Report of Visit to People's Korea by Mitchell Wells KFA Scotland

                                       

Apologies for my absence at this report back meeting. I am presently 400 miles away and was not able to make it in person, but here is an account; my observations, my thoughts etc. about my visit to the DPRK with the delegation that I was privileged to be part of.
Of the 5 of us that made up the delegation, 2 of us, including me, had never been to the DPRK before. Although I have visited quite a few socialist countries since my youth , some of which are no longer with us, I had always wanted to visit the DPRK.
Our journey to Pyongyang involved an overnight stay in Beijing, China. We didn't stray far from the airport area but  I must say I was not very impressed with what I saw. Socialism with Chinese characteristics appeared to me in the form of billboard adverts for Estee Lauder, Givenchy, Range Rovers and other flashy consumer goods. I wanted to feel the power of the working people rather than this.
That was to change over the next 7 days.
On boarding the Koryo Arlines plane I was a bit apprehensive, having read that Koryo airlines is the worlds' only 1 star airline and the food served on it is disgusting. What I boarded was a very comfortable plane for a very pleasant flight. The burger served up was actually rather nice.
That was the first of many myths and lies about the DPRK that was refuted right in front of my eyes.
On arrival at Pyongyang we were met by our guide Comrade Li from the Korean Association of social sciences. Here was a very smartly dressed man who in the end gave 7 days of his time to look after us and show us about and keep us informed. he did his best to accommodate our wishes. He must be congratulated on that. but it wasn't just comrade Li who made us feel welcome, everyone we came across in Pyongyang made us feel welcome.
After having our photos taken by the press, which made me feel a bit like a celebrity, we were whisked away to our hotel. The Hotel Koryo, a 5 star hotel with everything we needed. Staying on the 21st floor I had a brilliant view across the city and down below. It was great to see the workers in the street making their way to work each morning to the sound of revolutionary music.
Other speakers will no doubt tell you about all the places of interest that we visited. It was a very busy itinerary, and we saw and did many things. I won't go into detail about every place we visited, but I will mention a few things. We visited 3 factories, a bag making factory, a cosmetics factory and a footwear factory. We saw at first hand the workers in their factories, producing goods for themselves and for the rest of society. we noticed that the working conditions were very good, and that many needs are catered for in the factories. There are places for recreation including swimming pools, sports facilities, rooms for further education, lecture halls etc. We learnt that the workers themselves take part in the design of the products they are making, and one of the factories had already reached its year's target in just over 8 months. The quality of the goods being made were excellent. The productive forces in the DPRK are certainly more advanced than I had expected.
Now I must tell you about my impression of Pyongyang in general. Sometimes it felt like I was dreaming and that I was in a place of the future, almost like science fiction. Much of Pyongyang is so modern and futuristic looking. As you travel about Pyongyang you realise that this must be the cleanest city in the world. It is immaculate everywhere, there is nothing out of place. In fact during the entire week I only saw one piece of litter - a piece of paper at the kerbside. This was the first realisation the the Koreans undoubtedly take pride in their city.
I saw with my own eyes, a modern clean city with its citizens, healthy looking, well dressed, and happy with what they are doing. So much for the stories of starving people living under the iron fist of a dictatorship. These were people getting on with their lives without a worry. They know that they are working for themselves not some  fat cat billionaires
As each day went by I started to realise more and more that there is something amazing going on here. I have to say, they are building a paradise. And they are building it themselves on their own terms. They call it the Juche idea and I'm no expert on their philosophy - the jury is still out for me, but utilising this idea, formulated by Kim Il sung and Kim Jong il they are doing wonderful things. It's very clear they are forging ahead on the road to a world of a much higher level than ours. Compared with the other socialist countries I have visited they are further ahead than anyone else. One can only wonder at the miracles they could be doing if the sanctions were lifted.
The 9th was the actual day 70 years ago that the DPRK was founded. This was a big day for the Koreans and we celebrated it with them. We had pride of place in the viewing area of Kim il Sung square for the military parade. I had only ever seen the  military parades through Kim il sung sq on you-tube, but here we were, right up close to the solders and weaponry of the Korean peoples army. It was an amazing display of a proud people who will not bow down to anyone. At the end we looked round from our seats and there  just 25 yards away, was the respected marshal Kim Jong Un, waving to us and the citizens of Pyongyang. The cheers for the Marshal from the crowd were deafening.  It's clear the masses are firmly behind their leader.
Later that day we witnessed the mass games at the may day stadium - the world's biggest stadium. This was the most amazing visual display I had ever seen in my life. That 100,000 people working in unison to create such a display showed to me the steeled unity of the Korean masses. I doubt such a feat could be achieved in a country under the rule of capital.
This is the feeling you get as you experience Pyongyang. The people are united like I've never seen before. Their unity is so strong, the imperialists will never break it.
I mentioned myths and lies earlier, well one of the most spurious lies or myths  about the DPRK was demolished yet again, right in front of my eyes. We're told in the west that the families of criminals are sent to concentration camps to pay for the crimes of their family members. Whilst we were at a talk arranged by the KASS, in attendance and mingling with the participants was the brother of the traitor from the DPRK embassy in London. Now I'm sure treason is a very serious offence in the DPRK but what of the fate of his close family member, his brother? Well he was a free man!
Of course many other myths and lies about the DPRK were refuted during our stay. There are disabled people in Pyongyang, women do ride bikes, there is more than one tv channel, and people do sing and dance and enjoy themselves.
One of the things the Koreans are keen to put across, is their pride in what they are doing. They so often say "we made this with our own efforts" or "everything we do is for us and to raise our standard of living".
As I mentioned before, you will no doubt be hearing in detail from others about all the places of interest that we visited, but i will just end on this. As the American journalist Lincoln Steffens said after spending time in the early days of the Soviet Union ""I have seen the future, and it works".