Inside the hermit kingdom of North Korea

By NEIL PLIMMER

The 30-year-old Ilyushin-62 aircraft which carried us from Beijing to Pyongyang - the sort with all four engines in two pods on the tail - was an entirely appropriate way to prepare for entry to the Hermit Kingdom of North Korea.

The interior decor was clean and comfortable, but reflected the aircraft's age, with lace covers on the headrests, dry ice filling the cabin before takeoff and hot towels the size of large hand towels handed around to passengers.

It was a flight from yesteryear.

Arriving at Pyongyang Airport was reminiscent of passing from East to West Berlin shortly before the wall was knocked down. There were high-walled immigration booths and a guard asked if I had a cell-phone or a GPS device.

But nothing was threatening, and all the passengers were cleared in 40 minutes.

We were officially welcomed to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea by Chae Sung-Chol, an agreeable young man who wore neat, casual Western dress, and was fluent in English.

It was an early sign that many things were pleasantly normal on the surface of this foundation member of President George W. Bush's Axis of Evil.

North Korea's own tourist description, Land of the Morning Calm, seemed more valid.

Pyongyang, largely rebuilt in the 1960s and 70s, has a carefully planned layout with all the facilities that go with this: large modern buildings, expansive plazas, wide streets and abundant public art.

Morning and evening rush hours do not cause traffic jams: people walk, cycle and take the bus or the underground, but do not, with few exceptions, drive cars.

So what is there for a visitor to see? Most of the attractions relate to the traumatic 20th-century history of Korea: emergence from Japanese colonisation at the end of World War II, the partition of the peninsula and the establishment of the regime in the North under the "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung, and then the Korean War.

A city tour will include the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery, with a curiously compelling outdoor display of 120 individualised bronze busts and spectacular views over the city; the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, with a vivid recounting of the Korean War from a North Korean perspective; the USS Pueblo, the American spy ship captured in 1968 now moored on the banks of the Taedong River that winds through the centre of the city; and perhaps a visit to the vast (5ha of floor space) Children's Palace or the even vaster (10ha floor space) Grand People's Study House.

Each reflects the mind of the regime, making a strong statement to locals, domestic travellers and foreign visitors alike that this is a government capable of great achievements and here for the long haul. The spaces in between the proud sites, reflecting everyday life, showed a tougher reality of people living with very little to go on and facilities in disrepair.

The public art is particularly intriguing. The huge statues of leaders, revolutionary fighters and aspiring youth are the expected displays of a one-party state.

The bright, political murals are more intriguing. These are everywhere - except in the guidebooks - some half a block long.

Those from the early years of the regime are strident, almost comic-book, in style, a people at war, anti-American, citizens overcoming every adversity. Those of more recent years are much gentler: the benign face of the leader against a rising sun or with children at play. This is probably the last such place where these sorts of statements are made and seriously maintained on such a grand scale.

The movie Goodbye Lenin highlighted the fall of one such situation in East Germany. But it's all still there to be seen in North Korea though inevitably you ponder how long it will last.

Driving around the capital it is impossible to miss the "traffic ladies" firmly directing traffic at intersections. Stern in white uniforms with military caps and batons, they brook no disobedience. Our guide laughed, "We used to have traffic lights but no one took any notice. They do now!"

One of our group ventured to comment, "They are actually very attractive women."

"Yes," came the reply, "we have a saying, North Korean women are more beautiful than the South's and South Korean men are more handsome."

Outside the political culture of Pyongyang is a countryside of rice fields and low, forested mountains.

We took in Mt Myohyang, set in attractive northern deciduous forest about two hours' drive north of the capital.

Its neighbourhood included the (yes, vast) International Friendship Centre, housing in 150 large underground rooms the gifts given to Kim Il-sung over his years in charge. We sampled just a few, some of historical interest, but many not warranting the attention.

We stayed overnight in Hyangsan Hotel which, like that in the capital, had been built on a scale for international visitors but which was now reflecting the faded grandeur of expectations not fulfilled.

North Korea can boast a long history even though it focuses on promoting its recent past. Pohyon Temple near Mt Myohyang is a well-kept and peaceful Buddhist complex including pagodas, halls and temples, with wind bells and gardens, dating to the 11th century. One building includes a rare collection of the 80,000 wooden blocks that comprise the complete collection of Buddhist scriptures.

History is also the focus of a day visit to Kaesong, south of Pyongyang, and capital of the old Koryo dynasty, which ruled Korea for nearly 500 years until the 14th century. The remnants are scattered - two royal mausoleums, a gate and a bridge, some big bronzes of a bell and a tortoise, and the like. But they are enough to get the stories of royal intrigue and murder rolling and it is nice to see that the rulers of those times were satisfied with statues on a human scale.

Close by is the DMZ and Panmunjon, site of the armistice talks that ended the Korean War. I had visited it in 1987, from the South Korean side, and the tension had been palpable.

This time the trappings of tension were still there, with soldiers on both sides inspecting all movement on the other through binoculars, but it was much harder to take it seriously. The notion that either Korea would today attack the other across the border did not seem plausible.

Nevertheless we had to wait our turn to enter the building straddling the demarcation line where the negotiations took place. It was open to visitors from the South and North on alternate hours; there was no chance of mingling or entering the other country by this route. The room was exactly preserved with its austere 1950s furnishings.

Our one moment of tension came when a soldier tersely asked if any of us were Australians. He was upset at the naval exercise last year off the Australian coast designed to practise intercepting North Korean ships that might be exporting military equipment.

Travel through the countryside was by our assigned minibus along mainly four-lane highways that were adequately surfaced for the most part, but which in patches showed their age and a lack of maintenance.

Villages were set well back and were not part of the itinerary but they were not all in good repair and showed no signs of consumer goods.

Instead occasional oxcarts pulled heavier goods, and women - as in so many places the world over - carried bundles of sticks on their heads. But the people we saw seemed in good heart: groups of school children walking home were razzing each other like schoolchildren everywhere; farm workers returning home were walking confidently; young couples held hands.

In both the capital and on the road we visited different restaurants every day. Except for breakfasts the food was always Korean, but the menus included a wide variety of dishes so there was always plenty to enjoy. Some was superb. We were sure these restaurants were available to all tourists, but few local people could afford them.

Tours of North Korea can extend for up to 16 days. Book well in advance through a specialist tour company, and be prepared for a bit of paperwork for a visa application.

The northern late summer and autumn is best - September or October - with spring another possibility. Midsummer is wet, and the winter harshly cold.

Your tour will be "fully inclusive" and each day comfortably filled. You are likely to feel safe at all times, and unlikely to have any problems unless you are determined to break out from the standard boundaries. You will have a unique experience.

* Neil Plimmer is former chief executive of the New Zealand Tourist Department. As a former President of the Bangkok-based Pacific Asia Travel Association he led an international tourism mission to advise North Korea's National Tourism Administration on how to increase travel to the long-isolated country.

How to get there

Any route to Beijing, although the tour operator may provide a package which includes all or part of this travel. Air Koryo flies Beijing/Pyongyang return Tuesdays and Saturdays. Beijing/Pyongyang by rail is also possible, trip takes about 24 hours, departures Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/ Saturday. This leg will certainly be included in your tour arrangements. Train in, fly out is possible.

Tour companies The main state-owned tour company is Korea International Travel Company (KITC), Pyongyang fax 850 2 3817607. Beijing-based Koryo Group is an approved tour company with a variety of options, fax 86 10 6416 7544 or (recommended) www.koryogroup.com, email info@koryogroup.com

Cost

From Beijing about $NZ1960 (Euros 990) for four nights, $3000 (Euros 1550) for seven. Longer tours are possible. The Euro is the preferred foreign currency for local purchases.

Visas

You'll need to get a visa from the nearest DPRK embassy (Canberra if applying independently) but your tour company will usually arrange this. Don't forget you'll also need a double-entry visa to China.