Here we are approaching Mansudae Hill, the location of 20-meter tall statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.  Love the men or hate them, they ruled the country for seventy years, so they’re important for the people here. We see children leaving the giant statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. At the start I was holding the camera at my side to be more respectful[…] Keep reading →

While we were stuck at the little state-fair-like celebration for foreigners, the elite and military of Pyongyang were participating in this: You may recognize the place as Kim Il Sung Square, where we were meeting and joking around with regular people just the day before. We did, however, get to see everyone streaming from the parade. Our bus couldn’t move because we got stuck behind a road closing. First we[…] Keep reading →

I interviewed Joe, who had been living in South Korea before visiting North Korea, about the experience at the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery, since it was such an emotional experience. At this point we are in a park just below the cemetery, which is on one of Pyongyang’s highest points, I believe. He talks about how surprising it was to be given such deference in the face of North Korea’s social[…] Keep reading →

A video of the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery on the hundredth anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s birth — roughly like being at Arlington on July 4, 1976. There were many soldiers and foreign tourists, making for an odd mix. Normally the government prohibits tourists from taking pictures of the military, but perhaps for the special day, since they were there ceremonially, and since there were so many of them they let[…] Keep reading →

Would you expect an amusement park in Pyongyang, North Korea? Not only did we go to a big one, we saw remnants of old roller coasters and other rides in other parts of Pyongyang. We weren’t sure how many people got to enjoy the fun fair, but for most tourists it’s their best chance to interact directly with North Koreans untrained by the government to lead their tours. We had[…] Keep reading →

Before entering the War Museum (not sure the official name), I interviewed my friend and group-mate, Andrew, on the differences between our expectations — that the environment would be oppressive, we would be watched all the time, and so on — and experiences — communicating with the people and learning so much. Sorry about the sound, but as you can see it was windy. Here are details of painting of[…] Keep reading →

Here I talk about the unexpected beauty of the land of North Korea — at least of the parts the government let us see. It was early Spring and North Korea is pretty north, so there weren’t many leaves on the trees yet. And whatever your feelings about the government or people, the land, flora, and fauna remain the land, flora, and fauna and it’s hard not to appreciate the[…] Keep reading →

Shortly after last post’s videos, we returned to Kim Il Sung Square and interacted with more North Koreans, overcoming language obstacles in North Korea with friendly body language. If our would-be leaders don’t create peace, understanding, and communication between us, we have to lead them. The more we interact the more we understand each other. That’s how we show we aren’t the monsters or dupes their government says we are[…] Keep reading →

Here is a quick video with my thoughts on some differences between my expectations of North Korea (and those of everyone I know who visited) and experiences. I’m on the avenue between the Foreign language bookshop and Kim Il Sung Square. You’ll see Kiwi Tom being silly in the background (he does stand-up comedy, among other things) and the usual desolate, sparsely populated city. Here I shake hands with a[…] Keep reading →