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.

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.

Memoirs from North Korea - Day 3

Feb 5th

In the morning we went to see the body of Kim Il Sung lying in state. This is not the place to describe what one sees there – suffice to say that it will remain with me for many years to come.

We left the mausoleum for the more enlivened environment of Kim Il Sung University. We were welcomed to an excellent English class where a dynamic teacher was instructing a very attentive class. Of course we had to take our turn in addressing the class but it was refreshing to see the students eagerness to learn and enthusiasm to absorb as much information as possible. If students were like this in the UK, the teaching profession would be dream vocation.

After lunch we had a meeting with the highest ranking member of the authorities on our itinerary - the Speaker at the Supreme People's Assembly. He had a calm presence and kind eyes and carried a statesmanlike air about him. He welcomed us warmly although repeated the credo about building up a powerful and prosperous nation and how their 'military first' strategy was the highest priority. Our discussion centred on how we can help North Korea move towards, not away from, the international community as means of achieving their goals for the prosperity of their country.

After our visit to the children's palace to see a celebration of the Lunar festival, I understood something of what sustains the North Korean system。　Children filled the stage and performed breathtaking gymnastic, scintillating piano concertos and wonderful dance routines which would have put my school panto firmly in the shade. But they also sang songs of devotion to The Great Leader that made your realise how quickly a person's view of the world can be set in place.

We finished our day with what can only be described as banquet with the Speaker of the Korean parliament. I counted that we were served eleven courses from trout to pheasant dishes. Baroness Cox recounted the story of Churchill, who was no fan of women in politics, but was once told by the first female member of parliament 'Winston, if I was your husband, I would put poison in your coffee.' To which Churchill replied, 'madam, if I was your husband, I would drink it!' Our Korean hosts were almost bent double with laughter.

Memoir of North Korea - Day 4

Feb 6th

We finished our time in North Korea with a visit to the beautiful mountains North of Pyongyang. We visited a museum - perhaps the only one in the world - which contains hundreds of gifts from the leaders of nations who wanted to honour the life of the late Kim Il Sung. Gifts from a list of leaders including Stalin, Tito, Mugabe, Honeker, Chairman Mao, Castro, Ceausescu were a sobering reminder of the lure of totalitarianism that defined the last century.

We took the opportunity to visit churches – Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox which are starting to emerge – and we impressed upon those we met the importance of allowing religious liberty to prevail. Some progress has been made in terms of them being able to build new buildings which was positive. The priests we did meet talked enthusiastically about their congregations though clearly allegiance to Kim Jung Il is a prerequisite for all in North Korea. It wasn't clear how easy it is for ordinary citizens to practice their faith freely.

Our last meal in North Korea was dinner at the revolving restaurant at the top of the Koyro hotel。 It was an opportunity to thank our hosts。 I made a speech in which I admitted that I had come to the country with that attitude 'that I thought I knew what is best for North Korea'. I felt it important to express how humbled I had been by the sincerity and kindness with which we had been received. I hadn’t expected it but my comfortable preconceptions had been challenged.

I went onto say that there is a big job to do if we are to build a more peaceful and equitable world. We would all need to be willing to learn from each other.

The fierce urgency of now

When Obama launched his presidential campaign 22 months ago in Chicago, Illinois – he borrowed an expression from Martin Luther King when he talked about the ‘fierce urgency of now’. Despite only being a senator for little more than 2 years, Obama didn't wait to be invited to apply for the most influential job in the world.

His sense was that he could not afford to wait - not due of personal ambition - but because of his conviction that the world desperately needs a new breed of leadership which calls out the good latent in the human heart.

Despite his audacious belief that he was the man to do it, that sense of urgency that has propelled Obama – beyond all expectations - to become the 44th President of the United States of America.

Obama’s victory is a game changing moment in history.

Certainly, on the issue of race, we have taken a huge step forward. It exposes the poverty of equality of other nations. The UK's wretched record on involving ethnic minorities at the top table of political power is a case in point. We have only ever had 3 black cabinet ministers (Barsoness Scotland, Baroness Amos and Paul Boatang) in the history of British politics!

Obama's victory is also an opportunity to challenge the fundamental assumptions that so often underpin modern life. Might is right; feed the greed; me first; dog eat dog – these are all expressions of a world view that panders to the dark side of human nature. We have colluded in convincing ourselves that ‘we are only human’.

What Obama’s rapid ascent demonstrates is that people right around the world want their leaders to raise sights, chart a course and help us rediscover our truest sense of self.

The gap between who we are and who we could be is often not large. It takes relatively small steps for us to find the capacity for courage, sacrifice, love, humility, creativity and kindness.

There is an urgency for us individually and corporately to start finding and living by these qualities. The stakes have never been higher. Just when we face some of the most serious threats to life on this planet, Obama has reminded us that today’s reality does not have to be tomorrow’s destiny – it is ours to shape. While cynicism has dominated public life, Obama has galvanised millions with a vision that the best in human history is still in front of us, not behind us.

The poet Ben Okri puts it better than me when he writes 'In a time when people no longer dream great dreams, in which there are fewer great adventures of the spirit, in which we are encouraged to dumb down, to have such a man running for the highest office in America is nothing short of an extraordinary act of the imagination.'

We must take hold of this moment. If we conclude that no one person can change anything, we will be proved right. If, however, we resolve to live by our highest ideals, there is no reason why justice, freedom and equality can’t make serious inroads on the territories of injustice and suffering.

Despair is not an option; indifference must be banished. As Admiral Nelson once said ‘England expects each man to do his duty’. None of us can hide. We all have the power to choose what is right and good. Now is the time to make the change.

New York's Big Idea

The Statue of Liberty is the only statue in the world to represent an idea and not a person, apparently.

So said our softly spoken guide (whose white wavy hair and furrowed brow reminded me of Brookes, the old librarian lag from Shawshank Redemption - minus the pet raven). The statue was given by the French on October 28th, 1886 to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independance and has come to personify what New York is all about. The famous torch made of 22 carot gold - a reflection of the undying pursuit of freedom, the robe, a symbol of liberty and integrity, the seven points of the crown symbolising the seven seas of the world, the book held in the statue's left hand represents bill of rights which underpins the US constitution and the Roman numerals on the book read 'July 4th 1776' - reminding us of the founding father's vision to build a new nation based on the ideal of democracy.

Today, New York means so many different things to people; Joe Demagio's legacy, $1 Hot Dogs, Madison Square Garden, the Imagine memorial, just about all Meg Ryan films, that day in September 2001...

For me, New York is a testimony to human endeavor and the value of thinking BIG. There is tremendous energy and optimism in the every corner of the city and it is mirrored in the people you meet.

It is one of the most technically advanced and fast moving cities you can visit. And yet not even 250 years ago, Manhatten island (which is the only one of New York's five borough's to have kept its indigenous Indian name) was just a tree-lined and rocky peninsula. Our guide told us that Manhatten has the greatest geological variety of rocks in the world - another dubious factual claim but one which he explained was the reason why it has been possible to build so many buildings in such a concentrated space.

It is undeniable that incredible innovation and creativity have been let loose in New York. When immigrants started pouring into Ellis island after the second world war at the rate of 50,000 per day, it was hard to envisage that these disperate communities could create one of the most vibrant urban environments - ok, i'm going to do it - in the world.

New Yorker's 'can do' approach shames the British 'could do but probably won't do' attitude. In New York i am reminded that it is okay to have wild ambitions and certainly not to fear failure. It is possible to create something that is far beyond our initial imaginings. It takes the commitment of lots of individuals and the shared belief that the today's reality doesn't have to be the same tomorrow.

New York isn't perfect, far from it. But you have to be heart hearted not to appreciate what has been achieved. New York represents more than an idea: it is living evidence of the audacity of the human species to realise their dreams.

10 realisations of a tired father

Cohen Mark Rowland arrived on December 10th 2007 (the 58th anniversary of establishment of the UN convention of human rights). He is a diamond, a dude, an absolute star!

1. Entering parenthood is more fun than I imagined.
2. Even young babies are talented – Cohen can pee in his own ear!
3. Patience is a virtue I wished I had practised more frequently.
4. That having a child is like following Brighton FC – its a life-long obsession.
5. Humour can be found in every moment – if you have the eyes to see it
6. Sleep is for the weak…. and I am weak.
7. The ability to invade another’s personal space, at will, is a great joy!
8. Routine is a good friend – it gives you in some semblance of control.
9. Nothing prepares you for the moment you first set eyes on your very own.
10. That mothers are saints. It is a skilled role and I am fortunate to be married to one of the very best…