Observations from inside the DPRK

The most recent escalations in the ongoing conflict between the US and the DPRK have brought to mind the long history that has led the world to this current state of affairs. It is very important to note that the Korean War has never officially ended. A peace treaty has never been signed. What was signed was an armistice agreement, in 1953, in this room in Panmunjom, North Korea, by the US (on behalf of the United Nations Command), the Korean People’s Army, and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army. The Armistice was intended to "insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved." That final peaceful settlement has yet to be achieved. Pictured here are the agreements themselves, still lying where they were signed, and the UN flag that was left behind. The North Korean guides like to point out how faded the UN flag has become, symbolizing the fading effectiveness the UN has had on a positive resolution for the people of the DPRK. I feel it is extremely important that the full history of the Korean conflict be understood before opinions or actions be taken. I especially find significant China’s role in the conflict and feel that any action not only involve good and civil communication and cooperation between South Korea, North Korea, and the US, but China as well.

The Pyongyang Metro is one of the requisite sites for any foreign visitor to see and experience. Although the map on the wall outlined several stops over two subway lines, our guides only took us to the three primary stops that were in service. The stations themselves were beautiful; two with ornate light fixtures (one designed to look like fireworks) and huge intricate mosaics depicting the many familiar themes of communist life under the dear leaders. The third station was quite austere in comparison and only housed a gold bust of Kim Il-sung. The trains were elegant yet many doors seemed to need some manual intervention to fully open. The day’s newspapers were on display on the platforms of the first two stations for all to take in as they waited.

One of the more fascinating topics we'd discussed with our guides while in North Korea was dating and marriage. We were painted a picture of very sweet and innocent courtships between young men and women that reminded me of stories and movies of the American '50s. Cell phones are available in the DPRK, but are somewhat limited to those fortunate classes in Pyongyang and other areas. They are also far behind the smartphones we have available in other parts of the world. The most advanced phones I observed were flip-phones capable of the most basic photo, SMS, and MMS features. Without the dominance of smartphones, the youth need to rely on more traditional means of meeting and dating. Here are some of the photos of couples we happen to come across in Pyongyang and Kaesong on their wedding days.

One of the most visually distinctive areas in Pyongyang was, what the tour guides called “Future Scientists Street”. Only opened 15 months prior to our visit, this street’s apartments are intended to house the country’s most brilliant minds and their families. We would pass through this street each time we left and returned from the Yanggakdo Hotel, and I suggested we take some time to stop and visit, which was not on our original itinerary. My suggestion was acknowledged, but ignored at first. Many others in the group however, started echoing the desire to see the pristine street, reminiscent of a Disney property, so the tour guides allowed us to walk the area one morning on the way into the city. The street is lined with buildings holding a reported 2,500 apartments and is capped by an impressive 53-floor tower. The bizarre thing about this street, however, was that we never saw anyone enter nor leave any of the buildings. In fact, there was very minimal foot and car traffic and for the most part the buildings felt like an oversized model, eerily uninhabited.

The very first site we were taken to upon arriving in the DPRK was the Arc of Triumph, located in the heart of Pyongyang. The resemblance to another world-famous arc of the same name is immediately apparent, though the guides never mentioned the Parisian site. We were told that this was the place where Kim Il-sung addressed the citizens of Korea after liberation from the occupying Japanese forces. This address is memorialized in the monument pictured here, across from the arc. The arc itself was built in 1982 and presented on the occasion of Kim Il-sung’s 70th birthday.

Although Kaesong itself was relatively well developed, driving through the surrounding areas felt like going through a time warp as the roadside scenes regressed by decades, as evidenced by the photos above.

The people of Pyongyang are the most privileged in the country, privileged being a very relative term. Using a variety of metrics I know very little about, the government places it’s best in the capital “showcase” city. Although officially the DPRK reports a population in Pyongyang of 2,500,000 people, I have a very hard time believing it’s over 600,000 based on what I saw while touring the city on February 16th, the National Holiday observing Kim Jong-Il’s day of birth. One ubiquitous observation was that, unlike the people in the poorer surrounding cities, the people of Pyongyang always carry with them a very dour facial and physical expression. A smile in Pyongyang is a rarity. These are some of my favorite candid images captured on the streets of North Korea’s capital.

I just framed my souvenir from North Korea. Purchased at the DMZ, this is a hand painted propaganda poster. There seemed to be three themes that tended to repeat themselves in these posters which were endemic to public areas throughout North Korea. The first was the deception of abundance for the overjoyed citizenry. Plenty of fish, products, groceries, culture; alongside the people beaming with pride at their fortune. Another less pervasive theme was that of Korean reunification. These were particularly present around the area of the border. However, the most common propaganda poster theme was that of military might; and very often the use of that might to crush the American imperialists. Posters and iconography featured huge weapon arsenals including ballistic missiles, and members of the People’s Army. In most of these posters, images of the puny American military are shown cowering or being outright crushed by the might of the DPRK. I decided to get this type of poster for a couple of reasons. The first is to capture a piece of evidence of this unique time and place in history. It’s 2017 yet an art technique from a fading Cold War period is thriving where its purpose is still realized. Secondly, I wanted a reminder that despite our progress as a people, there is still very simplistic “us vs them” rhetoric that is so easily used by those who seek power, to get the populace on their side; a manipulation that is highly transparent, but seems to work every time and in every society. Even our own.

This is Juche Tower, which stands tall on the banks of Taedong River in central Pyongyang. It is a physical centerpiece that represents the ideology, created by Kim Il-Sung, of the North Korean communist party. Juche replaces all religion and is the most fundamental philosophy, instilled in each individual from birth, which (in my observation) fundamentally disallows the people from questioning their leadership. Juche means self-reliance. It teaches the people that ultimately they hold all of the power, and ultimately all of the responsibility, to make their own lives and their own society around them exceptional. It is also taught that Juche is a uniquely Korean quality, which adds an additional weight of obligation for each citizen to fulfill their privileged birthright. There are many similar philosophies like Juche behind other communist movements, but Juche is indeed unique as it does more to unify the groupthink behind an almost genetic code that is difficult to question. This philosophy has been the key to having the people accept worsening conditions as they are told that it is essentially their own responsibility to get through it. I could write so much more, but the irony that such a philosophy, based in individualism, is the mechanism to having an entire population follow a uniform rule of law is further proof to me that in politics, the people are always told the opposite of the action so that the action can be carried out with an unwitting, and often unwavering support. In North Korea's case however, wavering could result in imprisonment of one's entire family, so Juche ultimately becomes a necessary idea to lean on as a method of survival.

I decided to finally wear my souvenir from North Korea. I should have known better throwing it in the washing machine because the graphics started flaking away immediately. Hand wash only from here on out. Note the full Korean peninsula on the back.

Serving as a southern gateway into Pyongyang, North Korea is the Arch of Reunification; a monument with a united Korea as its centerpiece, held by the coming together of the North and South, represented by the two women on either side. It was interesting and, at first, unexpected to find that the strong desire for reunification was part of the rhetoric passed (forced) down from the government to the collective consciousness of the people. However, I later realized that the idea helped to reinforce the narrative that the DPRK is the heart of the true Korea and that South Korea is a captive nation currently under US influence and control. The idea of reunification, however, begs the question: what would a reunified Korea (from the North Korean perspective) look like? Would Kim Jong Un go so far as to abdicate his position as supreme leader in the interest of a unified state? I learned that the answer was no. Our guides stated that current negotiations propose a split, yet unified state, where there would coexist two systems of government; respectful of one another. There would also be an overarching Korean committee, with representatives from both sides, which would oversee both governments and determine inter-north/south policies. Something tells me this proposal was purposely designed by the DPRK in a way that would guarantee its never coming to pass; but the people are told that, according to Kim Jong-Un, they are very close to an agreement.

I have hundreds of photos of North Korea to sort through but this stands out as my favorite. This is a member of the DPRK People’s Army walking us to The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, a gorgeous new palace of a museum, where she proceeded to take us from exhibit to exhibit and detail a complete re-telling of the Korean War. The DPRK’s version has the vicious imperialist US sneak-attacking the peaceful north and Kim Il-Sung successfully destroying the threat and holding the border for an undeniable victory. The final exhibit featured a desolate scene where the corpses of American soldiers litter the worn-torn landscape with crows picking at their remains. Though I knew what I was seeing was far from the truth, it made me realize that much of the histories we in the US have learned are also not the entire truth; no single perspective is. What ended up frightening me most about the entire experience was the idea of a government, entrusted by the people, repeating misinformation so persistently that it eventually becomes fact. With our current US president and administration, we are experiencing exactly that concept applied in practice on many issues. As an active and free people, it is our responsibility to always question authority. When the right is taken away, our reality too will be compromised.

While at the DMZ (the border separating North and South Korea), we were assigned a very stoic and stolid officer of the North Korean People's Army to supervise our visit. He decided to ask me what I thought of the DPRK and my opinions on the conflict between the US and North Korea. We had a discussion about how people everywhere in the world belong to the same family and that countries' leaders, though entrusted by the people are rarely motivated by peace but instead swayed by power or for economic reasons. When we got to this area overlooking the border (the building in the background is actually in South Korea), he asked if he can shake my hand for a photo together. My guides were extremely surprised since they said that usually the guards avoid this kind of interaction with the tourists. When we were leaving, I was the last to board the bus but before I could he pulled me aside (a worrying action when in the DPRK). My North Korean guide hung back to make sure everything was ok and translated the guards message. His parting words to me were, "When you go back to the US and meet President Trump, tell him to please listen to the American people, and act only for the will of the American citizens." Of course I understood that from his perspective, our discussion of misguided leadership only pertained to the American side (whereas of course I was heavily referring to both sides), and I'm fairly sure he interpreted my will for peace as a wish for, in his perspective, the US to leave North Korea alone to exist as is. However, taken as a standalone statement, it was completely surreal to me that a member of the opposing military expressed to me a wish that I and so many Americans have, and a wish we know is completely out of the realm of possibility. I kind of laughed and said "I'll try." I didn't know how to tell him that what he asked would, in all likelihood, never happen.

First post from North Korea. The Ryugyong hotel is the most striking structure in Pyongyang. Its construction began 30 years ago, it has 105 floors and is topped by 5 rotating restaurants. Yet it has not yet opened and may never open. Instead it looms high over the city like some sci-fi movie scene come to life. I was endlessly fascinated with it each time it was in view. These overhead photos were taken from the top of Juche tower. The ground-level photo was taken from the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum.