We discuss seeing North Koreans seeing Kim Jong Un speak for the first time, which he did while we were at a hotel the night before. They were utterly transfixed, some cried. His father, Kim Jong Il, spoke publicly only once in seventeen years in power. Now he spoke within the first weeks in power. Here is a quick view of a North Korean roadside entering a modest-sized city. We[…] Keep reading →

Why do I show fireworks from North Korea when the whole world does fireworks? For one thing, the whole show was bigger, longer, and more awesome than probably any fireworks show I’ve seen. Sorry you can’t see everything from just the videos here. Second, people typically think of how much the government spends on the fireworks when it’s people are starving. Is North Korea the only country that puts on[…] Keep reading →

I just realized I never posted this video of me getting the block and game-winning goal in North Korea’s first Ultimate Frisbee tournament in August 2011 (actually, I posted it on a site I since enjoyed leaving.) I consider it one of the highlights of my Ultimate career not for the level of competition but for living out Ultimate’s Spirit of the Game clause “Spirit of the Game. Ultimate relies[…] 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 →