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
North Korea’s largest square, named for the country’s “Great Leader” and founder, is a central focus of Pyongyang, much as Red Square is in Moscow or Tiananmen Square is in China. Accordingly, Kim-Il-sung Square is featured in many North Korean media releases and is the site of frequent military parades, demonstrations and events such as … Continue reading
I went to the dentist last week for a routine cleaning. Settling into the dental chair, the contrast between what I saw around me in Dr. Carver’s office and what The Velvet Rocket staff observed in a North Korean dental office during our recent visit there, prompted me to decide that I would not wish … Continue reading
One of the famous traffic girls of North Korea: Although they are primarily associated with Pyongyang, they actually have traffic police in other cities across North Korea. However, it is in Pyongyang that the traffic girls are truly an institution (and a fine one at that). The “traffic girl” is a popular image in North … Continue reading
The Mass Games in North Korea are not exactly an obscure or unknown event and so I shall not write too much about the experience other than to advise you that, as per standard The Velvet Rocket policy, I will try to show what it is like to be there. That said, I know this … Continue reading
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