North Korea

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

North Korea, oh man, I can tell you about so many kinds of different topics regarding that, I really don't know where to start with perhaps the most unique and fascinating country I have seen yet so far. The surrealistic and jingoistic DPRK with their Songun policy and Juche ideology is unforgettable.

So let's start anywhere and jump to the next random topic I want to share with you! To set you up for the mood, use any of these links showcasing the country's extreme patriotism, which nevertheless is constantly entrancing to listen to, reminding us of CCCP's lesser tone :

Deo Nopi Deo Ppari
My Country is the Best!
Without a Break
One Against a Hundred
The Star of Korea
Reunification
No Motherland Without You
We Shall Follow You Forever

Before continueing, it may be wise to study the country itself before taking my observations, experiences, memories and opinion for granted with ease, or not. North Korea is infamous for being unpredictable, mysterious and seeking attention.

Tensions of war and conflicts escalated in record times at the beginning of 2013, but before that happened, I was planning on going to this fascinating part of the world already. I read every news article I could find from Al Jazeera, the KCNA, Korea DPR, Dutch sites and American ones, DailyNK, and Rimjin-gang. Hell I even installed a North Korean App to watch the latest sceptical news headlines, and I decided to go there anyway.

Why? Because the major rhetoric threats have not been realistic since decades. I have seen and read so many interviews, documentaries and articles about the nation that I honestly can say that I have been obsessed by it. But I loved the enigmatic and abstract scale of it all.

The conundrum on the Korean peninsula is a mandatory and serious future problem to solve. I have yet to see South Korea, so I can only inform you from the northern side, which changed my perspective towards them considerably, as I now have sympathy for them for not only being partially misguided, but understanding why they carry big guns as well.

First of all, they told me that throughout the centuries, Koryo, or Korea has been invaded so many times by their more powerful neighbors that it is a primary reason why this Songun military state was created by the late Kim Jong-il.

Their paranoia had increased so much after the Korean War, which is the conflict by the way constantly referenced throughout the Liberation Grand Tour I took, that they isolated themselves infamously, build a socialist state, made a totalitarian regime around it and lived by the Juche ideology.

The Juche ideology is translated as being self reliant upon themselves, which combined with socialism creates strong and independent Koreans. However, because their late revolutionary founder Kim Il-sung created the most unstable cult of personality found on the planet, leaving an out of hand obsession with the community's leaders behind, this unusual mix of adopting lifestyles created modern North Korea.

An abundance of propaganda and jingoism sealed the coffin for presumably all of the locals, most of the military and several of the party members regarding whatever truth there ever was before the Korean War, World War II or the Japanese Occupation.

On top of all that, they have a nuclear program involving the potential to reach ten thousand kilometers, effectively being able to hit targets such as Hawaii, Alaska, Kazachstan and the northern tip of Australia.

The simple reason they have nuclear weapons in stock is because other nations have them. If they have them, then the norks are allowed to have that same privilege. The more unstable reason is that they are honestly afraid of the U.S.A. most of all, their current archenemy.

Of course not all is well with this country, but I don't side with the West for a 100% either. It's just communism versus capitalism and an old and new stage from the Cold War all over again. History is indeed repeating itself with these old wounds.

No one wants a war on the peninsula, because America can't afford it, China is the economical power, South Korea's GDP and HDI are very high, Japan would probably be affected with more radioactivity and North Korea would lose their identity. On top of all that, there are also disruptions and waves of hate, deaths, destruction and worse.

The U.S.A. is most likely more dangerous when looking at their war history in overall compared to DPRK, whom have never invaded other countries if you forget South Korea for a moment. Power plays are much more common then you think, America's shift to the pacific region was an acknowledgement of China's rising dominance and in itself a power play.

So, let me explain what the U.S.A. would gain from this. Even though we currently live in a globalized world with interconnected economies and what not it still doesn't mean there are countries competing against one another in a strategic sense. North Korea has a reason to exist and it's not because they're such a vital ally either for China, rather they act as a buffer-zone against U.S. power.

If North Korea were to fall then the U.S.A. would have bases and the ability to project it's military power on mainland Asia and be right by China's borders after occupying South Korea and Japan already with their military bases.

This is a very problematic situation for the Chinese so they support North Korea so America doesn't gain that foothold on the continent. This is simply a matter of geopolitical positioning. China is also reliant on the American economy as much as America is to China.

It seems fair game to me to make sure a power play is happening, and from my perspective North Korea is becoming more of a liability for China everyday as tensions increase. But I suppose should a second war arise, the Chinese would once again help them out.

Both Japan and South Korea have said they are thinking about reconsidering their commitments to nuclear proliferation in order to protect themselves from NK, which will give them considered leverage over China as well and on top of that just throw the entire region into disarray and might inspire an arms race considering their past wars, conflicts and occupations.

Truly, the eastern asians have politically still a ton of hatred left for each other. Meanwhile, North Korea is proudly presenting to us their outdated urban cities, Soviet equipment and way of thinking, as if they are still stuck in the Cold War.

The hermit kingdom in fact has a larger army divided into five branches than all of the Nazi's, Fascists and imperial Japanese soldiers from World War II. Just think about what would happen on the Korean peninsula if someone would set up them the bomb. They have the 4th largest army in the current world.

Countless conspiracies, propaganda machines and the conundrum situation make it very hard to think about the scale of truth surrounding DPRK. And yes, it's probably safe to confirm that they have terrifying political penal labour colonies, the Kwalliso, for political enemies, disobeying Koreans and foolish foreigners.

Fortunately, North Korea also has a beautiful side towards it. My main reason for visiting might surprise you, but that turned out to be their sacred mountain Paektu, an active volcano with a large crater lake called Heaven Lake.

And after seeing it with my own eyes, I can gladly confirm that it was the most impressive thing to see in my whole tour when speaking of Mother Nature. Of course, the DPRK established that their revolution(and Kim dynasty) was born here on this very mountain during a guerilla period against Japanese Occupation.

Even Kim Jong-il was born here at the foot of the mountain in a secret military camp, and do you know how? I'll tell you, he hatched from an egg as double rainbows appeared across the sky and this was foretold by a swallow. I am dead, fucking serious.

This even plays in part back at the famous Arirang Mass Games, which is the highlight for most tourists visiting. This grand show has a total of 100.000 performers giving you an unforgettable experience of the Korean history in all it's insane and crazy over the top glory.

Patriotism is dripping everywhere, as is their sincere passion for the fatherland. The demilitarized zone in Panmunjom separating the two Koreans is supposed to be the most guarded one in the world, but as I visited it, things looked very quiet. Never judge a place by it's cover though.

Only members of the Workers' Party of Korea are allowed to drive in the capital Pyongyang. Local people must first ask permission to be allowed to live or wander in those streets before moving in. The streets are the cleanest I have seen anywhere and I only saw one advertisement in the whole country; a new car.

At the national friendship exhibition hall where valuable gifts are displayed from the South and North Koreans lies a single CD-ROM containing Adobe Photoshop 5.1. Upon seeing this, the group giggled that THIS must be the reason why military intel on the Korean People's Army is so misinformed; fake tanks, missile launchers and artillery are pasted next towards original ones on certain "leaked" photos.

According to a certain documentary, supermarkets do exist, but this is temporary. If the Koreans get reunited then they will have to be removed as well as the capitalism and marketing in the south so that an eternal socialistic solution shall ever be implemented.

Is the socialist state a ticking time bomb or an enduring independent country for the long term? The norks continue to be unpredictable considering the complex situation they and their neighbors are in, despite knowing about their massive amount of hatred towards their main enemies.

North Koreans are the proudest and most passionate kind of people I have seen in life yet. Their xenophobic and jingoistic nature is fascinating as well as disturbing. The ultra nationalists have even an agreement with China that defectors get send back to them by use of the DPRK embassies.

Surely many of you will still conclude that North Korea is unpredictable and dangerous. However, consider an educational footage involving the failures of Western civilization from their perspective.
I am sure that towards you, it will open up some insight into how they think about us, and honestly, I agree with a lot of points they make towards the West, even when they sometimes got hypocritical with themselves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkRT3C1mGRM&list=PL7A079DCC0C1D5B81

Totalitarianism, a grotesque cult of personality, extreme militarization, the 4th largest army in the world, a developing nuclear program and brainwashing amongst the socialists, it's a sad situation that somehow still exists in an age where technology and science are growing so fast.

To end, I wish the Koreans the best reunification anyone will ever have, better diplomatic relations and a true prosperous growth in their overall happiness. May it all happen peacefully, but I am afraid that will not be the case.

MANSE! MANSE! MAAAANSSSSEEEEEEE!!!!!!

  

Here's a link to my Dutch written travel journey to the DPRK. It has different content than this post:

http://flowrush.waarbenjij.nu/reisverslag/4612295/noord-korea-2013