Ukrainian journalist Roman Bochkala visited the most closed country in the world.
The tourist shared his impressions on his Facebook page. “Many are curious about what is there in the DPRK. It's really interesting there. While I was in North Korea, I kept myself a diary.
Flight Beijing-Pyongyang. North Korean Airlines. TU-204. I've never seen such empty planes. 7 passengers. Two of them are special. The flight attendants sat down with the rest and watched with a smile all the way so that no one photographed anything.
The migration card, which had to be filled out on board, indicated: it is forbidden to import any literature about the DPRK and South Korea, porn, and if you are a journalist, you must inform about it. Strained …
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Have arrived. The check at the airport was not as scary as described. The phones were not collected and the contents checked. They just wrote down the number - two pieces. Clarified: are there any books. He honestly admitted that he had three with him. Each one was leafed through, the name was translated and returned. The laptop was not tested.
Ukrainians are rare guests here. We are perceived as part of Russia. Those who know about the conflict do not understand why we "quarreled". Some people think that we are still in the Soviet Union. America is a fierce enemy. Demonstration of hatred towards the American imperialists is encouraged in every possible way by higher-ranking comrades.
There is no North Korea. Here they take offense at such a definition. There is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. And there are "factionalists" from the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, captured by the bloody clique of the States. The task of the conscious North is to free the southern brothers.
Laying flowers to the Great Leader Kim Il Sung and his son Great Leader Kim Jong Il - this is "where the Motherland begins" and a trip to the "great country". When asked how much bronze it took to sculpt the giant statues, the guide answered figuratively: as much as all the hearts of the Korean people weigh.
Three attendants were assigned. The woman is a party woman, ideologically grounded ideally. A man - shoulder straps directly glow from under a civilian jacket. And the driver, who seemed to me to be the "senior of the group." Communicating with a local was only possible through them.
There are four TV channels in the DPRK. All state. News every evening at 20:00. Sundays - international viewing. The radio is wired. Announcers communicate with the people in the language of slogans and party clichés, relying solely on the official statements of the party. There are several major newspapers.
North Koreans love to squat. Along the roadsides, waiting for transport, repairing the road. Even just meeting a friend on the street, the interlocutors are likely to prefer to sit down and drag on a cigarette. "There is no truth at the feet" - this is definitely about the inhabitants of the DPRK.
Koreans smoke everywhere. In official institutions, shops, hospitals. Tobacco smoke does not bother anyone. In the USSR, judging by the films, this was 70 years ago.
The hotel for foreigners pleased with the presence of a shop with overseas goods, albeit at unrealistic local prices. It became clear - you can die of hunger only if you run out of money.
There is hot water. Electricity in many areas is cut off from 22:00 until the morning. But the centers of the foreign presence do not go out even at night. They are illuminated with generators and car batteries. Street lamps shine dimly here and there.
There is no internet. But in hotels for foreigners, it is allowed to send emails from a special computer. Koreans can also use email. But by prior request two days before the day of dispatch.
Visiting Sims do not plow. Mobile communications are exclusively local. Two operators. They work zoned, that is, on the scale of the province where the subscriber is registered. It is not possible to reach Korean numbers from abroad.
At three o'clock in the morning, when one of the tourists decided to take a walk, the guide was already waiting for him in the lobby. Change of time zones, the guest says, I want to get some fresh air. He was advised to return to his room and open the window."
Based on materials from Facebook Roman Bochkala. Photo: Roman Bochkala