LETTER THAT THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER DID NOT PUBLISH (SO FAR ).

The supposedly 'liberal ' Guardian ' have not published a letter from KFA UK Chairman Dr Dermot Hudson  refuting the ' Women are banned from riding bicyles in the DPRK ' story . Instead the 'Guardian ' sent back an email repeating a load of old anti-DPRK baloney . So much for 'freedom of expression'

Dear Sir or Madam,

As someone who has visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)18 times  , I found the article by Justin McCurry ‘ North Korea – a model for Grant Shapps’ bicycle licence plate proposal? August 17th 2022 , contained glaring inaccuracies. Firstly , it was claimed that ‘officially women are banned from bikes’ . This is not true . I have seen many women riding bicycles in the DPRK and numerous pictures of women riding bicycles in the DPRK exist , even the “Guardian ‘ has published them .

   Secondly, the article also ludicrously claimed that bicycles were banned in the DPRK until 1992. However many publications of the DPRK before 1992 show people riding bicycles and visitors to the DPRK before 1992 also confirm this fact  .

Thirdly , walking around the streets of Pyongyang several times , I did not notice registration plates on the many bicycles that passed me .

Lastly , Mr McCurry writes of a ‘famine ‘ in the DPRK but this did not happen . I was in the DPRK in 1996 and did not see anyone starving .

The article struck me as both a cheap shot against People's Korea trying to compare it with the Conservative government here  and also a recycling of south Korean propaganda against the DPRK.

Yours faithfully

Dermot Hudson 

Chairman Korean Friendship Association  UK