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  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • THE DEAR LEADERS ARE WATCHING YOU<br />
Anywhere you are in DPRK, you will see the portraits of the Dear Leaders. In the houses, in the offices, in the<br />
hospitals, in the subway, they never leave you!<br />
If you look carefully, you will see that they are the frames are leaning forward to avoid reflections that would<br />
make them difficult to see.<br />
Only the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il can bee seen. Kim Jong Un has not yet portrait yet. They are<br />
sometimes accompanied by a portrait of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife, and the mother of Kim Jong Il.<br />
In this case they are dressed with military uniforms and caps.<br />
They are two versions, one with pictures from the 80’s where the Leaders are very serious, one from the 90s<br />
where they smile. Some say they were the only people who smiled in North Korea.<br />
The portraits are so photshopped, in fact retouched by hand by north korean artists, that they look more ike<br />
paintings that pictures.<br />
The people who marry receive the two portraits and sometimes a third one showing Kim il Sung and Kim Jong Il<br />
chating with papers in the hands. This picture is really bad as it is taken with flash in a corridor office. When i<br />
asked my guide, he admitted this was not a perfect quality picture but it was the perfect illustration of the Dear<br />
Leaders working for the people, even when they were walking.<br />
When you ask north koreans if those portraits are not too much everywhere, they say that as they venerate the<br />
Leaders, it is a pleasure to see them all day long. My guide even noticed that many people have Jesus crucifix<br />
inside their bedrooms in western countries, for him, it was the same…<br />
The frames must always be clean, without fingers marks or dust for example. If you are caught not taking care<br />
of your portraits, you may have problems with the Party or even fined. I noticed that many portraits were dull<br />
because of the sun light on them after years, and were not changed. It seems it was a problem of budget.<br />
The wall where the portraits are hu
    ExPix_THE_DEAR_LEADERS_ARE_WATCHING_...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • EXCLUSIVE<br />
A Chemical Beach Tour in North Korea<br />
<br />
For a long time, I had wanted to enjoy the beaches of North Korea promoted in official brochures. But the best one – located on the East Coast in Hamhung, the second largest city in the DPRK with a population of 800,000 – was not open to tourists. This finally changed in 2011 and I jumped on the opportunity to be one of the first to visit the place.<br />
<br />
My North Korean guide got starry-eyed while talking about this beach. He was extolling the "excellent stretches of pristine beach.” I don’t think that he ever went there but he learnt the official propaganda by heart.<br />
He told me that every North Korean citizen had the secret dream of enjoying a beach holiday. On the brochure he gave me, it said, “Majon, the resort in the suburbs of Hamhung and an industrial city” – an example of North Korean marketing.<br />
<br />
After arriving in Hamhung, a five-hour drive from Pyongyang, I follow the mandatory city tour. One stop in front of the Grand Theatre – not possible to go inside. I’m allowed to open the bus window if I want to take a picture. Another stop in front of Kim Il Sung’s giant statue. My guide explains, “The hill was built by people so they could erect the statue of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung on top of it. From there, you have a great view over the city. Let’s go!”<br />
In fact, the view from the top shows a dull city surrounded by the smoke from the factory chimneys as Hamhung is home to the best beach in North Korea but is also an industrial city with many chemical complexes. Everywhere we drive, we see factories when they are not hidden by the chimney smoke.<br />
<br />
My guide tells me that there is no pollution in the city… I ask him to be serious for once. Perhaps the air is pure in Pyongyang, but in Hamhung, it’s another story. But he keeps repeating that the air is pure. Sometimes, too much propaganda kills the propaganda…<br />
<br />
I am invited to visit the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex. An alarming yellow smoke
    ExPix_EXC_A_Chemical_Beach_Tour_in_N...jpg
  • PAEKTU, LAND OF NORTH KOREAN LEGENDS<br />
<br />
Mount Paektu volcano is considered a holy place for North Koreans. It is deemed the place of origin for them. The country's founding father Kim Il- Sung commanded anti-Japanese guerrilla in the 50’s from a secret camp in this place.<br />
North Korea says his son Kim Jong-il was born there in 1942. He was actually born in Siberia, where his father had taken refuge from Japanese troops.<br />
The dear Leaders are said to have a "mount Paektu bloodline ». A famous slogan says: « Let us all turn out in the general offensive to hasten final victory in the revolutionary spirit of Paektu! »<br />
A new probelm may erupt: when North Korea tests a nuclear weapon, specialists say the energy could trigger a volcanic...eruption in Paektu. That could be a huge disaster, killing thousands in North Korea and on the chinese side too.<br />
<br />
Photo shows: The first stop of the pilgrimage is in Samjiyon Grand Monument. The famous statue of the bugler is a national icon in the DPRK that can be seen in many places.<br />
©Eric Lafforgue/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_LAND_OF_NORTH_KOREAN_LEGENDS16.jpg
  • PAEKTU, LAND OF NORTH KOREAN LEGENDS<br />
<br />
Mount Paektu volcano is considered a holy place for North Koreans. It is deemed the place of origin for them. The country's founding father Kim Il- Sung commanded anti-Japanese guerrilla in the 50’s from a secret camp in this place.<br />
North Korea says his son Kim Jong-il was born there in 1942. He was actually born in Siberia, where his father had taken refuge from Japanese troops.<br />
The dear Leaders are said to have a "mount Paektu bloodline ». A famous slogan says: « Let us all turn out in the general offensive to hasten final victory in the revolutionary spirit of Paektu! »<br />
A new probelm may erupt: when North Korea tests a nuclear weapon, specialists say the energy could trigger a volcanic...eruption in Paektu. That could be a huge disaster, killing thousands in North Korea and on the chinese side too.<br />
<br />
Photo shows: The first stop of the pilgrimage is in Samjiyon Grand Monument. The famous statue of the bugler is a national icon in the DPRK that can be seen in many places.<br />
©Eric Lafforgue/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_LAND_OF_NORTH_KOREAN_LEGENDS17.jpg
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