Mar 5th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
North Korea is the hermit kingdom; a strange land of mass games and dear leaders trapped in a 1950's communist time warp. While they may not have modern supermarkets or PlayStation 3, North Korea does have one of the tallest hotels in the world, and it looms high above Pyongyang like a tribute to the ill advised whims of dear leader Kim Jong Il.
According to USA Today, The pyramidal Ryugyong ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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North Korea resumes construction on world's most hideous hotel
Mar 5th, 2011 at 3:00PM:
North Korea is the hermit kingdom; a strange land of mass games and dear leaders trapped in a 1950's communist time warp. While they may not have modern supermarkets or PlayStation 3, North Korea does have one of the tallest hotels in the world, and it looms high above Pyongyang like a tribute to the ill advised whims of dear leader Kim Jong Il.
According to USA Today, The pyramidal Ryugyong ...Video of the Day - Inside North Korea
Feb 8th, 2011 at 6:30PM:
North Korea is undoubtedly the most difficult country in the world to gain access to, especially if you're a journalist aiming to produce a video about the reclusive nation. For months, the travel bad boys over at VBS.tv corresponded with North Korea's representatives to arrange a guided tour of the infamous Mass Games.
After being selected as one of the only groups to cover the event, VBS ...
Five American-style North Korean restaurants for foodies
Nov 8th, 2010 at 8:00AM: This may not have been the case a few years ago, but Pyongyang is definitely on its way to becoming a culinary destination ... well, maybe not. Nonetheless, it is pretty wild that the self-isolating regime has let slip some pretty wild information about the dining options available in the capital. If you can finagle a way into North Korea and somehow get yourself a bit of freedom to move, there ...Former chef to North Korean dictator dishes on change prospects with Kim Jong-un
Nov 4th, 2010 at 8:00AM: It looks like Kim Jong-un will follow in the footsteps of his father, Kim Jong-il. This succession plan, of sorts, will extend the Kim dynasty in North Korea to a third generation, separating the top dog even further from the supposed revolutionary exploits of the country's first leader, Kim Il-sung.
With new blood, of course, the question of change is inevitable. Under Kim Jong-il, there have ...New Pyongyang restaurant opens to rave reviews
Nov 2nd, 2010 at 11:00AM: Forget Manhattan, Pyongyang seems to be the hottest spot for new restaurant openings. Sure, there seems to be a new dining option popping up in New York City every time you blink ... but that's to be expected! When new options come to North Korea, it's a bit more noticeable.
Only two weeks ago, word hit the west about a new burger joint in the North Korean capital, called Samtaesung, with links ...Pyongyang burger joint opens to wide popularity
Oct 18th, 2010 at 2:00PM: Pyongyang has its first hamburger joint, and the locals who can afford it are flocking to the place. With a name rooted firmly in propaganda – not exactly surprising – the restaurant serves distinctly American fare, though I doubt there's a disclaimer on the menu.
Samtaesung, the name of the fast-food spot, translates to "Three Huge Stars," an obvious reference to current leader Kim ...Kim Jong-il likely to inspect biggest North Korea military parade in history
Sep 27th, 2010 at 2:30PM: Who doesn't love a parade, right? Well, there's a big one coming to Pyongyang. A large military parade is in the works, reports Yonhap News Agency, and it's expected to be "unprecedented" in scale. In fact, it's likely to be the largest military parade North Korea has held, possibly twice as large as its predecessors.
Troops, armored vehicles, missiles and other hardware have been amassed at ...North Korean art show focuses on the familiar
Aug 21st, 2010 at 2:00PM: A new fine art exhibition kicked off in Pyongyang last week, and according to the Korea Central News Agency, it's a must-see. If you're down with the "anti-Japanese struggle," I suspect you'll be right at home at the Pyongyang International Cultural Center.
There are "at least 60 fine art works" on display, among them pieces created by Pyongyang-area artists during the "period of the ...DMZ peace park a hopeful Korean destination for children
Aug 16th, 2010 at 4:30PM: In my career as a writer – and before that as a management consultant – I saw some pretty strange proposals. But, nothing that crossed my desk compared to what Jonathan Lee has put together. The 13-year-old was born in South Korea and lives in the United States, and he's going on a most unusual journey. The enterprising teenager was scheduled to fly Thursday night to Pyongyang to pitch ...Everybody loves Arirang according to North Korean news agency
Aug 11th, 2010 at 1:00PM: It's Arirang time! The North Korean group gymnastics festival is under way, and the crowds are predictably adoring. According to the Korea Central News Agency, the twenty-fifth batch of campers of the Songdowon International Children's Camp "appreciated the grand gymnastic and artistic performance." But, that shouldn't come as a surprise because it was in KCNA.
Shockingly, the KCNA continued: ...World Cup hangover: North Korea team grilled
Jul 30th, 2010 at 3:00PM:
The North Korean World Cup soccer team never had a chance in South Africa, but that didn't make the trip home any easier. At the beginning of July, they faced a "grand debate" because they let down the regime in the "ideological struggle" to put the ball into the net a lot during the tournament. More than 400 government officials, students and journalists watched the spectacle, though I have ...
A priest, a rabbi, and... Kim Jong-il?
May 6th, 2010 at 9:00AM: If you're like me, you probably don't associate North Korea with comedy. But after reading the jokes below, told by North Korean defectors to Radio Free Asia, well... you still won't. The jokes, most of which lampoon Kim Jong-il and the North Korean police state, bring to mind a North Korean Yakov Smirnoff.
Here are a few of the North Korean knee-slappers (more here):
Chang Man Yong works on a ...Kim Jong-Il Celebration: Party Like It's Juche 99
Feb 17th, 2010 at 9:00AM: It was the biggest party of the year – and will probably retain that distinction until the end. Everybody was there, including foreign officials far too cool to be named. Dancers, singers and synchronized swimmers performed ... all in honor of the Dear Leader's sixty-eighth birthday. According to Pyongyang's state-run media, Kim was "praised by mankind as the most outstanding political elder ...North Korean film festival has begun!
Feb 10th, 2010 at 12:00PM: If you just happen to be in Pyongyang for the next week, check out the city's film festival. It opened yesterday at the People's Palace of Culture, with the opening ceremony followed by a screening of "The Great Devotion (2009, the year of dramatic changes)." The festival's fare is predictable in subject matter, but it will give you a leg up on the film junkies who brag about
Sundance and ...North Korea prohibits the use of large suitcases, a model to be replicated?
Jan 7th, 2010 at 12:00PM: The effect of monetary policy on the travel industry can be profound in any economy, but in North Korea, it's usually more complicated. In a developed market, for example, a monetary policy that leads to inflation can make travel more expensive (duh, right). Well, in North Korea, you have to look past the implications of monetary policy to the underlying political drivers ... because the root ...An open letter to Kim Jong-Il of North Korea
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Nov 13th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Dear Leader, I've heard that's how you like to be addressed by the people of North Korea, but since this is the beginning of a letter I guess I should say Dear Dear Leader. My editor sent me this article claiming that while your people are starving you own six luxurious trains fitted with high-tech communications facilities, conference rooms, and even ballrooms. Since you're reportedly afraid of ...Pizza and Beer: North Korean health food
Jul 14th, 2009 at 8:00AM: If you visit Pyongyang, you can make a discovery that has been known in bowling alleys across the United States for decades: beer and pizza go together. This year, new approaches to both the food and the drink have been developed, and the only thing missing is the crash of pins in the background.
Back in March, North Korea celebrated its first pizzeria. It took nearly a decade, but the country ...A peek inside the North Korean courts
May 15th, 2009 at 3:00PM:
There's something chilling about journalists being detained and tried in a foreign country ... a prospect made all the more uncomfortable when you throw the "Dear Leader" into the mix. But, do we really know what's about to happen? Well, aside from the fact that they're going to be tried "according to the indictment of the competent organ"?
Frankly, there's little information about what Laura ...Where did the commies go?
Sep 23rd, 2008 at 10:00AM: With September came the near fall of another Communitst leader, as Kim Jong Il, dictator over North Korea vanished from the limelight, joining his Cuban counterpart Fidel Castro in the murky depths of unknown, fiercely hidden ailments. The realist in me knows that both leaders are gravely ill. Kim Jong Il is said to have suffered a stroke early this month and hasn't since been seen in public -- ...Hilarious headlines from the North Korean Central News Agency
Mar 15th, 2008 at 8:20AM: Every once in a while, I like to head over to the website of North Korea's state-run news agency to see what propaganda they're currently feeding their unsuspecting populace. Here are a couple headlines and stories I've found:
"Kim Jong Il Praised As Most Famous Person of World"
The U.S. magazine "Time" praised him as the most outstanding statesman among the world's famous politicians in 2004 and ...
