Korea Infomarket [Part 1]

Yo~ you guys =)

Me and one of my best friends are planning our trip to Korea so we went to an information market where there was a presentation about both North and South Korea. A very interesting day, especially the North Korean part =) And that's what I want to share with you.

Traveling to North
The journey starts in China because China is the only country that may access North Korea.

You'll first head your way to Dandong. It lies on the border between China and North Korea, which is marked by the Yalu River, it’s the largest border city in China. Dandong is a port city connected by rail with Shenyang and Sinuiju in North Korea.

(Where China ends ends the lights)

Next you'll follow this railroad and head your way to Pyongyang, but not before you hand in some belongings because:
• Mobile phone's
• Laptop/ Netbooks/ Notebooks
• Magazines
• Books about politics
• Camera's
Are NOT allowed in this country. So you have to hand them all in, though camera’s that aren’t scary looking (like small ones) are permitted.

North Korea knows many rules, they have an evening clock, you aren’t allowed to take pictures of militaries and you absolute can’t wander around the country on your own, you’ll always have two guides to follow you around. One to give you information about the country and one to correct the other one when he/she is making mistakes.

(Look how empty this city is)

Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the main capital of North Korea, it’s the richest city of the country and only the ‘good’ people can live there. ‘Good’ means people who never have wronged. They are loyal to Kim Il Sung and will always be loyal. Also the people who are rich are allowed to live there, the poor aren’t welcome.

Pyongyang has +/- 3 million residents, but no one is completely sure if that’s the correct information. Even though there are living 3 million people, you can’t tell when you’re walking around the city. The streets are completely empty except for the woman who take care of all the traffic … (what traffic?)

(A crowded day in Pyongyang)

Buildings
Pyongyang has three hotels. The Ryugyong Hotel is the most famous one. It’s a never finished project in the middle of the city. The building is also known as the 105 Building, a reference to its number of floors. Construction began in 1987 with planned completion in 1989. However, after several delays, construction was eventually halted in 1992. They started building again last year and they’ve finished the project from the outside.

Pyongyang also has the Koryo Hotel this is the second largest operating hotel in North Korea.

And then you also have the Yanggakdo International Hotel. This is one of the largest working hotels and the second tallest building in North Korea. This hotel is located on a small island in the middle of Taedong River. You can walk around the island any time you want, even without your guides, but you absolutely may NOT leave this small island on your own, it´s strictly guarded.
There is something strange about this hotel, because the elevator skips the 5th floor, you can only reach this floor by stairs. No one really knows what´s on the 5th floor. But there are people saying they saw military people sitting there with headphones on staring at TV screens. While other people say they saw people tied to a wall, crying. (But no one knows if it’s really true).

The most famous building in Pyongyang would be the Kumsusan Memorial Palace a.k.a Kim Il-sung Mausoleum. The palace is the former official residence and office of North Korea's president and founder, Kim Il-sung. Following Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, his son Kim Jong-il had the building renovated and transformed into his father's final resting place. Inside the palace, Kim Il-sung's embalmed body lies viewable inside a clear glass sarcophagus. His head rests on a Korean-style pillow and he is covered by the flag of the Workers Party of Korea. The whole palace is covered with gold and marble walls from the inside.

The palace is situated in a secluded area in Pyongyang and is only accessible to foreigners on Thursdays and Sundays on official government tours. Photography, videotaping, smoking and talking are not permitted anywhere inside the palace. (If we join this tour we can visit this Mausoleum too, kinda scary...)

Pyongyang has his own 2 line metro line. The Metro station is famous because Pyongyang Metro is the deepest metro in the world the track is approximately 120 meters deep underground. In times of war, the metro stations can serve as bomb shelters.For this purpose, the stations are fitted with large steel doors. Some sources claim that large military installations are connected to the stations and they claim that there are secret lines for government use.

The Rŭngrado May First Stadium, or May Day Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium. The stadium was constructed as a main stadium for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in 1989. But it’s currently used for sport events and the all famous Arirang performances a.k.a the Mass Games. The Stadium has a capacity of 150.000 seats! Which Is the largest stadium capacity in the world and the 12th world largest sporting venue.

The Mangyongdae Children's Palace (or Mangyongdae School Children's Palace) in Pyongyang is a public facility in North Korea where children can learn more besides there school, such as learning music, foreign languages, computing skills and doing sports.

Monuments and their meanings
Pyongyang has many monumental elements. Everything with it’s own meaning.

Workers Party of Korea Monument: It stands for the things Pyongyang believes in the most, “succes”, the hammer and sickle represent the triumph of the workers and peasants while the brush symbolizes the success of students.
Juche Tower: a reminder to the North Korean people of the philosophy of Juche (self-reliance)
Arch of Reunification: It was constructed in 2001 to commemorate the Korean reunification proposals put forward by Kim Il-sung. The Arch of Reunification has a map of Korea being unified. It is supported by two concrete Korean women symbolizing North and South.
Arch of Triumph: The Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang was built to commemorate the Korean resistance to Japan from 1925 to 1945. This is the world's biggest Arch of Triumph's ever made.
Propaganda: Everywhere around North Korea you’ll find propaganda. It’s remarkable that propaganda only consists photographs and statues of Kim Il Sung, who died in 1994. Though his son Kim Jong-il is the leader now, you won’t find any propaganda of him. It’s very clear that North Korea still love Kim Il Sung and that they will warship him forever, like some kind of god.

Events
Many people think that North Korea is a country where people aren’t permitted to have fun. But that’s not true, at least not in Pyongyang. There are many events during the year. People from all over North Korea can travel to Pyongyang when they have permission to do so. But unfortunately, Pyongyang has some strict rules, people who have wronged the country, don’t have much money, ect ect. Aren’t allowed to enter the city.

The Pyongyang International Film Festival is a remarkable event. North Korea is well known for it’s restrained contact with other countries (especially western countries) but during this Festival they show movies from all over the world. English comedies, American thrillers and so on. This event will be held two times a year.

The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang (Arirang Festival) This is a two Month festival held in the Rungrado May Day Stadium. It’s hard to explain this festival in words. You can participate this event from as young as 5 years old, citizens are selected based on skill level to serve for the Arirang Festival for many years. In most cases this will be the way of life for them until retirement.
The opening event of the two month festival are the mass games, which are famed for the huge mosaic pictures created by more than 30,000 well trained and disciplined school children, each holding up coloured cards, accompanied by complex and highly choreographed group routines performed by tens of thousands of gymnasts and dancers. In August 2007, the Arirang Mass Games were recognised by Guinness World Records as the biggest event of its kind. In recent years, foreign tourists have been allowed to watch one of the many performances.