How children’s curiosity almost always wins
Girls with Red Jackets, Pyongyang, North Korea, February 2017.
Behind this picture lies my favorite story from Korea. While walking around in the Pyongyang Zoo I saw these three girls walking next to each other arm in arm. I thought: "This might be an interesting shot". The moment I pulled my camera out, the two girls on the right turned around to hide. The girl on the left didn’t move and smiled. I took this picture, opened the preview of my camera to show her the pictures and waved at her to come. Hesitantly she came, while her friends’ faces froze.
She looked at the picture and gave me a shy but excited smile, that I will never forget. She turned around and ran back to her friends who immediately rushed to her and started asking her questions.
I was told that in schools children are taught to distrust foreigners, especially Americans, that’s why this moment of curiosity, despite all the prejudice and fear, meant so much to me. If you walk without a Korean guide locals might beat you up and drag you to the next police station.
The Pyongyang Zoo made it into international news headlines with its chain-smoking chimpanzee. The chimp smoked up to 20 cigarettes a day and was even able to use a lighter. The chimps’ cage is behind the group of spectators, filming it with smartphones.
“Children aren’t coloring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favorite colors.”
