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An amazing, crazy 5 day trip into North Korea to run the marathon and visit the key cities and sights.
Same World. Different planet.
what today will be like if you live in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea...
8.30am and a stadium crowd of exactly 50,000 shop assistants, hairdressers, bus drivers, soldiers, waitresses, office workers, school teachers, students, tube drivers, etc turn up, smile, cheer and wave in unison to watch 120 completely amateur international joggers, run a marathon? Why??
To be fair there was also a football match and a thousand of their children were running 5k but...every single one of them was in their seat at 8.30am on a Sunday morning and they were still there at 2.30pm for the closing ceremony...6 hours, to watch and cheer 120 other hairdressers, office workers, students etc
It wouldn't happen in any other country in the entire world. And the reasons why probably sum up DPRK - Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (No one is allowed to call it North Korea) more than anything.
They were there because they were told to be. Although it was probably quite entertaining compared to their options on a Sunday morning. But, no doubt they would have faced some sort of consequence if they didn't attend, or tried to leave early.
The people in that crowd are exactly like me, you and every other person in the world - they just want to get the kids to school, dinner on the table and enjoy some time with family and friends. They are not robotic US hating clones, although that is what Kim Jong Il and their Supreme Leaders and the free, western media want you to believe they are.. It coincidently fits both their agendas and that's what we generally think - even ex-pats who live in Beijing and whom I've been cycling with for the last few days think the same - and they live on their doorstep. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
They are like me and you but imagine if your life was one where the Government aims to control everything you think, do, go and spend but where the dollar a day they give you isn't even enough to buy the food you need to live on, the flat in the hi-rise you are given has constant powercuts, a generally non-working lift and a landlady who has a copy of your key so she can come in at any time to check you are not watching a smuggled South Korean or Chinese DVD or USB, where you attend a weekly group meeting with your Imminban leader of the building to publicly self-critizise, where relegion is reduced to just four churches in the whole city and replaced with a Government idealogy of 'Juche' - where man is responsible for his self - could be inyteresting, but - you have no means to achieve that. On your buildings' roof in large letters are the words 'Long Live The Democratic Workers Party Of Korea'.
You see very few cars, shops, mobiles, handicapped people and obviously you have no internet. Wi-fi? Ha. You have a daily quota to reach in your job. You are watched. If you are caught doing something wrong you are 'downgraded'. If you are caught doing anything political you are shipped out - so are all your extended family. Family structures - the most important thing and the thing that provides warmth and enjoyment are broken down to retain control.
It is pretty hellish. It could be said to be a prison for 25 million people, the size of a country. When the winters are sub zero and the food produced isn't enough, it is hell. Between 94-98 it was too cold to produce food. Around a million Koreans died. We dont generally even acknowledge that.
Control is enforced to keep the Supreme Leaders in command. We are sold fear by the media so they can sell more copies and adverts. The Koreans are sold fear so they accept the dark situation and do what they are told.
Koreans are taught from 5 years old that they are at constant war with the Americans. Tens of thousands of them are at the border waiting to invade. That is why you must be proud Koreans, willing to sacrifice everything, even food, if it means the country can have nuclear weapons to defend itself against the imperialists.
What would you do? The same as the Koreans, establish a grey economy bigger than the official one, to earn a little extra - so you can at least eat. Work on the side, rent out a room for an hour to a courting couple, sell anything you can spare, smuggle, trade cigarettes (a big smoking country - what else are you going to do?), bribe someone, sell to tourists etc.
We saw none of this of course because in public you do what you are told. Publicly you agree to everything. On the outside everything looks like The Truman Show. Everyone walks around with a purpose, there seems to be little interaction in public. That's where the look of robotic people, obsessed by their leaders comes from. It is acknowledged that a majority of people have some form of other income, something they are doing they dont want the leaders to know about. No one talks about it.
We went swimming, played ten pin bowling, ate at very plentiful restaurants (with singing waitresses) (I tried a bit of dog meat soup Im afraid - it tasted better than it should have done) and drunk at beer bars, that most Koreans likely do not even know exist. We went to the cinema and saw the first Korean-international co-production. The cinema is in the grounds of the international hotel - but i would hope locals are seeing it on smuggled DVD's.
We visited a great coffee shop, book shop and department store. They were probably the only ones in the whole city. The daily English language paper only ever has headlines about Kim (his visit to China or a shoe factory for instance).
I had my haircut in the hotel. I asked as I went to bed at midnight if I could book one for the morning. 10 minutes later im in the chair - the latest 10euro cut Ive ever had. Its good!
We visited a school, no doubt one of the best in DPRK, the 7-8 yr old kids were brilliant at singing, gymnastics and ping pong! They were laughing and smiling but also the school corridors were lined with anti-US propaganda posters.
The stamps celebrate each new nuclear weapon.
We went on the 17 station tube. They bought the old Berlin subway trains. It was ornate and efficient.
We also visited every (amazing) war museum, Supreme Leaders homes and birthplaces and we visited 'the most dangerous place on earth', the armed DMZ border with South Korea. We never left the hotel without our 3, perfect English-speaking, very nice, good singing!, guides.
We did not appear to have too much security around us, we did not have many rules apart from no photos of certain things - the department store, war museum, construction work and military checkpoints and to only show respect in front of anything to do with the Supreme and Great Leaders - billboards and the biggest statues on earth - on most corners, in the foyer of most buildings, overlooking the whole of Pyongyang.
The most authentic thing we did? Although it doesn't look like it, the thousands of people dressed up and dancing. It looks nice but they weren't particularly enjoying it, the men and women immediately went their own way at the end, without one word exchanged. It was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a defence committee appointment! It would have happened if we weren't there - probably the only thing we saw that would have done.
Unless you do something very wrong the DPRK is perfectly safe to visit. I have spoken to the owners of the company that took us in (250 visits between them) and read the best book on the situation (North Korea Confidential - see the summary on Amazon). The things that are needed more than anything, are money to make sure children can eat (a lesser priority than a nuclear programme) (it costs $20 a year to provide a child one 800 calorie meal a day) and more money into the grey market - that in-part comes from tourism. Our meagre tips are an annual salary to a guide and their extended family.
The thing id recommend more than any other is GO - see for yourself, connect with real people (they appear to value that) and happily spend a few pounds that will help real people living real lives. (you can only spend dollars, euros and RMD - use of local currency by tourists is banned).
Except for Americans and South Koreans. The North Koreans would treat you no differently than they did us - very welcoming. The US Government doesn't allow you to go.
On a personal basis, the zero internet was actually brilliant for 5 days. For our group (of likeminded people) it meant we became firm friends, rather than aquaintances, between times starring at screens. Now, how to reduce screen usage when back home?
We left by overnight train, past hundreds of very poor women working on the train tracks, men working in the barron fields and anti-aircraft guns on the hills. Through customs is fine - unless you take a bible or photos of things you shouldn't. All our bags were searched. As we crossed to the first Chinese town it felt like reaching New York - bombarded by light, adverts, billboards and a KFC.
We arrived in the DPRK on one of their twice annual holidays so everyone can visit the graves of their family, to tidy them up for Summer or Winter and to remember and celebrate the lives of their dear departed. We should do that.
I feel a mixture of guilt and good fortune to have visited. I hope I was polite and friendly and that I spent enough money (bought some interesting things) I do think/hope that the upcoming talks will lead to a gradual opening up but with Kim Jong Un retaining control (he sort of needs to do that to keep his control now). The worst would be if Trump pushed for too much knowing that would justify military action when the Koreans refuse to concede. That would result in the return to a hell on earth in the 21st century.
I arrived worrying about my own safety and left worrying about theres...
