A Tourist's View of North Korea

[Wraith]

Apologies if it's been posted before, and I realize it's probably old for at least someone here, but I thought just found this and thought it was interesting.

A tourist's view of The Democratic People's Republic of Korea

One of the parts I liked more, from the trip to the Kim Jong-il shrine:

After that we were taken to see the gifts to Kim Jong-il. This was actually more interesting than his dad's place, mainly because everything was more recent (Kim Jr. having taking over only in the mid-90s). The first room we were taken contained gifts presented by prominent South Korean industrialists during their visits in the late 90s. Sitting side-by-side were top-of-the-line LG, Samsung and Hyundai entertainment systems, complete with large screen TVs, stereos, VCRs and plenty of speakers. Some of the same equipment you might have sitting in your living room, here sitting in a museum showing off the glorious gifts received by the Dear Leader.

The next room contained more gifts from the South, including a Hyundai Grandeur donated by the former chairman of Hyundai (whose family is originally from the North). Mr. Huk asked me if I had ever seen one of these cars during my time in the South. When I said, "sure, my neighbor has one just like it," he gave me another one of his 'you have to be lying' looks. How could such a great gift, a gift implying so much respect, belong to some normal person like my neighbor? This was obviously a car reserved for the elite, capitalist oppressors, not some common car for the masses. When I told him I wished the chairman had given away a lot more so there'd be less traffic in the South he got fed up with my obvious lies, gave me a disgusted look and moved on to talk to someone else.

Ever wonder why CNN seems to be the only Western news organization regularly allowed into North Korea? The next room perhaps offered a clue. In the 'Gifts from America' room a whole section of one wall is taken up by gifts from CNN. A few engraved plaques, a coffee cup (yeah, a freaking coffee cup!), a logo ashtray, etc. Probably at most a couple hundred bucks worth of crap that nonetheless get pride of place in the museum - for they reveal obvious signs of respect from a world famous news organization. The people at CNN are certainly using their heads and showing they know how to play the game. Though one wonders how that fits in with journalistic integrity . . .

Souvenir shop junk and that crap companies will shove into the hands of anyone who stands still too long? In North Korea, it gets put in a shrine!

[Aimless]

Trade nukes and broken families for pens and key-rings

[Knux897]

I think I'll donate my copy of Star Craft... he'll have to like that

[Dreadnaught]

Just read the whole thing, that was an interesting read.

Among a lot of other things in that story, I find it interesting that the North Koreans learn Windows 98 in English and don't know there's a Korean version of Windows.