| Above are two photos of downtown Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea and by far its largest city with a population of over 3 million. In the upper left photo you can see another large portrait of Kim Il Sung with large crowds of people passing by. The building at the top of the upper left photo is the Rungrado May Day Stadium which is the largest stadium by seating capacity in the world. The Rungrado May Day Stadium has enough room to seat 150,000 people,and it's here that the world famous Arirgang Games are held. |
  I hate to write anything negative about any city but in Pyongyang there is no denying that outside the government buildings nearly every other structure looks like its on the verge of collapsing. All the apartment buildings I saw where the basic soviet block styles; nothing really more than I-beams and concrete. Above are two examples of some common types of living arrangements for average citizens. There are hundreds of the giant concrete apartment buildings throughout the city. Some of them must have thousands of rooms but are still built with poor quality. If an earthquake were to ever happen here in Pyongyang I think this city would be completely destroyed. Imagine Haiti's damage from 2010 times 10,000. |
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| Of all the cities I visited in North Korea I never saw anyone using power tools with the exception of heavy equipment being used on larger projects. All men are drafted into the military so the result is women both young and old are left to run the rest of the country. These women above are cutting the grass and doing repairs on the street. I saw scenes like this in all parts of the country; cutting grass by hand, using rocks instead of hammers, and other tools that make the job much harder than it needs to be. My guide did a good job of trying to prevent me from taking photos like this. It wasn't my goal to try to exploit things like this in North Korea but what I see I photograph. Even though this was a propaganda tour to make their country look like a thriving utopia it's impossible to hide the daily activities such as these. |
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| This is something they definitely wouldn't want me to see! Food from the UN's World Food Program. Criticized by a lot of countries since they say they have no idea where the food actually goes once it arrives to North Korea. The photo on the right wasn't being used by the military but it's pretty similar to what I saw them riding in most of the time. A lot of their trucks looked like they were straight from the 1960s. |
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| Aside from its government and military history, North Korea is most famous for its Arirang Games performance that take place in Pyongyang. This is said to be the largest human arts performance in the world and has earned its place in the Guiness book of world records. It's pretty damn expensive to be honest. A ticket cost me $210 but this is something you can't miss in North Korea. The top photos show gymnastic performances on the left and a huge crowd of kids after they had finished their portion of the games. |
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| The performance lasts about an an hour and a half and aside from the different stunts, singing and other performances, the Arirang show tells the history of North Korea. The symbol on the left I assume represents something from the Korean War. On the upper right are fireworks for the grand finale. The 65 represents the 65 years that North Korea has been an independent nation. |
  Along Pyongyang's main river is a nice area were you can walk along the banks and pass by several statues and memorials. The memorial on the right is called the Juche Tower. Juche itself is a philosophy and belief in independence that their leaders believe will lead North Koreans to a life of prosperity. |
  These two photos were taken else where in the city, on the left is the Pyongyang TV tower which rises to 150 meters. Above is the arch of triumph, which is actually much larger than France's arch of triumph that is located in Paris. This was built in
1982 to celebrate the resistance from Korean against Japanese aggression. |
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| Above are two random photos from Pyongyang, the building on the right is a large skating rink, and is nicely lit up when the sun goes down. On the left is a city park with the Ryugyong hotel in the background. This hotel is not yet completed, but when finished it will rise to 110 stories and as of now it is the world's 30th tallest building. Its completion date is expected to be sometime in 2012 or later. |
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| With a population of several million and extremely few people able to afford cars, the most efficient means of transportation in North Korea is the subway and the trolleys. There are a few taxi's parked at hotels, but I've never seen one driving on the road before, and it would be almost impossible to use a taxi as a foreigner, so I'm not quite sure what their purpose is since most North Koreans would just take a bus. These four photos are of the Pyongyang metro, built very deep underground to be protected from aerial attacks. There are several rumors that numerous secret subway lines exist here that go to various military compounds that only the elite know about. |
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  The photo above shows one of the common trolleys being used in downtown Pyongyang. Almost all of these looked liked they might drop dead any minute, this one wasn't too bad. |
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| An important place to visit in Pyongyang is the cabin where Kim Il Sung was born. His birth was in 1912 where he allegedly grew up in this humble cabin with his family. It has been rebuilt, and some of the original tools and items that he used as a child are here on display. His son Kim Jong Il was allegedly born in a cabin in the foreground of snowy mountains in the northern parts of the country. During the Arirang Games, they even showed a performance with a giant picture of Kim Jong Il's birth place in the background. |
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| The first significant place I visited inside North Korea was a trip to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang. Photos within the palace are strictly forbidden, but I was able to photograph the outside and also get my photo along with 3 North Korean women. This building was once the headquarters of the North Korean government, or where Kim Il Sung once ruled from. This is one of the best maintained structures in the country, and the inside was filled with enormous rooms made of marble with giant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. After the president's death, the palace became the final resting place for Kim Il Sung. The late president is preserved in a room and is available for viewing, just like Soviet leader Lenin in Moscow Russia. While inside, many North Koreans were visiting, and some of the women were in tears after they saw their former president. Visiting the Kumsusan Palace was certainly a special experience for me in North Korea. |
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| Kim Il Sung's history is mostly determined by the North Korean government, and usually conflicts with both Western and non-western sources. Regardless, it is agreed Kim Il Sung was born to humble beginnings in Korea, and first became involved with Communism as early as the late 1920s. He eventually joined a communist militant group and by the time he was 24 he led a small party that attacked a Japanese controlled town in Korea and successfully drove them out. After this incursion, the Japanese retaliated and Kim Il Sung fled to the Soviet Union where he spent 26 years there in exile until being installed president of North Korea by the Soviets. The Allies are largely credited for ending World War II by driving the Japanese forces back to their homeland and finishing them off with the atomic bomb, but in North Korea, students are taught that Kim Il Sung single handily led an army that drove the Japanese forces out of the Korean peninsula. North Koreans are also taught that he began to join militant groups as early as 14 and while still a teenager he was battle hardened and a well experienced commander. The photo above depict Kim Il Sung on the left while in a battle with the Japanese. Below is Kim Il Sung again, showing him after World War II is over and being greeted and celebrated by North Korean children, common citizens, and his own military. |
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| The North Korean version of the Korean War is even more interesting than World War II. The tour I received in the war museum above shows various equipment such as the tank on the left that was one of the first to 'liberate Seoul'. The video being shown to me on the upper right was probably the most amazing part of the tour to me. I had long heard that North Koreans believed the United States had started the Korean War, but as an American this was so exaggerated I found it difficult to believe that anyone here honestly accepted that. When the Korean War actually started, the Americans and South Koreans had very short notice of an attack, and as a result they were almost immediately pushed back by the North, almost entirely off the peninsula. Once reinforcements were sent in and more support arrived, the South Koreans and Americans were able to take back this lost ground and push back up all the way close to the Chinese border. The North Korean version is that the Americans made enormous profits during World War II selling military equipment, but after the war the great depression began once these profits suddenly stopped. (North Korean version is that the American great depression began in the late 1940s, not in the late 1920s.) Due to the desperate economy, the Americans planned for a year the attack on the north in order to control the world and to began a war where they could make profits again. Of course to common citizens, they can only hear this side of the story, so almost all North Koreans have no reason to believe this to be false information, and you can begin to understand why they follow their leaders so strongly. To an average North Korean, their leaders were the first people in the world to defeat the Japanese and later the Americans, and the rest of the world is in shambles and is desperately poor while they are living the good life and are fiercely independent. |
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| These four surrounding photos are from the War Museum in Pyongyang as well. The painting on the upper left depicts North Korean soldiers in battle during some extremely heavy fighting. According to the guide, this aircraft on the right was responsible for downing numerous American and South Korean aircraft in dog fights. Below are captured American vehicles, and items including artillery and destroyed aircraft. |
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| Of all the American equipment captured, North Korea's most prized possession is the USS Pueblo which was captured in 1968. The US version of the story is that the boat was traveling in international waters when it was captured by North Koreans, but the North Koreans say this was a spy ship in their waters who didn't respond to any communication attempts so it was then boarded and the crew arrested. On the left is the ship docked in Pyongyang, on the right is myself after getting permission to climb to the top of the ship's largest mast. |
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| Above are two photos aboard the USS Pueblo, including a North Korean sailor who maintains the ship. The US originally requested that the ship be returned to the states, but it will likely remain a trophy by the North Koreans forever. The incident sparked quite a scare with fear of the Korean war being renewed. 83 Americans were captured from the USS Pueblo and one American was killed. After 11 months they were returned home after the United States signed a document taking responsibility for trespassing in their waters. Below are bullet holes inside of the ship from fighting when it was taken over, the large machine gun on the bottom right is part of the USS Pueblo's defense system. |
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| From it's modern day confrontations with the United States and South Korea to its ancient battles against Japan, North Korea has seen a fair amount of war. The country honors their own veterans by burying them in Martyrs Cemetery which is located in Pyongyang on top of Mt. Taesong. This is North Korea's equivalent of USA's Arlington Cemetery and was founded where an old fort used to be in the 5th century. Above are examples of some of the North Korean graves along with flowers that were donated to the more recent casualties. |
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| The large building on the left is the Grand People's Study House. It was built in the 1980s by Kim Il Sung, and has over 600 rooms and has a capacity for tens of millions of books. There were dozens of people in here studying books, receiving lectures and even listening to music. The woman below on the lower left was the escort for the building, on the lower right you can see the Study House's main rooms. |
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| The building itself is pretty impressive, but most of the equipment that is actually used is ancient. The tape recorder on the left is one example, but there were also boom boxes to play music that appeared to be from the 1980s. I did see some computers however, and even a room that had flats screen monitors that were an exception. Internet is not available to North Koreans at all though, and to be honest I'm not even sure if anyone here knows it exists. There is the intranet though, an internal program sponsored by the North Korean government, but it's impossible to view websites from outside of the country. I did try to bring up a browser and on the upper right was the message I got. |
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| For a small performance, I was taken to the Children's Palace where students learn music and performing arts. The upper left photo shows some kids learning Tae Kwon Do in the Children's Palace, on the upper right is a female student from back in the Grand Study Hall. |
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| The surrounding photos are from the Children's Palace, where they put on an hour performance. The events included everything from singing, playing instruments, dancing, and Tae Kwon Do. I'm not sure how the kids are selected or entered into the Children's Palace, but all of them were definitely good at what they did. I suppose the benefit of such a structured and strict society leaves these kids with nothing else to do but performing arts, while back in the US someone like me grew up playing video games and exploring the sewer systems of Springfield. |
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| I almost never buy souvenirs, but in North Korea I made a big exception. Most things in North Korea are extremely cheap, like for example their subway system costs about 3 American cents per ticket. As a foreigner though, when it comes to shopping and souvenirs don't expect to find such great deals. The women above were working in different places doing pottery and creating other art work. I saw some large paintings that I would have bought if they weren't so expensive, over $100USD, and difficult to mail back to the states. They also had some amazing pottery work, such as a teapot that must have been 7 feet tall and painted black and covered with different decorations. |
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| One thing I certainly learned from traveling, regardless of what type of country you're in or where you live, kids will always be kids. Some younger North Koreans have fun by playing in one of the country's fountains, or the ones on the right who on the count of 3 began to race. |
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| For breakfast, lunch and dinner, I ate nothing but Korean food during this entire trip. Above is a photo of a restaurant and one of the dinners I had while in Pyongyang. I've eaten Korean food plenty of times in my life, but of course not on a daily basis, so by the time I left the country I felt like I knew all their cuisines and tastes really well. I never liked cabbage before my trip here, but kimchi certainly changed my mind. |
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| The first restaurant I visited in North Korea actually had a live band. A woman played a piano while one played the drums and four singers came on stage. Obviously the song was in Korean so I've no idea what it was about, but music always goes well with dinner. |
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| These two photos above were taken from the first hotel I stayed in Pyongyang. The rooms were pretty reasonable and considered to be 5 star hotels by North Korean standards. The door on the right is actually the entrance to the hotel bar, where they sold some foreign imports. |
  I was surprised to find both coke and some American liquor like the Kentucky whiskey above in the hotel store. Obviously because of all the sanctions, these are purchased from another country like China and then flown into Pyongyang and sold later. |
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| Outside Pyongyang are many farms and rural communities. The first photo on the left was actually taken from the plane as we pulled into the country, my first impressions were bright green farms and mountains, and surprisingly the first country that came to mind was New Zealand. |
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| The next city I visited outside Pyongyang was Myohyang, located north of the capital. The large hotel on the upper left was not where I stayed, but its one of the most famous hotels outside of the Pyongyang. My hotel was definitely more humble, but like all the hotels I stayed at, as soon as I entered I was greeted by a giant portrait of President Kim Il Sung and his son General Kim Jong Il. |
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| Two photos above are from the actual town of Myohyang which is located at the base of several scenic mountains The main street is lined up with many houses and restaurants, which have the more traditional Korean architecture instead of the big block buildings like in the capital. |
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| Mt. Myohyang has one of the most sacred Buddhist temples in North Korea, and was the home of one of Korea's forefathers, King Tangun. The Pohyon temple above and below was founded nearly 1,000 years ago in the 11th century. This temple has been destroyed many times throughout its history, and most recently in the 1950s when it was bombed by the United States during the Korean War. Since then it has
been rebuilt as it once was. The photos above show some of the buildings within the temple, and below is are some examples of artwork. |
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| With strict government laws, religion has never been a big part of North Korean society. While South Korea has a very strong Buddhist and Christian faith, there is almost no religious presence in North Korea. It's estimated that there are only 10,000 Buddhists remaining in the country when I visited in 2010. Above is the inside of the temple, and one of the very few remaining religious leaders in North Korea. |
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| Also located in Myohyang are the Friendship Hall Museums. In these buildings, are gifts donated from other country's around the world to both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. They each have their own building with the one on the upper left belonging to Kim Jong Il and the upper right being the entrance to Kim Il Sung. With these tall wooden doors and marble walls and floors, you can get some idea of what the inside of his palace was like back in Pyongyang. Average North Koreans are allowed to visit these buildings as well, and seeing the gifts from nearly every country gives the population the impression that their government and leadership are highly respected and admired from both foreign nations and organizations around the world. I had a very close call while taking a photo here with one of the guards who thought I was taking his picture. He began to yell in Korean at me and one of my guides ran over to check my camera to make sure I had no military photos. |
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| After a visit inside both of the Friendship Halls, I was allowed up onto the balcony with my camera of one of the buildings. The balcony was at least 3 or 4 stories up, and gave some impressive views of the surrounding mountains. This was one of those rare days I had in North Korea when the clouds broke up and I actually got some sunlight. Above is a photo of the top of the building and some of the scenery. |
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| One of my highlights here in Myoyang was hiking up one of their mountains that pass dozens of waterfalls. There are many places along the path that have Korean words carved out into the rock, but since I don't speak the language and there are no English translations I have no idea what all this means. I kinda liked not being able to read everything here, it added to the mysteriousness of the country. |
  As you get higher the trail begins to get more interesting, and at some parts it gets really steep and slippery because of all the water. Above are some North Koreans hiking and taking a break by one of the largest cascades on the hike. |
  It seemed that every waterfall I approached I found myself saying wow! The one on the right was one of my favorites since it had three falls combining into one river. The larger falls on the left have a suspension bridge going over them at the very top. |
  Mt. Myoyang isn't very high in altitude, so it's amazing to climb for several hours and feel like you are near the top, and still find enormous waterfalls. The falls on the right are the highest on the mountain, above is a rainbow over a small bridge near the very top as well. |
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| Something else great about Myoyang are the locals. Here they were much less shy than in Pyongyang, and many people not only didn't mind having their photo taking but actually would come up to you and request to take a group photo with them together. |
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| On the west coast, not too far from Pyongyang is the city of Nampho. This place started as a small fishing village but because of its location, it is now a major port for the North Korean government. Most of their exports and imports come through here, and there is also ship building that takes place here. The area is surrounded by farms as well, with a photo of an apartment building on the left and a house on the right. |
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| September 9th 1948 is the official date of the creation of the North Korea, or the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. I was traveling here during this time, and though I wasn't allowed to see most of the festivals taking place, I was able to see this huge dance going on near the city of Nampo. This was made up of about 80% women it seemed, and had a line of North Korean soldiers on all four sides of the square. |
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| Located in Nampho, is North Korea's most prized architectural achievement, the West Sea Barrage. Built to solve problems of the rising sea water into the Taedong River, which created brackish water unsuitable for farming, the country got to work to begin this massive project in 1981. The dam spans nearly 5 miles across the water and separates the sea water from the river, and has several sluices that allow the passage of ships. To western nations, this might seem like a simple project, but to North Koreans it is one of their greatest accomplishments and could only be done under the leadership of Kim Il Sung. The day I visited this place, there was hardly any visibility because of the stormy weather, so in addition to a real photo I took on the left, I took a photo of a drawing they had inside an office to better show the barrage. |
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| The upper left photo shows a large ship about to enter the locks of the West Sea Barrage. I had to leave before it actually entered so I wasn't able to see the process, but was told it only takes about 5 minutes. I've no idea what the guys on the upper right hand photo are scooping up. |
  Traveling in North Korea is pretty serious business wherever you are, and the DMZ area is certainly no exception. On the left is the largest flag in the world, built for propaganda purposes as it is viewable from South Korea. Above is the friendship memorial built further north from the world's most fortified border, where North Koreans dream of reunited South Korea and becoming one nation again. |
 
In 2004, I visited South Korea and did a tour of the DMZ from there. Back then I took the photo above of this North Korean building and never imagined that 6 years later I'd be on its second floor and getting a DMZ tour from the North. On the right is myself on the second floor posing with a North Korean guard while we look into South Korea. Standing in North Korea and staring into the eyes of the US and South Korean soldiers along with western tourists while I was accompanied by North Korean guards was one of the most unique experiences in my life. I asked my escorts if the South Koreans and US military watching us thought I might be American, but they just laughed and said they probably think you're from Russia. |
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| The photo on the left was also taken from 2004, and was back when I was 23 years old. Technically I had crossed the border in one of the negotiating rooms so I was in North Korea with a South Korean soldier. The room on the right is well within the North Korean border though it's still in the DMZ area. This table was where the actual armistice was signed between the United States and North Korea in 1952. |
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| One last town to visit in North Korea is the ancient city of Kaesong, once a capital of a different dynasty in Korea. Kaesong is also unique since it was controlled by South Korea before the Korean War, so it avoided most of the heavy fighting that occurred when the war began. Above are two photos of Kaesong, one showing some of the people along a random street, and some historic homes that are now a hotel. |
 
Something I forgot to mention; in North Korean cities that there are posters like the one on the left announcing victory over the Korean War. While to the United States, this war was ancient history, you'd think it happened weeks ago while in North Korea. |
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| Above is the Namdaemun City gate which was completed in Kaesong in 1393. Out of the seven citadel gates that were constructed during this time it is the best preserved one and stands today fully restored. Notice the Chinese writing at the top of the gate, since the language of Korean didn't even exist back then. The large bell on the right is located under the roof which is accessible by stairs. |
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| Since the city of Kaesong was below the 38th parallel and originally part of South Korea, it wasn't as badly damaged as other parts of the country, and most of the buildings here remained intact. The Kaesong temple dates back to the 14th century, and once was a large city in medieval times that was protected by a large city wall. The two photos above show some of the buildings and statues in the Kaesong temple, below is a painting of a medieval attack on the village, and also a model of what it the entire complex looks like. |
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| Phil from USA: Hi, been reading your travelogue for years and have always enjoyed it. This was probably the most insightful of all for me. I've read a lot about North Korea for a long time but never really seen what it looks like. I know this was a propaganda tour and they would obviously only take you to the nicer places, but it was still great to see actual villages and cities. It really humanized the place for me. I really wonder what the end-game is for this country. It's increasingly alone in the world, surrounded by modernity and countries that are developing fast. How long can it keep going on with its extortion of the world? Since you had a first-hand account of this, what is your opinion? |
| | George: Hey Phil! With North Korea getting more and more isolated and no longer getting unconditional support from China, the question you've raised seems to be on everyone's minds right now, how much longer can they survive? Since I'm of course no expert on North Korea, I can only give you a summary of what I've taken in from others (some have even visited NK on official business) and what I've personally seen while visiting the country.
In North Korea's first few decades things were actually relatively stable, but its economy was almost entirely dependent on other communist nations such as China, Soviet Union, East Germany etc. As the fall of communism began, North Korea began to lose financial support and strong allies. The break up of the Soviet Union had the worst possible timing for the country, as it occurred during some major flooding followed by droughts. The combination of losing most of its allies along with natural disasters resulted in a famine that wiped out up to 12% of North Korea's population. This was the start of North Korea's downfall into instability and severe economic depression.
From an economic and political perspective, these events have sent North Korea spiraling downward with its future not looking in its favor either. With China, their last ally, becoming obsessed with propelling their economy and heavily trading with western nations, North Korea is starting to look more and more like a toxic asset and a liability rather than a useful ally. At this point, China has lots to gain by keeping its economic relationships with Japan, USA, and South Korea, but nothing to gain and lots to lose by supporting North Korea in a military conflict. I've even heard China told North Korea, that two generations is enough, and China is waiting for Kim Jong Ill to pass away and then try to peacefully reunite the country under Seoul's leadership. Supposedly this was also released in one of the wiki leaks cables as well. A lot of people seem to believe that the end of Kim Jong Il is also the end of North Korea. A former and less optimistic high ranking general who defected from North Korea said he once believed after Kim Il Sung passed away, North Korea would break apart, but decades later its still the same. However, since the new designated leader, Kim Jong Un, is only in his 20s, many believe there may be a power struggle which will be the final draw that brings down this fragile and dying nation.
From a military perspective, I was fortunate enough to meet an expert on North Korea on my trip who has visited over 20 times and even been jailed twice! As I looked around and saw broken military vehicles, technology across the country that seems to be from the 1950s or 60s, and extreme shortages of fuel due to sanctions, I made the comment about how I couldn't see these guys putting up a fight. His response echoed what I was already thinking. North Korea has plenty of artillery and large numbers of soldiers at the DMZ. they are capable of staging a large attack and causing severe initial damage, especially in Seoul. But beyond that they have no reliable trucks and infrastructure that would be required to support a large moving army. It's estimated that if they suddenly tried to mobilize their military and march them south, they'd be out of gasoline in only 72 hours. Having no fuel means that troops on the front lines can't get any water, food or ammunition. The threat of nuclear war is new, but at this point the North Koreans aren't capable of making a nuclear bomb that can fit in a plane or onto a war head. Unless they plan to load a nuclear bomb into a truck and drive it to South Korea this technology isn't currently a major threat. Beyond that, the US and South Korea are well aware of the locations of most of the artillery bases (including their nuclear research facility) which would probably be wiped out within 48 hours with a combination of air strikes and cruise missiles. Once beyond the DMZ, it's my understanding that the rest of North Korea's defenses are weak and it's pretty much an open door in the march to the capital. |
| Becka from USA: Hi George! I'm a new reader of your travel blogs and I have to say I absolutely adore all the pictures you take! They are magnificent! On the subject of North Korea: I've always been under the impression that North Korea was one of those countries where they did not permit outsiders to come and travel for anything other than business or government purposes. This might sound silly, but how did you gain access to the country? North Korea is on my "Top 5" list of places I would LOVE to visit, but I never thought it was feasible until I saw this entry of your blog.
Also, I admire you for your unbiased approach to the life in North Korea. It's really nice to see someone talk about the country without criticizing their culture or their government. It seems like they only times I hear about North Korea is when someone decides to go off on a rant about how terrible life is there, and it's nice to see that not everything is horrible death and destruction. Keep on writing! I hope you are enjoying your trip to Eastern Europe! |
| | George: Hey Becka! To answer your question about North Korea, it's possible by contacting the North Korean government and getting the proper paperwork done in Beijing. From there you fly on a North Korean flight from Beijing to Pyongyang and will be escorted your entire trip. So while visiting is possible and thought to be risky by some, it is rare and North Korea remains one of the least traveled countries in the world. |
| Brian from Canada: Very well done |
| 팀 취소 김정일 from North Korea: 안녕하세요. 당신은 아주 좋은 작품이 나의 아름다운 나라를 여행하며 사진을 찍고 했어. 그것이 북한의 군사 기술의 일부 구식입니다 것은 사실이지만, 국민의 정신이 아닙니다. |
