They have white dots marking straight lines across their main square. This is so on lovely Communist parades everyone can stand in perfect Communist lines. Their main square, which is the "perfect centre of Pyongyang" whatever that means, is surrounded by various buildings that are something to do with Communism. I lost track of precisely what-there were rather many. I do remember the Study Hall of the People-which is their library. Kim Jong-Il apparently said he didn't need to study abroad as everything he needed was there.
NK apparently has three political parties- the Workers' Party of Korea (which is the main one) and then a token religious one and a token democratic one. Nothing is known about the last one- only the name of its leader and that it still exists. Maybe.
We also visited the Square of Fountains, which was mostly half dry ponds with dribbles. The constant drizzle was more impressive.
Then off to the Foreign Language Bookshop, which was conspicuously closed to Koreans and only opened for us. Inside were translations of various works explaining the Juche idea (NK's philosophy) and just how really amazing Kim Il Sung is. And the odd book explaining how the IMPERIALIST AMERICANS STARTED IT FIRST. I bought a book about Kim Jong Il which contained various touching stories including my favourite one about how he waited in line for petrol and didn't queue-jump. Such humility. I also bought a Korean phrase book which contained amusingly different phrases to my South Korean one. And some postcards which a few Chosen may or may not receive- depending on how good NK censors are at spotting sarcasm.
Favourite quote from Ri- "unlike other countries, we have a close relationship between the leader and the people". So close, she's never seen him.
Juche is the philosophy expounded by Kim Il Sung and is based on Marxism. A link explains more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juche but in short, it means what Kim Jong Il says it means.
"Are there any horses in North Korea. I like horses."
"Um, there's two in the zoo I think".
Not just the French who like horse obviously...
Then to the Martyr cemetery which contains the copper busts of various martyrs in the fight against Japanese occupation and during the Korean War. As well as soldiers there was one of a woman who sent her entire family off to war, sons, daughters, in-laws etc, and none came back. Kim Il Sung's wife is there too- she died aged 31 from illness, possibly picked up from living rough while being a guerilla. Kim Il Sung's uncle is there too.
Ri was curiously reluctant to say the Kim Il Sung had died-rather she referred to when "his heart stopped beating".
When Sara and I laid some flowers at the cemetery, there was a hush from the Korean schoolkids there at the foreigners paying respect and bowing.
Ri had a Louis Vuitton patterned umbrella. I wonder where she acquired this and if she knows. She said she had never left the country but that might have not been entirely true.
Lunch. We didn't finish.
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