How we are all the same - deep inside
If I learned something in North Korea, it is that humans no matter where they are, almost always want the exact same things. People want to be happy about themselves and their lives. In that regard the people there are not very different from us. They want to have, a for them meaningful job and decent living conditions and be able to start a family. That’s what they aspire. So do most of us. But the environment in which they try to achieve this, is very different from ours.
A lesson on horse breeding and human genetics
“So, how did you like North Korea?” The senior guide asked me on my last day.
“I loved it… How can I apply for citizenship?”
“Haha, you can’t, because this would mean you will need a Korean wife.”
“Why?”
“Do you know the horse?”
“Mmm, yes?”
How children’s curiosity almost always wins
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…
The red band and how you never know the truth
The red armband this elderly person is wearing means most likely that this is a “Public Security Volunteer". Such volunteers are usually elderly people, who help people in need or the police with "safety inspections". But I am not sure. This image symbolizes for me how difficult it was to really understand what was going on around me.
The Mao Suit and Bond villains
This boy is wearing a so called Zhongshan Suit or “Mao Suit” or as Koreans would call it a “closed collar, Western-style garment”. The legends say that Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the first provisional president of the Republic of China, wanted to create a national dress in the early 1900s. The idea of the design was to project a new, confident China, by combining eastern and western styles.
Seollal on Kim Il Sung Square
This picture was taken on Seollal, the first day of the Korean lunar calendar. In North Korea New Year is celebrated three times: Seollal (Lunar New Year), Gregorian (The one we use in Europe) and the Juche New Year.
On Seollal North Koreans dress in traditional clothes and put flowers in front of the grand bronze statues we saw in an earlier post. Selected people may even visit the Mausoleum of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il
Pyongyang’s traffic security officers and how to become one
One of the particularities of Pyongyang are the traffic security officers. The requirements to become one are the following: …
The Grand People's Study House
This girl is an elevator operator in the Grand People's Study House – the central library in Pyongyang. This job dates back to a time when manual elevators were controlled by a large lever to regulate the elevator's speed. This required a sense of timing and a steady hand in order to always smoothly stop the elevator parallel to the floor.
The German metro of Pyongyang
Roaming through the Alexandrine streets and daydreaming of ancient treasures buried underneath my feet - I spot two fruit vendors, in the late afternoon sun…
The Pyongyang Metro
The interior of the metro might seem familiar to people who have been to Berlin. For a good reason. In 1999 the Berlin Transport Authority (BVG) sold more than 100 Class D railcars, which were built in the 50s and 60s. A middleman bought them for 3 million Deutsche Mark. From there the railcars ended up in Pyongyang, where the carts were recolored, all ads removed and the images of the leaders put up in every cart.
The Juche ideology
The Juche ideology emphasizes North Korean self-reliance in all fields: economy, politics and military.
Monument to the Party Founding
The monument was erected in Juche 84 (1995) to commemorate the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Welcome to the DPRK
“Welcome to the Democratic People's Republic Korea! We respect and love our leaders very much and we want you to honor them as well and pay your respect.”