Visits: 281
North Korea. North Korea is not a joke. It’s one of the worst countries in the world. It’s isolated, it’s dangerous, it’s strict. But above all, it’s depressing my time inside North Korea.
I visited North Korea by taking a 24 hours train from Beijing to the border. Here, you can only enter as part of an organized tour guide. And I would have to take a train to North Korea for 24 hours. And the minute you cross the border, you enter a whole new world. Soldiers will inspect everything you own. They check every picture and every page of every book that you have.
Please do not take photos
They make sure you don’t carry any Bibles or Qurans or any religious texts, because religion is banned. No political books, no news magazines, no internet transmitters, and no sensitive information. Soldiers even take your phone to check which pictures you have. And it all makes sense because this country is like a prison. Inside of it, you’ll see extreme poverty and extreme isolation, with no freedom, no WiFi, no Facebook, no access to the outside world. This place is such a close community that everything they produce is produced internally, which means there’s no trade or very little trade with other nations. And no matter how much they try to hide it, north Korea is poor. On the highway, there are very few cars because people can’t afford them. This is the main highway of North Korea, right here. Inside homes, there is no stable power because it keeps going out. The power went off again. Outside homes, poverty is apparent, and the people are trapped inside. Say hi. Why do you want to see the camera? They have a beautiful culture, beautiful traditions, amazing sports events, circuses and dances. They are proud people. But the problem is they don’t matter. What matters in North Korea is the missile, the tank, the soldiers, the fake illusion of power. Military displays are everywhere in the country, and leaders are on every building. This is what the country chose to focus on, as every con, and not this.
My time in North Korea only lasted five days
It was orchestrated to see what the government wants you to see and on my train out of the country, I got checked one last time by soldiers. We just got checked. They didn’t steal our videos. And as soon as we were in the clear, I cried. I cried for the people there. There is no solution for the average North Korean. Their country is and will remain a prison. One day, it may be as prosperous its neighbor, South Korea. But that day is very far from today. See you.