Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Perfect 10: Pyongyang
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By Andrew Salmon
Soldiers with a portrait of Kim Il Sung mark the 60th anniversary of the
ruling Workers' Party in October. Photo: AP
1 Easy street
Imagine an Asian city with no air pollution. Imagine an Asian city with
no traffic lights. Imagine an Asian city with no traffic jams. Such a
place exists - and it's called Pyongyang. Yes, this is the one place
east of Suez where driving is a pleasure. The wide streets are so
sparsely populated by motor vehicles that in five days I don't recall
our tour bus having to stop once. However - owing, presumably, to the
populace's lack of traffic awareness - drivers make liberal use of their
horns to warn carefree pedestrians.
2 Square scene
Yes, this is the Kim Il-sung square you've seen on CNN. It's the one in
which those tens of thousands of soldiers goose step in displays of
synchronicity that would put the Waffen SS to shame, while the reclusive
"Dear Leader", Kim Jong-il, airs his bouffant hairdo as he takes the
salute of his legions and acknowledges the praise of his people. The
levelling of the ground for the square began the day after Korean war
hostilities ended, in 1953, and the work was completed within 10 days.
The 75,000-square metre plaza is surrounded by grandiose buildings, most
notably the neo-traditional Grand People's Study House, with its curved,
blue-tiled roof. The Pyongyang Number 1 Department Store just off the
square and the Underground Store give you an indication of Pyongyang
shopping trends (if your minders let you in, that is).
3 Public monuments
Pyongyang is as much a city of monuments as ancient Rome, and the Kim
Il-sung Monument, on Mansu Hill, is built on an epic scale. A giant
bronze statue of Kim Il-sung, one arm outstretched, stands in front of
the Korean Revolution Museum, flanked by two lines of charging bronze
revolutionaries gazing over the city to the river. You'll probably see
locals - from senior military officers to extended families - dressed in
their Sunday best coming here to leave flowers and pay their respects to
the "Great Leader". Kim, who died in 1994, remains North Korea's eternal
president and has been elevated to the status of a virtual deity.
Whatever your feelings about Kim - a guerilla leader who joined the
Soviet army and was installed as leader of North Korea - and the
personality cult surrounding him, the obvious (or ostensible) reverence
locals demonstrate should be respected.
A revolutionary fresco adorns a restaurant wall. Photo: Andrew Salmon
4 Tug of war
The 80 halls of the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum - that's
the 1950-53 Korean war to you - showcase a strongly slanted perspective
on this grim cold war struggle, the first war the US could not win.
Certain exhibits - such as those alleging biological warfare by UN
forces (allegations largely disproved in the west after academic
investigations in the 1960s and 70s) - should be taken with a pinch of
salt. In addition, what a painting of a US missionary torturing a young
boy with acid has to do with the Korean war is unclear. However, the
fearful suffering of the North Korean people during the war - when all
of Pyongyang, and every other significant urban centre in the country
was flattened by aerial bombing, against which the North Koreans had
little defence - is well portrayed, and should impart some understanding
of why this country still exhibits such virulent hostility towards
Washington.
5 Spy ship
It may well be the most incongruous sight in North Korea: a commissioned
US warship moored on the Taedong River. But there she is: the USS
Pueblo, an American spy ship captured off North Korea's east coast in
1968. A video aboard tells the story of the ship and its capture - from
the North Korean perspective, naturally, so prepare for a propaganda
avalanche. Visitors are escorted by a charming female guide from the War
Museum - or, if they are even luckier, by one of the North Korean war
veterans who are part of this floating propaganda monument's staff. The
ship is well maintained - with the exception of battle damage, which is
outlined in red ink.
6 Nightlife
Once you've had enough of Asia's last, continuing, cold war, you'll be
ready for some recreation. Unlike Asia's other "shop 'til you drop,
dance 'til dawn" capitals, Pyongyang isn't known for its fleshpots, but
there is some nightlife. The city's "strip" is on Changgwang Street
outside the landmark Koryo Hotel. This is a 100-metre section of road
lined with restaurants and a couple of karaoke bars - there's even a bit
of neon. The Yaksan restaurant serves tasty grilled goat, which compares
favourably with any meat dish you'll get in Seoul's barbecue eateries.
Pyongyang Soju is the top firewater, while Taedong beer is very drinkable.
7 The minder
Normally, a tour guide would not be one of a trip's top attractions, but
in Pyongyang your "minder" is likely to be a pretty formidable figure.
Our guide, Choe Jong-hun, of the quasi-diplomatic Council for Cultural
Relations with Foreign Countries, proved splendid. On our first night at
the bar, with a beer in front of him, he ripped off his shirt, thumped
himself on his (vest-covered) chest and roared: "All right! Ask me
anything!" A true stalwart, Choe proved unable to address any
politically related questions without much finger wagging as he
thundered out the party line. But he also had a softer side: at a
karaoke session he displayed a theatrical bent, crooning melancholy folk
tunes accompanied by the appropriate moves. Not the kind of tour guide
you are likely to forget in a hurry.
8 Day-tripper
A good day trip is to the city of Kaesong and the nearby DMZ - both
about a two-hour drive south of the capital. Kaesong was in South Korean
hands during most of the Korean war, so was spared the bombardments that
levelled the rest of the nation's population centres. After driving down
a boulevard between high-rise apartments, at the end of which stands,
inevitably, a statue of Kim Il-sung, you come to a neighbourhood of
traditional Korean housing: the largest collection of such architecture
left in the world. Clustered around a brook, this is a fairy-tale scene.
9 The DMZ
Close to Kaesong is the demilitarised zone (possibly the most heavily
militarised district on the planet), a 4km strip of land separating the
two Koreas. Inside the zone is the truce village of Panmunjom, through
which runs the 38th parallel, the military demarcation line that
partitions the two Koreas. Visitors to the North may be surprised by the
leisurely nature of their Korean People's Army hosts and the apparent
lack of military hardware. (Intelligence analysts believe most of it is
in underground emplacements.) This is in stark contrast to the southern
side of the DMZ, where even the most myopic tourist cannot fail to
notice tank traps, bunkers and artillery emplacements. Pose for the
South Korean military police on the other side of the border, who will
be furiously photographing you.
10 Women in uniform
True, the chances of any visiting male making any form of amorous
contact with local members of the opposite . in Pyongyang is a big,
fat zero. But for voyeurs of women in uniform, welcome to paradise. The
city is a showcase, and rumour has it that only the prettiest women are
chosen to don uniforms. On your arrival at the airport your passport is
inspected by a beautiful immigration officer. Stunning female soldiers
in Soviet-style uniforms are common at museums and monuments. And on
public intersections, beautiful traffic wardens pirouette and twirl
batons as they direct (largely non-existent) traffic. Many South Koreans
- at least, South Korean males - say North Korean women are more pure
looking and beautiful than their South Korean sisters. Only after you
have visited both will you be able to judge. |