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NORTH KOREA
Location - North East Asia; Capital - Pyongyang; Population - 24 million; Currency - North Korean Won MORE NORTH KOREA
We returned to Pyongyang for an afternoon at a school, and day 5 began at the film studios followed by the capital's war museum - September 2009.
100 North Korean Won
A reunified Korea is held aloft in the Monument to the Three-Point Charter of National Reunification, Pyongyang. What a mouthful.
The three-point charter refers to the three principles of independence, peaceful reunification and national unity - Pyongyang
Monument to the Three-Point Charter of National Reunification, Pyongyang
The streets of Pyongyang
A traffic girl directs traffic in Pyongyang
Children at June 9 Taedong Middle School No. 1 put on a performance - Pyongyang
Perfect pupils at the perfect school are provided for foreign consumption. These are the privileged ones - Pyongyang
And I have to say, besides some truly ear-piercing singing, they were very good - Pyongyang
Hats off to the drummer and guitarist, probably the most talented - Pyongyang
The Great and Dear Leaders work their magic again,June 9 Taedong Middle School No. 1 - Pyongyang
A 2012 poster at the school, Pyongyang
A classroom wall bearing the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on the left, and Dear Leader Kim Jong Il (also known as the Great Leader (?!) since his father's death) on the right - Pyongyang
It would be nice to know what this says, though I'm sure it's quite predictable - Pyongyang
A painting depicting the Kims at the top of Mt Paektu (on the Chinese border) - Pyongyang
Pyongyang Film Studios make an interesting tour. Kim Jong Il loves his films and is said to have a collection of over 20,000. Can Friday 13th really be one of his favourites? Pyongyang
The film studios are...oh not another one... Pyongyang
Some of our group dress up in various Korean costumes. Alas no blockbuster film was made - Pyongyang
North Koreans join in the merriment - Pyongyang Film Studios
Mockup Street consists of film sets for 1930's Japan & China, and South Korea - Pyongyang Film Studios. In a disputed story, South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok and his actress wife Choi Eun-hee were kidnapped in 1978 in an effort to advance the North Korean film industry.
Most North Korean films revolve around the fight against Japanese occupation and the Korean war - Pyongyang
Another angle on the Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang
The closest we got to the Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang
The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum is North Korea's name for the Korean War - Pyongyang
Everyone but North Korea concluded that Kim Il Sung invaded South Korea, with Stalin's approval, in 1950 and precipitated the Korean war. The 1953 armistice was hailed by Kim Il Sung as a glorious victory. The Cold War had a lot to answer for - Pyongyang
The Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, Pyongyang
Photgraphs from the Korean War, aka the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War - Pyongyang
Schoolchildren listening to the North Korean version of the war - Pyongyang
Captured American weaponry - War Museum, Pyongyang
An American plane shot down by North Korea - Pyongyang
An American helicopter was gunned down and the pilot captured in 1994 for encroaching on North Korean airspace - Pyongyang
Kim Il Sung discusses the war - Pyongyang
On the top floor is a 360° rotating diorama - Pyongyang
Pictures of the Great and Dear Leader displayed on a roadarch. To the left is a painting of Kim Il Sung, and behind is another painting of the Great Leader, Pyongyang
Website and content Copyright © 2008-2012 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.
LINKS
www.koreakonsult.com - Korea Konsult is a Swedish based company that I booked my tour with. For me it offered the best itinerary and was flexible enough to cater for travelling by train to Pyongyang. The group size, at 23, was rather large however (but a great bunch of people!)
www.koryogroup.com - Koryo Tours is the market leader
www.nkeconwatch.com - plenty of independent news stories and analysis of North Korea
www.kcckp.net - news portal on behalf of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (ie. North Korea)
www.kcna.co.jp - news from the 'Korean Central News Agency'
www.nk-news.net/extras/insult_generator.php - definitely not an official DPRK site - the Random Insult Generator
Other tour agencies -
www.explorenorthkorea.com - USA/Dandong, China
www.geoex.com - USA
http://koningaap.nl - Netherlands
www.nordkoreareisen.de - Germany
www.northkorea1on1.com - USA
www.north-korea-travel.com - Hong Kong
www.regent-holidays.co.uk - UK
www.universaltravel.com.sg - Singapore
www.vnc.nl - Netherlands
www.youngpioneertours.com - China
I am not responsible for the content of external websites.
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