunity to mix with locals), and the Mansudae Grand Monument - statue of DPRK President Kim Il Sung. Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum (Korean War Museum) - hear and see the DPRK version of the conflict, War Victory Monuments - sculptures of notable events from the war. Lunch in a local restaurant.
PM: After lunch visit the Juche Tower - 150m stone tower with lookout platform at the top and great panoramic views of the city, Mangyongdae Native House - birthplace of the DPRK founder Kim Il Sung, Pyongyang Metro - the deepest in the world, take a ride with the locals, USS Pueblo - tour the American espionage ship captured in the 1968, Kim Il Sung Square, Monument to Party Foundation - commemorates 50 years of Workers’ Party rule, Exhibition Hall - showcases DPRK artwork and books, dinner in local restaurant OPTIONAL 2nd MASS GAMES AFTER DINNER
OVERNIGHT: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Sat 3rd Oct
AM: Transfer to airport for flight back to Beijing, depart 09:00 arrive Beijing 10:00. End of tour.
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