PYONGYANG, A CAPITAL OF PROPAGANDA
Described by some as a totalitarian Oz, the capital city of North Korea is an attempt to prove to the outside world that a single party government run by a supreme leader can be successful. Unlike the rest of the country which struggles daily to keep from starving, Pyongyang recently opened a $19M amusement park and has a showcase of modern western amenities, including a water slide and stadium complex, miniature golf, and a dolphin aquarium. Unfortunately, however, only the residents of the city have access to these facilities as the capital is completely closed off to the rest of the North Koreans. Unless given official permission, most citizens have never been within 10 miles of one of the dozens of checkpoints that surround Pyongyang.
Outward appearance is what seems to matter most to this government. Since 1994, beautiful young female traffic police have taken the place of stoplights. Dressed like models in fashionable uniforms that are changed out with every season, the selection criteria is very strict. With most starting as young as 18 and retiring by 26, they also have to be taller than average and are not allowed to be married. Although it is considered an honor to have this position, they are nevertheless viewed as “trophy” women in a city where waitresses in tourist restaurants have reportedly been forced to have cosmetic surgery to appear more western. According to a United Nations report, this is also a city where disabled people have been put to death at birth or “rounded up” and sent away to uninhabited islands…. and it also where short people should fear for their life. A former North Korean teacher once accused Kim Jong-Il’s government of persecution and entrapment when they touted the benefits of a wonder drug that would give you extra height. When short people showed up to receive the benefits, they were reportedly kidnapped and never seen again because their supreme leader did not want that recessive gene in their creation pool.
What is perhaps most noticeable about Pyongyang, and the rest of North Korea for that matter, are the countless number of massive gold statues honoring the authoritarian dynasty of Kim II Sung and Kim Jong-Il. While the rest of the country suffers from chronic malnutrition, an annual salary of $2,000, and a bleak existence with almost no electricity, the public monuments in the capital city are illuminated all night long. In addition, it is also home to what will soon be the largest hotel in the world, with 3,000 rooms and a height of 105 stories. Referred to as the Hotel of Doom, it is reportedly the same shape and size as the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984, a political satire which ironically addresses propaganda.
While many are hopeful that the country’s new leader, Kim Jong-Un, will bring about positive changes to North Korea, others feel that he is just a younger and inexperienced version of his forefathers. Not even 30 years old, he is the world’s youngest head of state. Not only is he a diabetic and a heavy drinker like his father, Kim Jong-Il (who reportedly spent over $500,000 a year on liquor), he seems almost child-like in his hobbies and interests. Reportedly obsessed with the NBA, he owns a huge collection of Nike sneakers …. and loves Japanese comic books, James Bond, Michael Jackson and Jackie Chan. Even more strange are the rumors that he has had extensive cosmetic surgery because he looks very different from his teenage photos. Educated in Switzerland with a degree in physics and a lover of sports, Kim Jong-Un was chosen over his older brother to succeed his father, primarily because of his superb physical gifts and his stubborn refusal to admit defeat.
Despite his young age, many global leaders are also concerned that Kim Jong-Un is keeping his country virtually isolated from the internet (as evidenced by a recent visit by Google’s Eric Schmidt). Oddly, of the three Twitter users North Korea follows, the only American is a man named Jimmy Dushku, a 25-year old wealthy investor from Austin, Texas, who lives a lavish globetrotting existence and is purportedly Coldplay’s biggest fan. But even more worrisome is the fact that North Korea has a “Propaganda and Agitation Department” which controls all communication. Not only are journalists banned from going to North Korea (unless they masquerade as a business person), the government jams all foreign broadcasts, and all radio and television stations are government supported.
The further away you get from Pyongyang, the further away you get from any sign of western civilization. Even a city such as Kaesong, which is only 80 miles away, has no modern housing, stores that are half empty and no electricity except for a few hours a day. Keeping people this isolated and cut off from the rest of world probably explains why many North Koreans are not able to mobilize and can’t tell the difference between a benevolent leader and a Stalinist dictator. Not only is their future determined by where they are born, but more importantly, whether they are one of the select few who are friends with someone in the inner circle.
Copyright © 2013 (Michelle Parsons, Getting Back on Your Path). All Rights Reserved.
