Axis of Evil World Tour - An American's Travels in Iran, Iraq and North Korea

by Scott Fisher

  As we walked into the giant stadium (of course one of the largest stadiums in the world, with a reputed capacity of 150,000), I was towards the front, looking for our '3rd Class' seats. The signs pointed up into the crowd and that's where I started to go, only to be stopped by Mr. Baek and Mr. Huk. Instead, we were taken down to great seats right near the front, in a separate area roped off for tourists. Our travel agent in Beijing had been right - the $50 seats were fine and anything more would have been a waste of money. From the stadium signs though, we were nowhere near the 3rd-class section. Best guess, unless we had bought the top of the line $300 tickets, we would have been in exactly the same section.

  As we took our seats, the mammoth size of the stadium became apparent. I've been to dozens of games at the University of Michigan's 110,000-person stadium and this place was noticeably larger. People were spread out getting ready on the field down below, as well as on the opposite side. Fortunately, we had a few minutes to take pictures and look around before the performance.

  Warming up

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  The sights unfolding across from us were amazing. The flowers you see in the picture above are part of one large image - a collage formed by 50,000 people holding large, colored cards above their heads. With a shout from the director, a low roar would roll across the stadium as people flipped their cards to make the next image. It was like a giant slide show, only with the pictures being formed simultaneously by 50,000 people. A different image rolled across the entire far side of the stadium every couple of seconds, all coordinated with thousands of other performers on the stadium floor. This was going to be something special.

  With some cajoling from the guides, we all took our seats. I had Mr. Huk on my right ready to whisper the meanings of the images and scenes as they unfolded. With a hush, the stadium went dark and the performance began.

  The large characters over the sun spell out 'Arirang'

  Photo courtesy Dan Harmon

  Act 1

  The lighting, music, pictures and performers were minutely choreographed, with the images seeming to flow across the stadium. The only problem I had was trying to decipher what Mr. Huk was saying, while still keeping my eyes on the performance below. When he told me it took 100,000 people to put on the show I didn't believe him at first. As the performance unfolded, the masses of people marching in and out erased all doubt.

  The words are 'Star of Chosun'. Three guesses who that is . . .

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  Kim Il-sung - this was probably the most amazing scene. A wind seemed to rustle the trees, while above, the star appeared to glimmer and shine. All done by people holding up cards.

  Photo courtesy Dan Harmon

  North Korean flag, with female performers dancing below.

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  Act 2

  Nationalism and the exalted position of the North Korean army were key underlying themes to the whole performance (if not the entire trip) and in the second act, Arirang of Army-centered Policy, they burst to the fore. Soldiers entered and dominated the stadium floor, while martial images filled the stands.

  Beside me, Mr. Huk could barely contain himself. His enthusiasm to educate me on the wonders of the Glorious People's Army had him on an emotional high. The voice in my ear became louder and more insistent, he grabbed my arm for emphasis, all the while filling me in on the special meanings of each scene.

  Notice how similar the flag is to the giant sculptures at the Kim statue. The phrase here roughly translates as "Let's be able to take on the world".

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  The Military and The People - Notice the soldiers having bayonet practice on the stadium floor. The lights flashing off hundreds of shining bayonets were one of the more memorable scenes of the show.

  Machine gun unit with female soldiers parading in the foreground.

  Photos courtesy Thomas St. John

  Act 3

  The third act was devoted to political and economic messages, many stressing the current and future development of North Korean society. Mr. Huk delighted in telling me of the great advances made by DPRK researchers in economics, science, agriculture, and politics.

  'The Dawn of the World' - here represented by land reform. True, in that the post-WWII land reform policy of Kim Il-sung helped gain popular support for the new government.

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  'Modernization and Information of the People's Economy' - For some reason the women dancing at the bottom of this picture are all holding tennis rackets.

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  'Science and Technology to the Highest Level!' Ironic statement for a country that bars its citizens from international travel, non-government broadcasts, Internet access . . . It's so afraid of the Internet polluting the masses that DPRK official and quasi-official websites are run from Japan and China.

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  A traditional folk dance common in both the North and the South. This scene would be familiar to anyone who's visited a folk village or traditional performance in the South. The colorful swirls are made by strips of fabric hung from the hats of the dancers. Very long movements are accomplished by standing on someone's shoulders, as shown.

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  Act 4 and Finale

  The fourth act and grand finale focused on Korean unification and the prosperity that would ensue, throughout the peninsula, should such a glorious event ever come to pass.

  When I told Mr. Huk that some South Koreans oppose unification because they worried it would cost too much to bring the North up to their level, he looked at me like I'd slapped him. He had no comprehension of this idea whatsoever. Instead, to him, I was just being a rude prick for saying such a ridiculous thing. After thinking about it for a moment, he told me those people couldn't be true Koreans, instead they must be (and here he threw me an accusing look) U.S. or Japanese lackeys.

  The unification scenes contained lots of references to Mt. Baekdu, an important place in both South and North Korean (where it's thought to be Dear Leader Kim Jong-il's birthplace) mythos. The mountain is located in the North along the border with China. It's not uncommon for South Korean tourists to travel to the Chinese-side of Mt. Baekdu to experience the mythic mountain.

  If you look closely, you can see heads sticking out from behind the placards in the close-up above.

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  Finale - a peaceful world

  'Shining Forever - Arirang - The final scene, with thousands of performers crowding the floor of the stadium while the crowd gives them a well-deserved standing ovation.

  Photos courtesy Thomas St. John

  The applause was barely beginning to die down before Mr. Baek and Mr. Huk were hurrying us out of the stadium. No talking about the spectacle we had just witnessed, instead it was, "go, go, go." They dangled a carrot this time though; reminding us we would have some free time to shop at the souvenir stands.

  We fought our way through the crowds to the outside, where Mr. Baek was generous enough to offer us 10 minutes to wander around. After some debating, we finally got him to push it to 15 minutes. Which, in retrospect, might have been the most stunning event of the entire evening.

  The pickings at the various stands were interesting, but pretty slim. Some beautiful posters of the Arirang Festival, a huge variety of DPRK stamps, and some T-shirts so poorly made we were warned to frame them rather than wear them. The food vendors had mostly closed up shop - forcing me to miss my chance for pizza and a Coke in Pyongyang.

  Something nearly as odd was about to happen though. When I bought several sets of the Arirang posters, an amazing event took place - not a discount, but free wrapping, plus a bag! Mr. Baek had worked with me on the purchase and was both pleased and surprised at the fantastic deal. Getting something extra when making a bulk purchase - the evil ways of the capitalists were at last infil
trating the Juche bastions!

  As our 15 minutes wound down, everyone straggled back to the appointed meeting place for the walk to the bus and ride back to the hotel. Our first day in North Korea had come to an end, but tomorrow held what promised to be one of the most interesting parts of the whole trip - a visit to the DMZ.

  DMZ

  The day, as did all our days in North Korea, started early. We were down in Dining Room 2 by 7am for a quick breakfast, then onto the bus for the three-hour trip south to the DMZ. Most of us had visited the DMZ from South Korea, and the chance to visit from the opposite side was one of the more intriguing parts of the whole trip.

  The idea of being only an hour away from my home in downtown Seoul, yet having no way of getting there without first flying to China, seemed surreal. I was going to be within 15 minutes of one of my best friend's houses, yet trying to go there would cause an international incident and probably get me shot. Even trying to make a call on the cell phone I had smuggled along expressly for this purpose could have gotten me into a lot of trouble.

  Morning Commute

  Photo courtesy Brian Stuart

  As we were leaving Pyongyang that morning, we could see people heading off to work, many by bus and trolley, but also quite a few on foot. Here you can see groups of people following the railroad tracks out of town to their work sites. This picture was taken surreptitiously since the guides weren't too happy about us taking pictures of things they thought might embarrass their country. A few seconds later, Mr. Baek clued in and told Brian to put away his camera.

  Road to DMZ

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  Once outside Pyongyang, we got our first extended chance to examine the North Korean countryside. For the most part it looked poor and treeless, with most towns located well off the main road. Even on a beautiful summer day, few people were visible working in the fields, or even walking around.

  Notice the barren hillsides

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  The road itself was basically empty. Anyone in need of an extended nap on a large, flat surface could do a lot worse than curling up in the middle of the highway south of Pyongyang. There were also several obvious checkpoints along the way, and though we usually just drove on by, you could see the soldiers manning the checkpoints writing something down as we passed.

  About halfway down to the DMZ we pulled over to a rest area and, while talking to the roadside guard, I watched as he jotted down the license numbers of passing vehicles. When I asked why he was writing down the info, he just gave me a weird look and went about his business. I guess car theft is not a big problem in North Korea.

  'Long Live the Glorious Juche Ideology!' - Propaganda signs praising the Kims, Juche, and following government directives (e.g. "The Government Decides and the People Act!") could be seen along many roads in North Korea, even far out in the countryside.

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  As we approached the world's most heavily defended border, our guides stepped up the warnings about not taking pictures without permission, staying with the group and listening to the on-site guides. The eerie part was, though we were in the middle of a million soldiers, how quiet and peaceful the surroundings were, just like when you approach from the South. Everything is so well hidden, at least when tourists are about, you would never know you're surrounded by two giant armies.

  As we got closer to the border, I kept sneaking looks at my cell phone to see if we were within range of South Korean service towers. With the guides milling around the bus, this probably wasn't too bright, but I figured the risk was outweighed by a chance to make an 'illegal' phone call. So far, no connection. Maybe I just had to get closer.

  Large road sign heading to DMZ

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  Finally, the bus pulled into a small compound and we were able to step out onto the North's side of the DMZ. To the right was a small building with a meeting room and gift shop (the South actually has a duty free shop on their side), to the left was a row of trees and restrooms, while to our front was a narrow road that led first into the actual DMZ, and then into the South.

  I quickly headed for the restrooms to hide out and give my phone another try. Memo to SK Telecom: Your service is weak! A friend using another carrier was able to get a signal and put a call through to his girlfriend. I was left holding a hunk of useless plastic.

  After risking arrest for trying to make phone calls, we headed back to the group, narrowly avoiding getting caught by one of the guides as he entered the restroom. When we got back to the group, we were herded into a small meeting room for a briefing on the situation in the DMZ and JSA ("Joint Security Area", also the name of a popular movie in the South). Gathered around a large topographical model of the area, we were given a little background on what the JSA is for (meetings and exchanges between the North and South, plus the North and the UN/US), its layout, and where we would be going on our tour. I was happy to see we would be going right up to the border, even entering the same UN building straddling the dividing line that most of us had visited from the South.

  Getting our briefing before heading into the DMZ. The view here is, generally speaking, from the North looking to the South. The bridge shown just under the pointer is the Bridge of No Return, the left side is South Korea, and the right side is North Korea. In the middle, inside the yellow markers, are buildings at the top, mainly in blue, that represent the United Nations and are in the South, while the pair of larger white buildings at the bottom belong to the North. During tours from both the North and South you get to enter the center blue building.

  Photo courtesy Dan Harmon

  Dividing line between North and South

  Photo courtesy Dan Harmon

  View from the North looking into the South, from inside DMZ

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  The pictures above were taken from the steps of the main North Korean building overlooking the Joint Security Area (also sometimes referred to as Panmunjom). The large building opposite is in South Korea. The soldiers in the gray uniforms at the top are South Korean, those in the brown uniforms below are from the North. The blue UN buildings are half in the North, half in the South and are used for meetings between the two sides. I'm standing about an hour from my home in downtown Seoul and less than 15 meters from the South. Going across that line is illegal and would probably get me shot. The only way home was via China.

  Close-up of North-South Divide

  Photo courtesy Dan Harmon

  You can see here how close the guards get to one-another. Later, I asked one of the guards with us on the bus if he ever said anything to the Southern soldier.

  "No!"

  Not even swearing at them?

  "No! It's against the rules."

  I'm curious how truthful that is. At this range, who would ever know?

  A key point of the picture above is the North Korean guard standing in the center. He's there to keep us from making a quick dash across the line to defect, something that actually happened during the Cold War, when a Soviet tourist ran across in a hail of gunfire.

  Taking a picture of us taking photos.

  Photo courtesy Thomas St. John

  The soldiers on the South Korean side seemed very interested in what we were doing. If you visit the DMZ from the South, then you have troops from the North taking your picture and looking you over. Now, on the opposite side, it was time to have the South check us out and take photos.

  One of the people in our group was wearing a South Korean soccer jersey (the World Cup had started a few days before) and that really got the attention of the South Korean guards. The only way he could have gotten that shirt was by going, very recently, to South Korea. They paid so much attention to him he was actually pretty worried something would happen when we got back to the South.

  After being given plenty of time (for a change!) for pictures from the outside, we were taken into one of the blue buildings to see whe
re North-South meetings actually take place. It's the exact same building you visit when you go on the trip from the South. The only difference is there are two North Korean guards standing in front of the South's door to keep you from defecting!

  Inside the main building where North-South and North-UN discussions are held.

  Photo courtesy Dan Harmon

  While in the room, you are allowed to wander freely from one side to another, in effect walking back and forth between North and South Korea. Were that it was so easy all of the time. You know where the actual border is because a long table goes across the exact center of the room. Down the exact center of the table is a thick microphone cord that shows the precise boundary between the two sides. Everything seems to be measured right down to the last centimeter, with both sides getting exactly the same space, furniture, microphone setup, etc.

  While inside, you can have a seat at the table where the delegates sit during meetings. You are also treated to the spectacle of South Korean guards peering into the building - just like North Korean guards do when you take the tour from the South. Again, they were mainly interested in the guy wearing the South Korean soccer jersey. Since the windows are basically soundproof, any ideas of talking through them were out of the question.