Memoirs from North Korea - Day 1

From Feb 3rd-7th I joined a parliamentary delegation visiting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) headed by Lord Alton and Baroness Cox. Here is my daily account:

Feb 3rd

As we touched down in North Korea, the landscape appeared barren and brown. Although the sun was shining, the lakes were frozen over as a result of minus 13 degree conditions the week before. From the plane you could see small silhouettes of people skating on the ice.　However, my concerns over a frosty reception were allayed when we were met on the tarmac by an enthusiastic welcoming committee, including the DPRK Ambassador.

We were ushered into the VIP lounge in which we exchanged pleasantries. After a few minutes, we were asked to hand over our mobile phones。 Although not unexpected, this was a reality check for me。 With my digital umbilical chord temporarily severed, I was driven to our hotel in a brown 1960s Mercedes. Its beige seats and flannel covered steering wheel were symbolic of the fact that time too had frozen here.

On the road to Pyongyang, we passed ordered villages built in symmetrical rows. We were told that in Pyongyang everyone had jobs, a house and enough to eat. However, outside the bubble of the capital, life was much starker. The separation with the south has meant that the North can't easily afford to feed its own people. As a result, almost 2million people died of food shortages in the 1990s and still more than 37% of six year olds in North Korea are chronically malnourished.

We arrived at our splendid Koryo Hotel and unpacked bags. Baroness Cox and I went for a walk before dinner. After a few minutes we realised we had been tracked down by our North Korean guide. He told us it was not possible for us to walk alone。 We witnessed a quiet city full of greying high rise apartment blocks and ordinary people who kept their heads down as they walked past, shy of catching your eye.

We returned from our walk for a formal dinner at the hotel。 The setting was almost opulent. After a series of speeches and course after course of food, the conversation drifted to anecdotes of the North Korean's visit to London. Apparently our host had visited the Tower of London in 1989 for a reception and parked his car in the space reserved for Lady Thatcher! He said he had been invited to the UK by a young Scottish, Labour MP. No-one could think who that would have been. 'Scottish…Labour MP?' I ventured, 'it wasn't Gordon Brown was it?' They seemed to get the joke.

The night ended with a coffee with the newly installed British Ambassador. he was obviously knowledgeable and very supportive of our visit to North Korea.