we made it out of north korea fine. the impression i got there are still fresh, so i try to jot down everything that comes to my mind right now. first of all: control is total, foreigners are monitored 24/7 or somewhat close to that. being a journalist i got the impression that we got full-scale treatment as in no single step without a guide (read: official of the comittee for foreign affairs. i’d call it the secret service, secret police or whatever..). brainwashing is delivered on a daily business, in north korean dictation the great leader (and president until this world ceases to exist) kim il-sung and his son and dear leader kim jong-il were/are the “suns of mankind”. the sun doesn’t shine too much on the dprk (democratic people’s republic of korea – funny, eh?) – shortages are visible anywhere even if they try to hide them much as they can. do not get me wrong – i am not looking down on this country, i’d rather see the unbelievably friendly people there win their struggle for freedom. one indicator that things might start to move anytime soon is the fact that the “dear leader” kim jong-il is hardly mentioned anywhere and if, it seems to be more of a duty than out of the people’s own desire. history is another thing in north korea as the official version of the korean war or the circumstances of kim sung-il’s rise to power are either obscured or – by preference – just altered to fit a version that makes DPRK’s history bloom. so much for now, pictures will be up soon.
i believe.
dont you think supporting the regime of northkorea, by attending this international sports-event is wrong?
as long as everyone plays with them they can extend their regime of terror!
shame on you!
No, I don’t think so. Either you didn’t read what I posted or you’re trying to bash. Either way: I do believe everybody going there is part of letting the regime stumble. North Koreans see that foreigners are not evil, but just human beings as they are. And on the other side: If there would be no journalists writing about North Korea, where would you get your information from?