Hoan young hamnida!

This is a photo diary of my trip to North Korea and China in September 2008. North Korea is not an often visited country, while China was still buzzing from the Olympic and Paralympic Games, making them both fascinating destinations.

Hello Beijing!

07.09.2008 Beijing, China 中國 北京


The airport express train took me to the heart of Beijing, where I settled into the Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel 閱微莊, located in an old hutong.


I briefly visited the National Centre for the Performing Arts 國家大劇院, a half-egg of glass and metal rising out of a reflective pond.



Appropriately the first dinner featured Peking duck, at Duck de Chine, at 1949 near Sanlitun.

Paralympics: two games, equal splendour

08.09.2008 Beijing, China 中國 北京
At Tian'anmen Square, I met Ms Wang, an 80-year-old Beijing local who was brimming with Olympic/Paralympic enthusiasm. She wanted her photos taken with as many foreign visitors as possible.




Judo for the visually impaired at the Beijing Workers' Gymnasium. The atmosphere was electrifying and moving.



Lunch and turtle jelly at Sanlitun Village.



Men's wheelchair basketball at the National Indoor Stadium: Japan vs Germany, and Australia vs UK. It's amazing what these athletes can do.




After the games, the Olympic Green was nearly deserted as I walked around to admire the famous Water Cube and Bird's Nest.

Touchdown in the DPRK

09.09.2008 Pyongyang, North Korea 朝鮮 平壤
With some trepidation we arrived at Pyongyang in North Korea, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The portrait of President Kim Il Song would become a very familiar sight.


Completed in 1982, the Arch of Triumph is a monument to the home return of President Kim Il Sung.


View from the Yanggakdo International Hotel.


Lobby of the Yanggakdo International Hotel. This orchid is the flower of President Kim Il Sung.

Arirang Mass Games

9 September 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of National Foundation Day. It was celebrated with a military parade through the streets, and the Arirang Mass Games at the impressive May Day Stadium. With 100,000 performers, the spectacular show retells the history of North Korea. Here is a tiny selection from the many photos I took.

Panmunjom DMZ

10.09.2008 Kaesong, North Korea 朝鮮 開城
The demilitarised zone (DMZ) is the buffer area between North and South Korea. We visited buildings where the Korean War (1951-53) ceasefire was negotiated and signed. Below is a monument to Kim Il Sung, who signed and dated a document about national reunification on 7 July 1994. The next day he died of a heart attack.


Small buildings straddle the North-South demarcation: blue buildings were American and white buildings were North Korean. The two sides would meet in these buildings for talks. The thin concrete strip marks the border.

Kaesong city

We had a 12-course lunch, Koryo imperial style, at the Tongil Reunification Restaurant.


The Koryo Museum is housed in a 1000-year-old Confucian university (992 AD), and displays information and relics from the Koryo dynasty.

USS Pueblo

Pyongyang, North Korea 朝鮮 平壤
The US spy ship and its crew of 83 were captured in 1968. The crew was returned after an American apology. The ship was kept as a trophy.

Mangyongdae Native House

Mangyongdae 萬景台 Native House is the birthplace of President Kim Il Sung on 15 April 1912.

The park, the fountains and the movie

Mansudae 萬壽台 Fountain Park, with its beautifully lit fountains and statues, was filled with locals relaxing in the evening. We came across the apparently renowned director Lee Yong Ho and his crew, and were asked to be extras in his film. The green-roofed building in the background is the Grand People's Study House (national library).






Our night tour continues at Kim Il Sung Square. Across the river is the Tower of Juche Idea, framed by lights proclaiming the 60th anniversary of National Foundation.