North Korea. Part II. Defense

April 28 — May 6, Juche year 95 (2006)

The favorite pastime of the working class is to bike to a nice outdoor spot and sing revolutionary songs, accompanied by the accordion. They sing well and with feeling.

Approximately ten percent of the population serves in the North Korean military. It’s impossible not to run into a soldier on the street.

Soldiers tend to the cattle, carry bundles of twigs, and ride in the backs of trucks in groups of 40 at a time.

As a form of entertainment, both Koreas bring tourists to the only spot where the border can be crossed on foot. The buildings in the background are South Korean; the barracks are situated right in the middle of the border line. The difference between the road surface on the south and north side is particularly striking. I’ve yet to come across any research on why capitalism has such smooth roads and communism has such shitty ones. The climate is definitely exactly the same in this specific spot.

Tourists are led into one of the barracks in alternating shifts: first a group from one side, then from the other. The sandy part is North Korea; I’m technically standing in South Korea.

The road that leads to the border is well equipped to handle enemy attacks. These concrete cubes are propped up with wooden wedges, which are meant to be knocked out on D-Day. The cubes fall down onto the road, the enemy tanks get stuck in a bottleneck.

Just to be on the safe side, concrete anti-tank obstacles are set up along every road within a fifty-kilometer radius of the border. They’re decorated with bas-reliefs of bamboo, inscriptions, and ornaments.

These devices are also set up along all the mountain passes, regardless of their proximity to the border.

To eliminate any temptation for local residents to escape abroad by sea, the entire coastline (in this case—along the Sea of Japan) has been reinforced with artificial embankments and an electrified barbed wire fence. Taking photos of this is obviously prohibited.

North Koreans take great pleasure in showing off their military trophies. This is the American spy ship Pueblo, moored in the middle of Pyongyang.

And these are lovingly collected fragments of downed American planes at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum.

They don’t defend themselves only against imperialist aggressors here. They defend every city block. For example, I managed to take a photo of this building only through sheer luck. Moments later, I was yanked on the sleeve and told that photography is prohibited here. Apparently, this is no ordinary building, since it has neat rows of air conditioners. Perhaps distinguished performing artists live here. Or scientists.

On May 1st (International Workers’ Day), foreign visitors were taken to an amusement park to watch a brief concert, followed by a women’s athletic demonstration.

Followed by a tae kwon do demonstration. To make sure everyone knows that there’s a rising generation of worthy successors.