Editor’s note: continued from Day One in North Korea.
Part of Day Two in North Korea.
“No mercy for the enemies! That’s why our NATIONAL ANIMAL is the tiger!” exclaimed Mr. Hang, our tour guide, staring me in the face. His tone switched instantaneously as he smiled at the group at large and calmly asked, “can you understand?”
“Yes!” we affirmed.
It was early on Sunday, May 1st, May Day, and our tour bus was barreling through Pyongyang, North Korea. On passing the Pyongyang Zoo, the tour group oo’ed and ah’ed at the massive tiger head surrounding the door. A tourmate had asked “Why is it so big?” and that’s how Mr. Hang responded – to me.
Thirty minutes later, in shirts and ties, we were dropped in a group of what must have been almost every foreigner in the country, and caught our first glimpse of today’s destination.
Formerly the home palace of Kim Il-sung, it is now he and his son’s final resting place, the host of authoritarian communism’s favorite pastime: deifying bad people by lying them in state.
The only major lesson to take from this experience was to truly internalize the depth of love many North Koreans have for their leadership, and to acknowledge the challenge this portends for democratic nations, either before or after the potential collapse of the North Korean government.
Here is my story of visiting this most unusual place.