The Kim Dynasty and North Korea.
Wobbly from slumber I ambled toward the pile of clothes that had enveloped my backpack on the floor. Likewise Pete, my roommate, also wobbly from slumber sauntered to the window and warily peeled back the curtains. Having located my underwear I flipped the light-switch and the room was visible with a dull glow.
Nursing a hang-over after a few beverages at the hotel bar the night before, we both stood at the window glancing out across Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. The skyline was black; the sun not yet enveloping the city at this early hour. Flickers of light illumined the multiple artworks of the Kim Dynasty, Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. The under-lit propaganda spotlights remind locals and tourists of the prominence of the Great Leader and the Dear Leader respectively (the Kim Dynasty). Curiously this is the only visible light source. Pyongyang residents are accustomed to existing with little or no electricity.
Seldom are they permitted to own a car, and few buses and taxis drive near our hotel. Consequently the city adopts a rather sullen and deserted exterior. Paradoxically, the Ryugyong hotel – a rocket-shaped skyscraper in Central Pyongyang – is often enveloped in a light-show after dusk. That too is now shrouded in twilight.
Respect for the Kim Dynasty: Preparations Commence
Of the 3 million residents in Pyongyang it’s plausible that very few are active. As Pete and I cast an intense peek into the gloom few people are shuffling through the snow towards a bus stop, or to work, or for morning exercise, etc. Certainly not the regular bustle of a capital city at 6:00am!
Retreating from the window our morning preparations commence. Folded neatly in my bag is a smart pair of trousers, a pair of brown shoes, neck-tie and draped on a coat hanger, a neatly ironed shirt courtesy of the hotel. Formal attire (in fact funeral clothing) this morning for what is the most significant feature of our tour.
Each individual in the tour group is careful not to drop breakfast food on his/her smart clothing. A little sensation of guilt shrouds me in the dining room as we all tuck into our meal; I am certain that the plethora of exquisitely dressed staff don’t have access to such luxurious and plentiful food. An image of the 1968 musical epic Oliver! seeps into my mind as the workhouse children existing on a diet of gruel spy their masters feast of meat and vegetables.
Arrival at the Mausoleum
Weary with sleep but elated with excitement our minibus nudges through light snow toward the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun or Pyongyang Mausoleum as it’s more commonly referred to. Aptly, the radiance and gleam of sunshine has enhanced the quality of the capital city. The cold sub-zero February temperatures are bitter but the city’s mood seems cheerier and sprightly. Then the gravity of the day begins to materialise. The notion of a misdemeanour or transgression in such a spiritual and divine venue grips my consciousness. Any misjudgement – intentional or mistaken – could (would?) result in arrest. A disrespectful deed against the Dynasty will result in punishment often more severe than a traditional criminal misdemeanour such as theft, violence or sexual offence. It is this concept that I find hard to digest. It represents the utter reversal of traditional Western society where property, liberty and safety are paramount.
The Western state has an unwritten contract with its populace that it will attempt to preserve these expectations while simultaneously allowing criticism of its functions and the individuals of the government apparatus. DPRK is the reverse. It seeks to protect the spiritual well-being of its Kim Dynasty and promote its current and previous Leaders as omniscient deities beyond reproach. The importance of individual freedom and security is relegated to second-place. The divinity and mysticism of the regime represents the collective bond that glues together the country … in theory anyway!
Sunshine forces me to squint as our mini-bus is driven into the compound of what is the holiest site in North Korea. Ironically, religious practice of any denomination is not permitted in the country. For instance a Bible may arouse suspicion as Monty Python star Michael Palin referenced in his television documentary on North Korea(1).
Yet the venue has a magnificence often associated with a religious structure, be-it an Islamic Mosque, Gothic Church, Mayan Pyramid, Buddhist Pagoda etc. Once more I sense the Great Leader and Dear Leader have the providence of spirituality and divinity as often found in religious scripture. Could this be why religious belief is frowned upon because it directly conflicts with the authority of the Kim Dynasty? Instead the country has created an official state sanctioned quasi-religion called Juche (pronounced Joo-chay) which serves its people with spiritual enlightenment. More philosophy than religion its pretexts are aligned with Marxist dogma and Confucianism. The philosophy dictates that North Koreans must remain distinctive and detached from the rest of world while remaining loyal to the God-like supervision and guidance of the leader.
Inside the Kim Dynasty Resting Place
With the mini-bus parked, the Kumsusan mecca shrouds us in shade as we approach on foot. The chill of the winter is more pronounced without sunlight warming us. Luckily, inside, the central heating system is welcomed as we sit in near silence waiting for our cue to visit the mausoleum. Recently published newspapers (Korean and English versions are available) reveal what accomplishments have been achieved by the DPRK. Bizarre headlines such as:
“Senior Party Official Visits Various Units”, and “Nation Set On Juche-Orientation of Metal and Chemical Industries”.
The newspaper even boasts of visitor numbers to one of its websites, citing:
“Visitors number tens of millions. The number of visitors to the Sci-Tech Complex is ever growing. According to an official concerned, millions of people have visited the complex and tens of millions its website over the past three years since its inauguration.”
No link is provided to the website, no address to the complex, no photographs and no explanation of what the Sci-Tech Complex actually is! (2) Does it even exist?
Finally … Journey to the Mausoleum!
There’s some soft commotion near the entrance to the corridor that leads us to the mausoleum. As we file through we’re confronted by a cloakroom where we’re stripped of our possessions. Any bags, wallets, cameras, phones, scarfs, gloves, hats, coins, tissues etc, are taken from us. Our pockets are emptied of everything. The only permissible possessions are the clothes we are wearing. Although exposed to a thorough security examination we weren’t subjected to compulsory photographing and iris scanning as the North Korean people were. It’s expected of each North Korean citizen to visit the mausoleum at least once in their lifetime. By gathering data from such intrusive surveillance it may induce citizens to visit. After all who wants to be on the list of citizens yet to pay homage?
After negotiating an airport styled metal-detector it’s time for an automated shoe cleaning device to eliminate any grime and stains from our footwear. Finally we are subjected to ‘a dust removing machine’ which aptly administers a jet of powerful air to eradicate dust contamination from our clothing. We are finally ready for the journey to the mausoleum!
Like farm-yard animals we file onto a travellator; eyes straight ahead, arms by our sides, a glum, gloomy expression on each face, indistinct and indeterminate from the next. Any expression other than mourning for the Leader’s is suppressed and aptly hidden. An adjacent travellator filing visitors in the reverse direction away from the mausoleum carries hundreds of North Korean soldiers. Like a mirror of our own glumness the soldiers and a small handful of North Korean civilians display sorrow for the Leader’s. A few of the soldiers stare at us impassively. They appear almost curious; why are we here and why are we interested in this sacred mausoleum?
More than 15 minutes have passed and the end of the travellator is imminent. The magnificent orchestral music that accompanied the journey is still audible. It never reaches crescendo. How could it? Crescendo signifies an end-point, an apex, a conclusion. The Leaders are always with us, a permanent omniscient reminder of their glory. Their philosophy, influence, love of nation, esteem of people, their guidance and inspiration are a perpetual feature of North Korean life; surely music should reflect this? So too does the enlarged gold-framed photographs arranged along the walls. Each depicts Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il as an arbiter of industry, world affairs, importance and humility. These are Gods of the people.
The palace was erected in 1976 originally as an Assembly Hall. It also served as Kim Il-Sung’s official residence. After Kim Il-Sung’s death in 1994 Kim Jong-Il ordered the building to be renovated and transformed into its current status as a mausoleum. It is understood that the total cost of conversion was a minimum of $100 million (3), although some sources claim this figure is actually as high as $900 million (4).
In the same year, 1994 a famine erupted in North Korea. Loss of Soviet support after the collapse of the Union and a centralised economically planned system collaborated to cause food shortages. The Kim Dynasty had failed to learn vital lessons from Stalin’s Soviet Union and Mao’s China where famine flourished due to both economic inflexibility and centralised mismanagement. (5) The consequence was tens of millions of deaths. Death toll estimates In North Korea just like the Soviet Union and China vary widely. 240,000 and 3,500,000 are the estimations. (6) These premature deaths were due to starvation or food related illnesses. The peak of the famine was in 1997. Again, similar to the Soviet Union and China, cannibalism was reported during the starvation period. As usual children were the primary victims. Was $100 – $900 million spent on renovating a palace wisely spent?
Source of the Kim Dynasty
My thoughts gravitate to the victims past and present as I’m stood directly outside of the room where Kim Il-Sung’s embalmed body lies inside a glass sarcophagus. A Korean styled pillow is placed under his head, his body covered by a flag of the Worker’s Party of Korea.
A few weeks earlier I had glimpsed the cold body of Chairman Mao in Beijing. But standing here in line dressed in funeral attire, hands placed at my sides, waiting to lower my upper torso in a respectful bow, I reflected on the suffering inflicted by this tyrant. In China there is no compulsion to bow and a sensation of curiosity is palpable in the atmosphere; Chinese people and tourists alike inquisitive to observe Mao’s lifeless corpse.
Kim Il-Sung is a contrasting representation. He embodies a Dynasty still clutching on to its unshakable power. The source of this authority lies before me as I am compelled to bow once at the side of the glass sarcophagus, once again at the foot-end of the casket, and finally at the other side. Weeping North Korean women are audible – hysterical in fact in their endeavour to display emotion; again a direct contrast to the almost inaudible crying in Mao’s mausoleum. The experience is reminiscent of theatre, an entire stage concocted and fictitious. The difficulty of many North Korean citizens to express legitimate sorrow is conspicuous, evocative of a poorly performed amateur theatre group with tears flowing from eyes and rolling down ashen cheeks, and finally ending their journey in a tiny puddle on the marble floor. They appear contrived and artificial.
The theatrical landscape of the entire country can be observed in this venue. Ludicrous volumes of money wasted and the falseness of love, the deception of emotion, the obligation of dress-code, the God-like worship of the dead. Alas, the power mechanism of the Kim Dynasty is also observable; a state crafted and indeed fashioned on a cult-of-personality. Unlike the despots of the Twentieth Century the Kim Dynasty has family roots that cannot be easily severed.
I hope you enjoyed this article. For the part 1 of this article please click HERE
Lupine Travel are a reputable tour operator that will take you into the hermit kingdom. Click HERE for their website.
Bibliography
1. Michael Palin on North Korea: Channel 5 documentary, first aired 20th and 27th September 2018 See also Michael Palin, North Korea Journal, 2019
2. Official North Korean newspapers from DPRK
3. Hassig, Ralph (2009), The Hidden People of North Korea: Everyday Life in the Hermit Kingdom, Rowman & Littlefield, p. 53
4. Kim, Samuel S (2001), The North Korean System in the Post-Cold War Era, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 20
5. Stephan., Haggard (2007). Famine in North Korea : markets, aid, and reform. Noland, Marcus, 1959-. New York: Columbia University Press
6. Spoorenberg, Thomas; Schwekendiek, Daniel (2012). “Demographic Changes in North Korea: 1993–2008”. Population and Development Review. 38 (1): 133–158