By SHELTON BUMGARNER
Marmot’s Hole Guest Blogger
While the point of this piece on the New & Improved DPRK in the IHT is about how “happy” Mr. Kim’s Magic Kingdom is these days, it was this bit that got my attention:
The South Korean tourists spent profusely, buying goods whose main attraction was neither quality nor prices, but rather the flimsy packaging and outdated design: perfect I-have-been-there mementos from the world’s last remaining “socialist paradise.”
North Korea demands that all visitors start their trip to Pyongyang by bowing before the 23-meter-tall, or 75-foot-high, brass statue of Kim Il Sung, the first ruler of North Korea.
On a recent trip, however, South Korean tourists stood upright before the statue, some with hands in pockets, some clicking digital cameras, as an official solemnly bid them to bow. If North Korean minders were enraged, they did not show it.
That would be a great photo to take — the image of the fat and sassy South Koreans not bowing to the statue of Papa Monster Kim Il Sung as their minders look on is probably a sight to see. All the history and politics in that simple act is worth at least a thousand words.
Be sure to read the rest on your own.
Sphere: Related Content
4 Comments
That clause about having to bow is one of the main reasons I have yet to go (ok, that and a very opinionated wife).
I will go there and flip my finger at the statue. Or, moon.
The 60th anniversary of the current North Korean leadership is being observed now. There is some talk as to who the next “dear leader” will be. I think I know who it will be.
On a more serious note, regarding the gynastic feats and parades that are common in North Korea, here is a very interesting link to read from the IHT: Dancing to Kim’s tune.
On the field, other youngsters propelled by rubber bands soar into the sky like human rockets, seemingly almost to the top of the stadium. Thousands of kindergarten children somersault and dance as the human screen flashes “Thank you, General Kim Jong Il” - the man who rules this impoverished country where 40 percent of its children suffer from stunted growth, according to UN data.
“It gave me shudders. I watched again and again, but could see not a single child making a mistake,” said Kang Won Sup, a retired history teacher from South Korea who recently watched the 90-minute show. “The children moved as if they were controlled by the enter key in your computer.”