On the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone: Former US President Bill Clinton famously described the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as “the scariest place on earth” during a 2003 visit. Others have described it as the most dangerous spot on the planet… With descriptions like that, a visit is pretty much compulsory, no? The … Continue reading
An armed guard at the entrance to Pyongyang Film Studios, the state-run film production facility of North Korea: The studio is a sprawling complex that is located on the outskirts of Pyongyang: Kim Jong-il was a huge film fan and is rumored to have had one of the largest movie collections in the world. Of … Continue reading
Listen, forget about all of those grim, depressing pictures one sees coming out of North Korea for a minute… It’s not always like that. No place is grim and depressing all of the time. Keep reading this post if you need to be convinced… Having been under the close supervision of our North Korean minders … Continue reading
Bottles waiting to be filled and sealed at the Kangso Mineral Water Factory: The location of this factory in North Korea is not random. Hundreds of feet beneath the factory are large aquifers of pure water that have been naturally carbonated by carbon dioxide (CO2) trapped deep underground. The carbon dioxide is freed from carbonate … Continue reading
A North Korean propaganda poster promoting goats: I measure the success of a society based on the progress and ambitions of its space program and on the prominence of goats in that society. On at least one count, North Korea is earning high marks: Operating on the assumption that goats could feed on grass and … Continue reading
Opened to coincide with Kim-Il-sung’s 70th birthday in 1982, the Grand People’s Study House was constructed as a sanctuary of learning and and as a force to intellectualize the nation. Our minder explained that, specifically, this meant using the center to further one’s socialist training and to develop an even greater respect and love for … Continue reading
Formally known as the Tower of Juche Idea, the Juche Tower was built along with the Grand People’s Study House as part of the celebration surrounding Kim-Il-sung’s 70th birthday bash. Juche is the difficult to explain North Korean ideology developed by Kim-Il-sung that promotes a mixture of nationalism and self-reliance. A view of the Juche … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 