As a South Korean, I never thought I would visit North Korea. Korea has been divided by land mines and wire fences since 1947, when America and Soviet Russia each occupied half of the peninsula. No peace treaty was made, only a cease-fire agreement. Since then, nobody can visit the other side freely except for occasional political talks and special exchanges. In the 1990s, the relationship between South and North Korea improved and there were three day meetings between family members who had been separated for over fifty years. North Korea also opened a couple of areas so that South Korean companies could run factories and they opened the Keumkang Mountain and Kyeseong to tourists from South Korea. This year, unfortunately, it seems many of these openings are closing again.
Anyhow, I suddenly got a chance to visit North Korea. There is a South Korean organization “Okedongmu Children” that has been supporting children in North Korea for ten years. They have built children’s hospitals, soymilk factories, pencil factories and renovated children’s centres. They were going to North Korea to celebrate the opening of the Paediatrics Hospital in the Pyongyang Medical College Hospital. Since my wife and I have been volunteering and working for this organization, they invited me along with around ninety other people to visit Pyongyang for three days in October 2008.
My first and strongest impression of North Korea was that the people who live there are such dear and warm people. After the plane landed at the Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang, we heard an announcement: “Please come out in the order that you are sitting and there will be a check.” I was a bit scared as government agents checked us. Two people with a list of photos came and looked at us very carefully. The airport was not very busy, just a group of Chinese who looked like pilots. We drove through Pyongyang and had dinner with our North Korean government guides. Wherever we went – schools, hospitals or restaurants – people and children would greet us warmly and take good care of us.
The buildings of Pyongyang are old and run down, especially the fifteen story apartment buildings. People wore very simple clothing like work clothes. They seemed content with little and happy. At one place many people were trying to hang something on top of a building. They didn’t have a crane but used thick, long rope with the ends held by people. The signs on stores were simple, but there were lots of signs with slogans calling for support and unity for the leader and the labour party. For example “Our great leader Kim Il Sung is with us forever.” On most buildings: “Let us defend the chief executives of the revolution.” And on school buildings: “There is nothing for which we envy others.”
The opening ceremony for the Paediatric Hospital was held the second day. There were many people with colourful traditional costumes. We found out later that they were doctors and nurses. The Paediatric Hospital is six stories high and has two hundred and twenty beds. It is very bright with lots of windows and new equipment and medicines. Construction materials, medical equipment and training for using the equipment were given by South Korea through Okedongmu. The construction work was done by North Korean workers. The North Korean doctors, nurses and staff looked so happy and they wished for further cooperation.
We also visited another Paediatric Hospital that Okedongmu built in 2004. They have forty beds and will make twenty more beds. We could meet children who were hospitalized. The mothers also wore patient’s uniforms and stayed with their children. The nurses said that most of the children come because of malnutrition and diarrhoea. The hospital runs a soymilk factory because even the children in Pyongyang are suffering from lack of food. Trucks go every day to give out soymilk packs to children.
There was no problem communicating because we speak the same language. Yet I somehow felt that we were speaking different languages. South Koreans, including myself, are very westernized and use many English words. The people in the North try to keep Korean words and traditions. It was clear that people in the South and North have not had contact for so long a time that it is not easy to understand each other.
It was hard for me that I could not talk openly with the government workers of North Korea. There are many sensitive issues and it could cause tensions. The workers in hotels and restaurants were very shy and we had to be careful not to go beyond a certain point when talking to them. The government guides also took us to places where we could learn about the life and philosophy of the founder and first leader of North Korea, Kim Ilsung. It was impressive to see the school children sing and dance beautifully – perhaps almost too beautiful and perfect, as if they did nothing but practice.
It was like visiting a different world; very close but unfamiliar. I am still puzzled. It was sad that I could not meet people heart to heart, person to person. Before I went I had to attend a lecture on what to say, how to say it and what to do or not do. Then in North Korea we saw what they wanted us to see and heard what they wanted us to hear. I do not want to judge from such a short visit, but in some ways the feeling I had was that it was so unreal. I hope one day that I can meet the people there without all these barriers, just as brothers.
The experiences that I treasure are meeting with people; simple, happy and warm-hearted. Children excited to see people from the South. I am more convinced now that there is hope for people to live together and respect one another. Even though it was a short visit, if this kind of exchange can continue there is hope for permanent peace on the Korean peninsula.
