Memoirs from North Korea - Day 2

Feb 4th

The first full day started with a visit to the birth place of North Korea's Great Leader. Born in the woods around Pyongyang, Kim Il Sung had gone on to liberate Korea from the Japanese in 1945. Although his son Kim Jong Il has taken power since his death in 1994, Kim Il Sung is still considered the immortal leader of North Korea and is revered by all who live in the North.

We left the woodlands to attend a meeting with DPRK ambassador. He expressed real sadness that relations with South Korea had deteriorated badly in recent months and at one point said 'there is no telling how bad this situation can get – our soldiers are angry and indignant'. A new harder line government has won power in the South and is now insisting on new conditions before engaging. For the North, this is seen as reneging on previous bi-lateral agreements and an act of provocation by the South.

The second meeting followed soon after with the business sector. These 9 men responsible for running North Korea's big business. They talked proudly of the export, manufacturing and IT sectors in which they work. Although there is no private sector in DPRK since everything from restaurants to railways is state-owned， they know that foreign investment is critical to the country's future prosperity. We saw at least two covered markets in Pyongyang which suggested some that some liberalisation has taken place.

The next meeting was with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Kung Sok Ung. After exchanging pleasantries, David Alton asked Mr Sok about reports we had seen of North Koreans dying in their attempts to flee the border and about the conditions in the prison camps where at least 200,000 are reportedly held. Finally, he raised the level of military spending in North Korea - 30% of the county's GDP and asked if this could be better used in other areas. Mr Sok refuted the claims over human rights abuses as Western propaganda and branded all 'defectors' from North Korea as criminals (something David Alton countered because he had met at least one escapee who had been born in the camps). Although Mr Sok said he would welcome further assistance on the food security question, he repeated the mantra that while hostile relations with the US and the South remained, a strong military was essential.

I was impressed by David Alton's skill in surpassing platitudes without losing a sense of respect for our hosts. Politicians have too often been given a bad name but it is impressive to see the 'dark arts' deployed to such good effect.

The day ended with dinner at the invitation of a few of the embassy staff and a small number expats that are teaching English in Pyongyang - we ate fine food and drank beer before I retreated to bed.