“We were being watched all the time”: a Russian described oddities during a trip to the DPRK

Blogger Andrei Gerasimenko was among the first hundred Russians who flew to the DPRK after a 4-year pause: “I saw on a telegram channel that a tour was planned, and sent an application. Then I submitted the documents and waited for the visa to be approved. There was no special selection; whoever reserved a place first got into the lineup. The group was recruited almost in a day.”

– Airplanes are difficult in North Korea. What did you use to fly from Vladivostok to Pyongyang?

– We flew on an old Soviet Tu-154. It wasn’t scary; in Africa I flew on more destroyed planes. On board we were given a magazine with photographs of North Korean leaders and asked not to crumple it or throw it away. If not needed, return it intact. As I understand it, the airport was opened especially for us; we were the only passengers.

– What could you not take with you?

– It was prohibited to transport quadcopters. There were no problems with mobile phones and other recording equipment. But at passport control the vehicle numbers were rewritten.

-Did you only see what was shown to you? In fact, this is not the real life of the DPRK.

– We understood that the DPRK would establish rules by which we would have to play. They showed only what was possible. Even from Pyongyang to the Masikren ski resort we flew by plane, although you can get there by bus in 3.5 hours. Probably so that we can see the odd one out and get to the end point faster.

But nevertheless, if you wanted, you could see real life. For example, when we were driving to the ski resort, from the bus window we saw banners covering houses that were not in very good condition. They noticed marching workers, they walked in formation, they seemed serious and gloomy. We were asked not to photograph workers or people in dirty clothes. They also advised to remove the monuments of leaders in full height, not to crop them. It was recommended to stand with your hands at your sides near the monuments. True, there was a feeling that tourists still took photographs of whatever they wanted.

– They didn’t check what you were filming?

– They checked randomly. Several people’s phones were looked at. There were two girls with us who, near the monument, showed the “V” gesture with two fingers – a symbol of victory or peace. They were politely asked to remove the photos. I’ve been to countries where my phone was snatched out of my hands if I took pictures that were prohibited. In North Korea, everything is as delicate as possible: please, we asked you not to do this. In general, the host party tried to please tourists as much as possible. They kept asking: did you like everything?

– Were you asked to bow near the statues of North Korean leaders?

– Representatives from Vladivostok bowed as they laid flowers at the monuments. I didn’t see any tourists bowing.

– Judging by the pictures from Pyongyang, there are practically no people in the capital. Didn’t ask the guides where everyone went?

– They explained to us that people are at work, everyone is busy. True, in the evening there were no people visible either. And at 7.30 in the morning, only a couple of windows in a few houses were on fire, and this is the time people should be getting ready for work. We asked: where are the people? They answered us: well, something like this.

In general, the guides avoided awkward questions. For example, we asked our guide about her salary. She hesitated: oh, I don’t know, we need to calculate.

“We were being watched all the time”

– How many people accompanied you?

– We were divided into three groups: a press bus and two with tourists. Each bus carried a guide, an attendant and several people with badges depicting Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Un. Apparently, these are identification marks of local government employees. At every location where we were taken, there were also military personnel and some people. We were watched all the time.

– Even while skiing?

– Yes, you go down the slope, and some local athletes ride with you. You go down the slope, look back, and another athlete accompanies you. Stopped, and he stopped, stood and looked.

– Were there any instructors at the resorts?

“There were instructors, they taught the kids who were starting to ski for the first time how to ski. The resort itself is made as worthy as possible, there is an ice skating rink, a swimming pool, spa areas, billiards, restaurants, and souvenir shops. You can rent skis. But there were no snowboards, I brought them with me. In general, the resort seemed more lively compared to the hotel in Pyongyang, where there were no guests except us, and the smell there was specific, as if the hotel had been mothballed for several years and opened especially for us. But at the Masikren resort we saw families with children.

– So these families were probably brought especially for you?

– We thought about it. I asked the guide where so many children came from. They explained to me that it was the holidays. But I had doubts, because these schoolchildren skied from the mountains too professionally. It’s as if they brought the Olympic reserve.

– One of the points on your program was a visit to the Palace of Pioneers. Did you notice anything strange?

– In the Palace of Pioneers, everything looked as revealing as possible: look, they play basketball here, they draw here… When we entered the classrooms, the prepared children were sitting, waiting for us.

We watched the concert. To its credit, it was as well rehearsed as possible. There was a moment when the children were dancing and singing, and suddenly a ballistic missile flew on the screen that was installed on the stage. Unexpected ending.

What was strange was that the children did not look at us and were not distracted from their activities in any way. If they practiced calligraphy, they did not take their eyes off the drawings. If they played musical instruments, they did not react to anything else. We took chocolates with us and thought about treating them. But the children were as focused as possible on their own. We were told to give the gifts to the teachers, and then they themselves would distribute them to the children.

– Didn’t you manage to talk to the teachers?

– The teachers just smiled at us. They did not know Russian or English. In principle, they do not speak English in the DPRK. Even the hotel staff limited themselves to “hello” and “how are you.” The phrase “give me” was not understood.

– One of the bloggers, who was also on that trip, said that after the end of the program, several tourists returned to the building of the Pioneer House. And all the rooms where the children were were already closed.

– Quite possible. I’m sure this was done especially for us. When the performance ended, classes stopped and the children were dismissed.

– Did you manage to exchange a few words with any of the locals?

– We communicated a little with the children at the ski resort in sign language. But I couldn’t talk to anyone on the street. If we met someone, people tried to quickly pass by. One of our tourists tried to give a chocolate bar to a grandmother and her child, but she quickly ran away.

– Your delegation was filmed by local journalists, were they also silent?

– Upon arrival, we were greeted by a crowd of journalists. But they did not enter into dialogue. I asked something in English, but they didn’t understand me. Although, maybe they pretended not to understand.

“The beer bar was another attraction”

– In Pyongyang you visited a beer bar. What does he look like?

– The bar was opened especially for us, this is also an indicative location, another attraction. There our “Blue Light” was shown on TV, Russian songs were sung in the establishment, the staff spoke Russian. There were no usual visitors. People in uniform, apparently law enforcement officers, were sitting at a separate table, drinking beer.

– How much did the beer cost?

– Around 2 dollars a glass. By the way, it is impossible to understand the course there; they calculated differently everywhere. Prices are indicated in local currency, but you don’t have to rely on them. The real dollar exchange rate did not match the tourist exchange rate. We paid in cash. And it is advisable to take small bills with you; change was not always available. I wanted to bring up the local currency, but they didn’t sell it to me.

– How do you like the local cuisine?

– You go to the DPRK not for delicacies, but for emotions. The food there is simple, not very tasty, but okay. There were no special desserts or sweets offered. They gave us bread, apple slices, rice, kimchi, and spicy stew.

– Did you go to local stores?

– We were only taken to tourist shops, where there was no one except us and the sellers. One person in our group, who spoke Korean, tried to buy chips at a local kiosk, but the saleswoman did not want to sell them.

A group of journalists and I were also taken to a seaside resort, which is still closed to the public. There is white sand and a huge strip of hotels for 4 km. It’s unclear how they plan to fill it.

– Is it still impossible to connect to the Internet in the country?

– There was internet in the Pyongyang hotel. Connecting is difficult, but possible. I paid one and a half dollars for 10 minutes. I was able to log into prohibited social networks and call on WhatsApp. But when about ten people connected, the Internet went down. There was no wi-fi at the ski resort; we were offered to use their computer to access the Internet. A call to Russia was made through a telephone operator; a minute of conversation cost one dollar. I wrote the number on a piece of paper to the telephone operator, she dialed, waited for the connection and hung up. There were a lot of wires coming from the phone, as I understand it, they listened to us carefully.

– Would you go there a second time?

– I would go, but not in the near future. And I would have chosen a different program. I missed Pyongyang.

– Would you recommend it?

– I would advise those who travel a lot to go there. With us in the group there were guys who had traveled half the world, such trips are interesting for them. People who prefer package holidays to Egypt, Turkey, Thailand are unlikely to like this format.