This is a take out pizza bag from the Italian restaurant in Pyongyang North Korea. Who is it that I owe the 10 Euros to for the bag?? (Flickr)

Walter sent me this via E-Mail quite some time ago, and I think it is time to post it. Not only because it is interesting, but because I like this kind of thing. Enjoy!

With a degenerating itinerary our group of seven veterans of the DPRK lobbied the guides to take us to Pyongyang’s Italian Restaurant, opened in April 2009 with much international fanfare.

We were all familiar with the publicity and were curious. Would the food be as good as the propaganda? Because we were being shorted a few stops on our tour they felt an obligation to take us somewhere. I could tell there was some unease on the part of the guides because this was an unplanned stop.

As evening fell the outskirts of Pyongyang became dark – a dark unlike any other city in the world. The streetlights are off and few lights could be seen other than the cars and busses moving commuters. We pulled into what appeared to be a “working class” neighborhood of Pyongyang on Kwangbok Street but it was completely dark. I could make out buildings in the moonlight but with very little detail. The guide said he would go inside and see if it was open. Instinctively I knew it was closed but in the DPRK instinct is useless. The sign flickered on as he told us it was open. We piled off the bus.

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It was very obvious we were not expected. The restaurant was cold and dark – very dark inside. Usually the way this works is they put all the lights on in the restaurant (also in the neighborhood I suspect) to show how lively the place is. We stumbled into the most publicized restaurant in Pyongyang on a regular evening and found it deserted. The video of the opening showed this same restaurant filled.

The group was led into a private room and I spied a small group eating pizza in an adjacent room so indeed the place was open. We were handed a menu and the prices to us were reasonable and the fare attractive. I had eaten pizza in Italy many times over the years and wanted to see if the pizza lived up to the propaganda billing.

We ordered a pizza and enjoyed a small cucumber salad. When the waitress brought the pizza she allowed us all to photograph this work of art. It was most amusing to watch the waitress instruct seven Americans on the proper way to cut and eat pizza. What I found interesting was how authentic the crust and sauce was. This was indeed real Italian Pizza. The guides had not eaten there and we made sure even the driver could taste pizza. The other items on the menu were also authentically Italian but the question of what could be of local manufacture bothered me. When one of our group came back with a photo of the kitchen I soon was heading to the kitchen to shoot some photos. The staff had nothing else to do here so it was fun to look around. They were shy but understanding of the American Imperialist Aggressors taking so many photos. From what I understand everything is imported.

Unintended Consequences of the Visit

We were obviously not scheduled to be in this location judging from the lack of preparation for the visit. Stage management is not the North Korean’s strong suit and I laugh when I hear critics say, “They only show you what they want you to see.” That may be true but we are not blind and how do you stage manage a train wreck?

I see all these foul ups as opportunities to peer behind the curtain. Arriving late or early enables one to see what really happens behind the scenes. Sometimes it is embarrassing for the Koreans and I feel empathy. On the other hand the society is failing miserably. If the successes and accomplishments are because of the Dear Leader, are not the grotesque failures also attributable to his leadership? I don’t think they see it that way.

After pizza (and waiting for several take out pizzas) we were to head back to the bus parked a block away. The darkness afforded us a walk in a neighborhood after working hours and the cover to sneak away from the guides. Several of us went charging out into the night. The Koreans milling about purchasing and shopping could not see that we were foreigners. My first stop was a department store. In the darkness I could see the door was open and on the glass counter was a series of candles. Even the candles were small, similar to birthday candles in the states. The few shoppers seemed to be apathetic about buying and stood around as the clerks had that socialist pallor expression I had seen in so many towns in the Soviet bloc. The goods were not “goods” in any sense but more left over plastic from China. The next store was a shoe store but viewing all black shoes with candlelight was difficult.

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The department store in Pyongyang lit by candlelight.

Moving outside I went over to the kiosks selling fruits and baked goods. One of these actually had a light bulb so we could see what this was. There were goods but no one was buying. I spied a kiosk with a light bulb cooking a dough and cabbage items for a few won that was selling. Unlike the USSR where there was plenty of currency and no goods, this economy had goods but little won chasing the goods. If these were state concerns selling, where were the goods going if this is the surplus? Who gets to eat this way? These pastries looked as good as anything I had seen in China.

We snapped a few photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/sets/72157622512053205/ and made our way to the bus as the guides were not pleased at our excursion but made no mention of the episode.

It appears that the DPRK is a cash poor society as some of the commentators have mentioned this year. This was not the only incident of goods being available but few takers. Kiosks outside Pyongyang had food but few people buying. All were state owned and the only free enterprise I saw were some people squatting by the roadside with fruits. In the USSR you found the same activities mostly tolerated by the authorities. Much of it was stolen but there were occasional surpluses or private produce that would surface at a rail stop. In the DPRK this has now stopped except for controlled market places where surplus from family plots can be sold. When I saw people at intersections sitting with apples or other fruits they were still there hours later and it was obvious what was going on.

Oh, and I cannot post the pictures until I get permission. Once I get the permission, I will post some of my favorites. From the E-Mail:

I returned September 25 from the DPRK. I was part of a group of seven Americans taken into the countryside as a pilot by the DPRK to see if they will be taking groups in the future – Haeju, Sariwon, Sinchon, Nampo. We got to see many small villages as you can see. The Kyenam Stock farm was also great. It was run by the local militia.

Emphasis mine. I had no idea they were expanding the trips away from the showcase cities, and having people look at the countryside. From the numbers, it seems small, but I have no idea how often they will do this. Perhaps Walter can shed light on this if he knows.

And yes, it is not too often one gets to the see the countryside. On the other hand, things might change. Why, I have no idea, but I will guess it may be for hard currency. Again, Walter may or may not know the reason.

Photo sets from this trip (2009):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/collections/72157622365836747/

Set from 2008:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/collections/72157608626515722/

of interest this year:

Rural agriculture and the 2009 harvest – http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/sets/72157622313414387/

150 Day Labor Battle
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/sets/72157622395904315/

Murals and Propaganda
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/sets/72157622382860423/

Sinchon Museum of American War Atrocities
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/sets/72157622514076596/

Anti-American Propaganda book (I have a student translating)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/sets/72157622335257009/

For fun: Pyongyang’s Italian Restaurant – I even photographed the kitchen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/sets/72157622321475051/

Of interest – China 60th Anniversary Exhibition (for Chinese citizens)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zaruka/sets/72157622326715475/

I took 3360 photos. I have 1200 from last year.

Oh something good – How about a Worker’s Party of Korea member explaining the Nuclear and Missile issue? Here is a link to the lecture recorded in the Museum of the Revolution adjacent to the exhibit on DPRK missile technology.

There is another video on Youtube from the bottling plant tour also.

The video:

Alexander Dubček

Here is something I did not really know about: Communism with a human face. I did some digging around to see what this was all about. While some may know all about this, I was kind of surprised and interested in reading more about it.

Any further insight and information from readers would be fantastic.

Since this is for my own research, and if you find this post redundant, please feel free to skip it.

End of the Czech Experiment (St. Petersburg Times August 21, 1968)

Czechoslovakia:Round 2 in Moscow (TIME October 11, 1968)

Czechoslovakia: How, Why The Crisis Developed (St. Petersburg Times July 18, 1968)

The Future of Szechoslovakia (The Spokesman Review December 25, 1968)

Hungarian Reformers Take Reigns (The Victoria Advocate May 24, 1988)

Czechs, Russians  Plan More Talks (The Free-Lance Star September 13, 1968)

Another walk through along the border in several Parts. I had a hell of a time trying to find it, and hapo found this one. Enjoy!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Since this video cannot be embedded, click here to go right to the video on YouTube.

Munsu Fun Fair

In the video above, I cannot tell what date the report was made, but it appears the pools are filled, and the rides are working. However, looking at Google Earth (Of course, I used NKEconWatch’s resource for this), it seems there is no activity. Just to be sure, I looked to Disneyland and saw a lot of activity. Also, to make sure, I went to see if raging Waters in San Dimas, Calif. had reflections in the pool. Yep, I could see the water just fine. Also, I went to Kim Jong Il’s house and found his pool (complete with waterslide) had water too. So, I can safely say the pools at Munsu (and a lot of others for that matter) are empty.

Of course, I was curious to know more about this particular oddity and decided to look for more information. True to form with the DPRK, there was very little to go by. However, KCNA came to the rescue:

Munsu Fun Fair crowded with visitors

Pyongyang, April 23 (KCNA) — The Munsu fun fair located in the area of East Pyongyang on the bank of the River Taedong is drawing an increasing number of working people and school youth and children these days. According to manager Pak Pyong Nam, an average of over 3,000 citizens visit there to have a pleasant rest.

It was commissioned in June Juche 83 (1994).

Covering more than 240,000 square metres, the fun fair has over 10 types of amusement facilities such as revolving planes, umbrella-style merry-go-round, double deck merry-go-round. most of them are revolving amusement facilities.
It also has a cinema with moving seats and a billiard room.

And there is a wading pool which has various facilities-flowing water play, flume ride and surf ride. The wading pool is operated between July and August. Its daily accommodating capacity is over 8,000 people.

The fun fair has sufficient catering facilities.

Without a hint of irony in the report, Munsu is filled with people; during the season. Perhaps the satellite photo was taken during that time, but I have my doubts. What else is interesting was this park was opened when the famine was starting to really take hold. Lastly, I do not know if this particular park is part of the tour, but if there is no water in the pool, I do not see much point in the guides taking people to see it. On the other hand, people do go to…

Update: according to Jake, who visited there, it had a lot of people at Manyongdae at least. However, that park was right after the floods in 2007, so it was waist deep in water. So, it may have been in the off season. I cannot say for sure now.

I could not find any pictures on Flickr, however, if you know of any, let me know.

Kaeson Youth Park

This blog posting gives a good rundown on this oddity complete with pictures. Looking at the pictures, it kind of knocks my “too shabby to show” theory out the window. These rides and condition of the park (along with the others I looked at) are simply horrifying. It might of been a better idea to hang at Heritage USA. Alright, perhaps not, because few get a chance to ride the roller coaster of death.

(Source)

From the source:

We had a go on the bumper cars and then climbed aboard the famous Roller Coaster of Death, a contraption so ill-maintained it looked close to collapse.

There is an understatement. Again, I tried looking for more information on when this thing was built, or any other tidbits I cold get my hands on. I could not find any official information on the KCNA or Naenara (other than some pictures), but perhaps I was not looking close enough. According to some of the links, the park was opened in 1984, and it appears it has not been maintained since then.

More pictures on Flickr

Mangyongdae Fun Fair and Wading Pool

(Source) The above video shows the Mangyongdae fun park. It looks pretty empty, but there seemed to be some people there having some fun I suppose. According to this posting:

“The Mangyongdae Fun Fair lies on the Kalmaeji and Songdan Plains, a little away from the great leader’s birthplace. It was completed in April 1982. The fun fair, covering 60 hectares of land, has nearly 50 kinds of amusements. It receives over 100,000 visitors a day.

The fun fair composed of two parts is linked by a Monorail Car and Gondola Lift Cableway. A wading pool of more than 56,000 square metres is placed at the foot of Song Hill across which the cable car runs.” (Source: Pyongyang Review, 1995)

April 1982. I guess this park was opened along with the other huge monuments for Kim Il Sung’s 70th birthday, which was a huge event. If I recal correctly, the Juche Tower and the Arch of Triumph was unvieled at the same time.

See pictures on Flickr

North Korean Economy Watch linked to some pictures inside the arcade, which was pretty interesting, yet pretty sad at the same time.

I posted about the wading pool a while back, and it appears it is not here anymore. So I guess it is a good time to post it again.

This propaganda video shows more than the Mangyongdae Wading Pool, but also shows what appears to be now empty swimming pools near the May Day Stadium. Whatever the case may be, the Mangyongdae Wading pools look empty too, but again, perhaps it is on the off-season.

The whole amusement area seems pretty large, and in North Korea, everything has to be large. I will also dare say it is pretty jarring to see the happy people eating ice cream and having a good time in what seems to be a pristine park only to see the reality of something of a bygone era.

I cannot seem to find any pictures of the wading pool on Flickr, either.

Before I go into this post, I would like to congratulate North Korean Economy Watch for appearing on FOX News. I cannot embed the video directly, but it appears alongside he article I am going to discuss today. He discusses his Google Earth resource on North Korea, one of the most useful things out there. If you have not downloaded the resource, I strongly suggest one to go to his page and download it now (ver. 17). It is well worth it.

North Korea has been sabre rattling for quite some time, but the threats along with the nuclear test a few days ago have all eyes on North Korea. While it is very difficult to know what they are going to do as I said on a previous post, speculation is running rampant. According to Yahoo! News:

Pyongyang, reacting angrily to Seoul’s decision to join an international program to intercept ships suspected of aiding nuclear proliferation, called South Korea’s decision tantamount to a declaration of war.

The article points to a KCNA entry:

[...]

Now that the south Korean puppets were so ridiculous as to join in the said racket and dare declare a war against compatriots through their full participation in the PSI, the DPRK is compelled to take a decisive measure, as it has already warned.

The DPRK solemnly declares as follows in view of the prevailing situation:

First, The DPRK will deal a decisive and merciless retaliatory blow, no matter from which place, at any attempt to stop, check and inspect its vessels, regarding it as a violation of its inviolable sovereignty and territory and a grave provocation to it.

Second, The DPRK will take such a practical counter-action as in the wartime now that the south Korean authorities declared a war in wanton violation of its dignity and sovereignty by fully participating in the PSI.

The DPRK will never pardon the south Korean puppet group of traitors for going mad with confrontation and war, bereft of any reason as servants for outside forces in the moves for a war of aggression.

The Lee Myung Bak group will be held wholly accountable for the disastrous consequences to be entailed by its reckless hostile acts against the DPRK.

The question on everybody’s mind is, are these threats credible? Some believe North Korea will not really resume the Korean War, while others believe they will. While there is really no way to know what the DPRK will do, so far, nothing has happened. However, it does not mean anything. In the meantime, what does the international community do to respond to the latest threats and tests? Hillary’s response was puzzling:

Clinton said “there are consequences to such actions,” referring to discussions in the United Nations meant to punish North Korea for its nuclear and missile tests.

She also underscored the firmness of the U.S. treaty commitment to defend South Korea and Japan, U.S. allies in easy reach of North Korean missiles.

Alright, does that mean the United States will respond militarily if necessary? It is too early to say at this stage. However, the ROK had some tougher words:

South Korea’s military said Wednesday it was prepared to “respond sternly” to any North Korean provocation.

What “sternly” means is unknown to me. The DPRK, on the other hand declared the 1953 armistice void:

The North Korean army called it a violation of the armistice the two Koreas signed in 1953 to end their three-year war, and said it would no longer honor the treaty.

Are these just words? That is hard to say. So far, I have not sen any activity, but it seems alert levels have been risen just in case.

While I have my doubts North Korea will do anything, I do agree

The success of any new sanctions would depend on how aggressively China, one of North Korea’s only allies, implements them.

“It’s not going too far to say that China holds the keys on sanctions,” said Kim Sung-han, an international relations professor at Seoul’s Korea University.

China indeed holds the key to turn the lights off in Pyongyang whenever they desire. So far, they have been pretty soft on them for many reasons, one of those, in my view, is the buffer. However, what will it take for China to turn their backs on North Korea? Since their trade is shrouded in client privileged, it is very difficult to know what they will do. Until China does do something to put real pressure and punishment on North Korea, the sanctions will be useless. Hwang Jang Yop suggested on the DailyNK neglect will be much better.

In my view, if North Korea does indeed decide to launch a strike, the damage would be terrible, but the response will most likely mean doom for Kim. Since his whole existence is regime survival, I cannot see him taking that chance. However, I have heard some argue since he is against the wall, we cannot view him as rational. That is a good argument, but will that happen? I surely hope not, but again, it is impossible to know what his plans really are.

So the question is, what is the best way to deal with North Korea? I surely do not have an answer. All I know is, if war should break out, now or anytime in the future, the results will be very, very ugly. Somehow, I cannot see it.

Does this mean I am right? Absolutely not. people have been wrong before, and when push comes to shove, all we have are tea leaves.