SuperBanana
Banned
Before you read, I understand not all of you will agree with someone visiting this country for moral reasons. I took that into regard and understand it.
In July I was offered a chance to go to North Korea with a friend of mine. Why? Well, why not? As one of the most isolated, strange, and controversial countries in the world I think it's important to see what it's like for yourself and get a better understanding. It's a very unique and interesting place as well.
We started in Beijing where I met the tour group and we had a meeting of how everything will go down. It was all very simple stuff. We were also handed out visas which are paper and get stamped(your passport doesn't) when you enter. It's actually really easy to get a visa there as long as you aren't a journalist or in the military. Our group consisted of 4 Australians, 3 Americans, 2 Canadians, 2 Norwegians, 2 English, an Icelandic, a Spanish, and some other Scandinavian dude.
We took a cattle class train from Beijing to Dandong which lies of the boarder of China and North Korea. Americans aren't allowed to take the train but the rest were able to and it's a good time to socialize and meet the others. The train takes about 24 hours all up so it's not a quick journey.
This is the destroyed bridge between China and North Korea which was blown up by Americans in the Korean war. A new bridge was built next to it but this was left as a reminder of the war On the other side is NK.
I discovered those who say they "illegally" took photos on their trip or had to "sneak out" pictures are full of shit. As we arrive at customs it's pretty easy going. They do a quick check of our bags, check what electronics we have, and make a note of the cameras. You can bring in tablets, cameras, phones. Some people have big DSLR's and they don't care. The customs man was far more interested in the cosmopolitan magazine one of the women had and after opening it to a double paged photo of a bunch of chubby naked women laying over each other he decided this item must absolutely come with him. Good relations between the tour company and NK make this process a lot easier too.
On the trip to Pyongyang we see farm land, farm land, and more farm land. It's actually really well kept and beautiful.
Welcome to the big city!
If you're wondering if our hotel rooms were bugged, yes, they were. However, we were told they really only bug them for diplomats and important people and probably don't even have them turned on for us. They don't care what we do or say in our rooms. We can wander around the entire hotel and even walk outside but we can't leave the premise. They also collect our passports here and don't give them back until we leave.
The first day we head to a town called Keasong and the DMZ.
The city looks nice enough but there's nothing overly special about it. We went to the top of a look out where you can see the whole city.
The DMZ, DPRK side. The big building is South Korea. The line that goes between the blue buildings is literally the boarder.
On our way back to lunch we asked what these towers were. They're jamming towers. Only officials can use the internet over there. No one else.
The food we had was actually pretty nice. They give you a pretty wide range and it's all tasty. I decided NOT to try the dog soup though. A few of the places felt very strange though. The hotel we had lunch in was completely empty. Is it just there for traveling guests to give an illusion that people actually stay there? Probably. You walk in and the staff is just standing there waiting and it's a little weird.
As we drive back on the very wide and empty roads to Pyongyang we stop at the Arch of Reunification. North Korea believe there's only one Korea and that the South was stolen and taken over by America and put a puppet government in. They never even call themselves or identify as North Korea, only DPRK.
This is also one of our North Korean guides, Miss Puk. She was actually really awesome. More on the guides later though.
You see a lot of these propaganda posters around.
The average life of a North Korean is a lot of hard work. They get free housing, free education, and everyone has a job, but in return they have to work 6-7 days a week and get paid very little. Enough to buy some supplies and food but the government gives them food and rations as well. They also get tokens for 5 liters of free beer each month at certain pubs and bars.
The older citizens are generally shy and keep to themselves.
The kids however are super excited to see foreigners and act like they just saw a bus of famous sports stars drive by.
We visited the War Museum. While it actually was a super impressive building and one of the most detailed war museums I've seen this is actually where everything start to get...lets say distorted. The DPRK firmly believe that "the American aggressors" funding by rich warmongers and the "South Korean puppet forces" launched an unprovoked attack against Kim Il Sung. However, as the great leader and masterful tactical skills he was he pushed back and "liberated" most of South Korea to the overwhelming joy of the people who were oppressed by America. At this point as America was broken and at the verge of defeat they begged the UN and its allies to help and with the combined forces they were able to push Kim il Sung back but eventually begged to surrender after heavy losses. The Great Leader began talks with the desperate American forces who pleaded oh so much for peace and mercy and agreed on a cease fire but kept his people strong and determined that one day the south will rejoin and become a true Korea again.
They also claim America used biological warfare including dropping bombs full of infected and diseased ants and spiders. I'm not kidding.
You aren't allowed photos inside but this was our guide. They also show off a fair bit of captured American vehicles included a fully intact boat, tanks, planes, and a chopper.
They love their monuments too. From statues of "The Great Leaders", to many socialist statues, and the tower of Juche.
The country seems to happily endorse eugenics too. There is in fact a religious political party in North Korea who are run by actual Buddhist monks. The problem is the monks aren't allowed to preach, aren't allowed to leave certain areas, and are never allowed to marry or have kids. So while technically the political party does exist it's been oppressed into literal oblivion and the monks will eventually die out. There are only a hand full left that live there and seem to have accepted their fate. Not like they have a choice.
The country is basically one giant cult. EVERYTHING is about "The Great Leaders". It's pounded into you on a magnitude you've never seen. They're seen as saviors, liberators, men of the people, and even magical. They're basically deities at this point. The amount of times I heard their names I couldn't even say. The Mausoleum is something unlike I've ever seen as well. A gigantic complex made of marble and gold. The rooms where their bodies are kept is something like a Sith Lord would be in. A gigantic marble cube room with ominous ambient music playing with ambient red lighting coming from the walls. You'll never see anything like it and it's truly a spectacle even if the people it's dedicated too aren't worthy of it.
What was a nice surprise is not everything on the trip was on rails. While a few things felt also scripted you could tell pretty easily. We were allowed to ride the subway with locals and even go to a department store. It looked like one you'd see in any other country except there was a lack of fresh meat, vegetable, and fruit. It was all freeze fried and canned. I even got some North Korean money which isn't technically allowed out of the country.
We visited a microbrewery one evening. All I have to say is North Korea making some AMAZING beer. All of it is really good and probably the best beer I've ever tasted except for Belgium. It's incredibly cheap too. As cheap as 25 cents for a pint. They don't name the beer either so it's just Beer 1 to 7. 1 being the lightest and 7 being the darkest. I tried 4 different kinds and they were all fantastic. I hope one day they export it because I'd buy it in an instant.
The guides we had were mostly nice. We had one Australian tour leader who was fantastic and 3 North Korean guides. One was a young, excitable man who enjoyed just being around travelers. He had a boyish smile and glee about him and reminded everyone of William Hung. The second is the man everyone joked was the government spy. He was the government suck up, member of the People's Party, and thought North Korea was just the best thing in the universe. Even the other guides though he was a dork and people mostly made fun of him. He was definitely more of what the rest of the world imagines NK to be like. An arsehole. The third was the woman in the photo further above. Happy, beautiful, and smart. She was everyone's favourite guide and what we found out was she wasn't an anomaly. Women in NK generally know and understand things more than men who are more of the followers and sheep. While women don't outwardly say this, the guide told us about it. Miss Puk even knew about other countries and expressed wanting to visit Australia one day.
One thing I was unaware of that I found out when I was there is that the American who was arrested and jailed earlier in the year for trying to steal a poster happened in our hotel and he was with the tour company we were with.
. The guide was fully open about it and told us the story. What you don't realize is just how stupid it was what he did. You're clearly told "Do not go to level 5". In fact, there isn't even a 5 on the elevator. You can also buy posters at almost every gift shop for pretty cheap including the two in the hotel so there's literally no reason to try and steal one. The idea someone would do what he is is almost unimaginable. The sad part is other people have screwed up pretty big but the tour guides have fixed it. Normally the person and guide both write an apology letter and the visitor is sent home. It's embarrassing but you leave safely. This guy didn't tell anyone and the guides only found out at customs when he was arrested. The company got a ton of death threats and hate mail though when you're with them you realize they will do everything in their power to keep you safe and have fun.
Overall, it's a weird country. It's poor but not as poor as I thought. There aren't people eating tree roots or fully emancipated. I can't claim I know every part of the country but I saw as much as any westerner will ever get to see for a long time. Even the country towns we went past are clearly poorer than the cities but they seem like many other Asian countries such as Vietnam or even parts of rural China. The government is very fucked up but the people aren't. They're shy, respectful, and quiet. Some want to be left alone while others are very curious about the outside world. None of them know about the camps or the shit the government does. At most they hear that the government is standing up for itself against America. That's it. I think a few of them understand that the country isn't normal but they don't have a say in the matter and wouldn't express those opinions to an outsider. I don't know if they'd ever accept capitalism or the world ever forcefully overthrowing the government but if Kim Jong Un dropped dead and diplomatic relations actually opened up I think there could be a way to work with them. Just not while they have a leader like him.
While it's morally grey to go to a country like this I'd recommend going to understand and experience it. No one left without a much better understanding of the country you see in the news almost daily.
There's probably a lot of other stuff I could say but it's a pretty big post and there's so much more to say so maybe I'll answer questions after this if anyone is curious.
On one final note I did find out one more thing while I was over there. Kim Jong Un is a Sonic the Headgehog fan.
In July I was offered a chance to go to North Korea with a friend of mine. Why? Well, why not? As one of the most isolated, strange, and controversial countries in the world I think it's important to see what it's like for yourself and get a better understanding. It's a very unique and interesting place as well.
We started in Beijing where I met the tour group and we had a meeting of how everything will go down. It was all very simple stuff. We were also handed out visas which are paper and get stamped(your passport doesn't) when you enter. It's actually really easy to get a visa there as long as you aren't a journalist or in the military. Our group consisted of 4 Australians, 3 Americans, 2 Canadians, 2 Norwegians, 2 English, an Icelandic, a Spanish, and some other Scandinavian dude.
We took a cattle class train from Beijing to Dandong which lies of the boarder of China and North Korea. Americans aren't allowed to take the train but the rest were able to and it's a good time to socialize and meet the others. The train takes about 24 hours all up so it's not a quick journey.
This is the destroyed bridge between China and North Korea which was blown up by Americans in the Korean war. A new bridge was built next to it but this was left as a reminder of the war On the other side is NK.
I discovered those who say they "illegally" took photos on their trip or had to "sneak out" pictures are full of shit. As we arrive at customs it's pretty easy going. They do a quick check of our bags, check what electronics we have, and make a note of the cameras. You can bring in tablets, cameras, phones. Some people have big DSLR's and they don't care. The customs man was far more interested in the cosmopolitan magazine one of the women had and after opening it to a double paged photo of a bunch of chubby naked women laying over each other he decided this item must absolutely come with him. Good relations between the tour company and NK make this process a lot easier too.
On the trip to Pyongyang we see farm land, farm land, and more farm land. It's actually really well kept and beautiful.
Welcome to the big city!
If you're wondering if our hotel rooms were bugged, yes, they were. However, we were told they really only bug them for diplomats and important people and probably don't even have them turned on for us. They don't care what we do or say in our rooms. We can wander around the entire hotel and even walk outside but we can't leave the premise. They also collect our passports here and don't give them back until we leave.
And it even has a (janky as fuck) bowling alley.
The first day we head to a town called Keasong and the DMZ.
The city looks nice enough but there's nothing overly special about it. We went to the top of a look out where you can see the whole city.
And then made our way to the DMZ where Military man(and the only Military they're ok you taking photos of) showed us what we were in for. The guards there only have side arms and light weapons. Nothing heavy and you have to march in in double files until you get to the main complex.
The DMZ, DPRK side. The big building is South Korea. The line that goes between the blue buildings is literally the boarder.
On our way back to lunch we asked what these towers were. They're jamming towers. Only officials can use the internet over there. No one else.
The food we had was actually pretty nice. They give you a pretty wide range and it's all tasty. I decided NOT to try the dog soup though. A few of the places felt very strange though. The hotel we had lunch in was completely empty. Is it just there for traveling guests to give an illusion that people actually stay there? Probably. You walk in and the staff is just standing there waiting and it's a little weird.
There's a bunch of different foods but nothing too odd. Kimchi, fried egg, fish, a stir fry thing, dumplings, more egg, and a sweet doughy ball with a very sweet glaze on it plus a few others.
As we drive back on the very wide and empty roads to Pyongyang we stop at the Arch of Reunification. North Korea believe there's only one Korea and that the South was stolen and taken over by America and put a puppet government in. They never even call themselves or identify as North Korea, only DPRK.
This is also one of our North Korean guides, Miss Puk. She was actually really awesome. More on the guides later though.
You see a lot of these propaganda posters around.
The average life of a North Korean is a lot of hard work. They get free housing, free education, and everyone has a job, but in return they have to work 6-7 days a week and get paid very little. Enough to buy some supplies and food but the government gives them food and rations as well. They also get tokens for 5 liters of free beer each month at certain pubs and bars.
The older citizens are generally shy and keep to themselves.
The kids however are super excited to see foreigners and act like they just saw a bus of famous sports stars drive by.
We visited the War Museum. While it actually was a super impressive building and one of the most detailed war museums I've seen this is actually where everything start to get...lets say distorted. The DPRK firmly believe that "the American aggressors" funding by rich warmongers and the "South Korean puppet forces" launched an unprovoked attack against Kim Il Sung. However, as the great leader and masterful tactical skills he was he pushed back and "liberated" most of South Korea to the overwhelming joy of the people who were oppressed by America. At this point as America was broken and at the verge of defeat they begged the UN and its allies to help and with the combined forces they were able to push Kim il Sung back but eventually begged to surrender after heavy losses. The Great Leader began talks with the desperate American forces who pleaded oh so much for peace and mercy and agreed on a cease fire but kept his people strong and determined that one day the south will rejoin and become a true Korea again.
They also claim America used biological warfare including dropping bombs full of infected and diseased ants and spiders. I'm not kidding.
You aren't allowed photos inside but this was our guide. They also show off a fair bit of captured American vehicles included a fully intact boat, tanks, planes, and a chopper.
They love their monuments too. From statues of "The Great Leaders", to many socialist statues, and the tower of Juche.
North Korea has a very insecure feel to it. You know that kid at school who always talks shit about how his uncle works for Nintendo and gets him all the new games before they come out? Think of that kid as a country. They boast about every monument taking only days to build because of "Kim Jong Un's great leadership" or how they're the best at everything. Many times they'll claim something then blame America for ruining it so they can't show you. For example a Temple being thousands of years old....until America bombed it and now the Temple was rebuilt like 15 years ago...but it's still technically thousands of years old! ...Right? Did you know Korea invented spoons? How about gun powder? You thought it was China but wrong! They also invented the printing press 500 years before anyone else. And most importantly they invented the massage chair. Korea is also where life began. Not Africa but Korea. Trust me on this. It has Kim Jong Un's tick of approval. People think the entire country will have a "Truman Show" feel to it but the bullshit they do actually come up with is pretty obvious. You can tell the fact from the fiction.
The country seems to happily endorse eugenics too. There is in fact a religious political party in North Korea who are run by actual Buddhist monks. The problem is the monks aren't allowed to preach, aren't allowed to leave certain areas, and are never allowed to marry or have kids. So while technically the political party does exist it's been oppressed into literal oblivion and the monks will eventually die out. There are only a hand full left that live there and seem to have accepted their fate. Not like they have a choice.
The country is basically one giant cult. EVERYTHING is about "The Great Leaders". It's pounded into you on a magnitude you've never seen. They're seen as saviors, liberators, men of the people, and even magical. They're basically deities at this point. The amount of times I heard their names I couldn't even say. The Mausoleum is something unlike I've ever seen as well. A gigantic complex made of marble and gold. The rooms where their bodies are kept is something like a Sith Lord would be in. A gigantic marble cube room with ominous ambient music playing with ambient red lighting coming from the walls. You'll never see anything like it and it's truly a spectacle even if the people it's dedicated too aren't worthy of it.
What was a nice surprise is not everything on the trip was on rails. While a few things felt also scripted you could tell pretty easily. We were allowed to ride the subway with locals and even go to a department store. It looked like one you'd see in any other country except there was a lack of fresh meat, vegetable, and fruit. It was all freeze fried and canned. I even got some North Korean money which isn't technically allowed out of the country.
We visited a microbrewery one evening. All I have to say is North Korea making some AMAZING beer. All of it is really good and probably the best beer I've ever tasted except for Belgium. It's incredibly cheap too. As cheap as 25 cents for a pint. They don't name the beer either so it's just Beer 1 to 7. 1 being the lightest and 7 being the darkest. I tried 4 different kinds and they were all fantastic. I hope one day they export it because I'd buy it in an instant.
The guides we had were mostly nice. We had one Australian tour leader who was fantastic and 3 North Korean guides. One was a young, excitable man who enjoyed just being around travelers. He had a boyish smile and glee about him and reminded everyone of William Hung. The second is the man everyone joked was the government spy. He was the government suck up, member of the People's Party, and thought North Korea was just the best thing in the universe. Even the other guides though he was a dork and people mostly made fun of him. He was definitely more of what the rest of the world imagines NK to be like. An arsehole. The third was the woman in the photo further above. Happy, beautiful, and smart. She was everyone's favourite guide and what we found out was she wasn't an anomaly. Women in NK generally know and understand things more than men who are more of the followers and sheep. While women don't outwardly say this, the guide told us about it. Miss Puk even knew about other countries and expressed wanting to visit Australia one day.
One thing I was unaware of that I found out when I was there is that the American who was arrested and jailed earlier in the year for trying to steal a poster happened in our hotel and he was with the tour company we were with.
. The guide was fully open about it and told us the story. What you don't realize is just how stupid it was what he did. You're clearly told "Do not go to level 5". In fact, there isn't even a 5 on the elevator. You can also buy posters at almost every gift shop for pretty cheap including the two in the hotel so there's literally no reason to try and steal one. The idea someone would do what he is is almost unimaginable. The sad part is other people have screwed up pretty big but the tour guides have fixed it. Normally the person and guide both write an apology letter and the visitor is sent home. It's embarrassing but you leave safely. This guy didn't tell anyone and the guides only found out at customs when he was arrested. The company got a ton of death threats and hate mail though when you're with them you realize they will do everything in their power to keep you safe and have fun.
Overall, it's a weird country. It's poor but not as poor as I thought. There aren't people eating tree roots or fully emancipated. I can't claim I know every part of the country but I saw as much as any westerner will ever get to see for a long time. Even the country towns we went past are clearly poorer than the cities but they seem like many other Asian countries such as Vietnam or even parts of rural China. The government is very fucked up but the people aren't. They're shy, respectful, and quiet. Some want to be left alone while others are very curious about the outside world. None of them know about the camps or the shit the government does. At most they hear that the government is standing up for itself against America. That's it. I think a few of them understand that the country isn't normal but they don't have a say in the matter and wouldn't express those opinions to an outsider. I don't know if they'd ever accept capitalism or the world ever forcefully overthrowing the government but if Kim Jong Un dropped dead and diplomatic relations actually opened up I think there could be a way to work with them. Just not while they have a leader like him.
While it's morally grey to go to a country like this I'd recommend going to understand and experience it. No one left without a much better understanding of the country you see in the news almost daily.
There's probably a lot of other stuff I could say but it's a pretty big post and there's so much more to say so maybe I'll answer questions after this if anyone is curious.
On one final note I did find out one more thing while I was over there. Kim Jong Un is a Sonic the Headgehog fan.
