Tag: pyongyang

The Harvard of North Korea

The tour was a bit long-winded, but here is what I remember both from the official explanation and from more intimate conversations with our minders. Kim Il Sung University was the first university founded in North Korea. Named in honor of the country’s founder and eternal President, the university is responsible for producing the country’s elite […]

American Movies

A tap on my shoulder woke me up. I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window, only to find the same monotonous stretch of mountains that had first lulled me to sleep. We were still on the potholed-ridden roads of the Pyongyang-Wonsan highway. “Why’d you wake me up?” I said to Park, the young North […]

“You Shouldn’t Throw it Away”

I needed to throw out the Chinese chewing gum that had kept me preoccupied during our drive through Pyongyang. After only seven minutes, it had lost its flavor, and was at this point giving my jaw an unnecessary workout. Back home in the States, I would not have given any thought to just spit it out where […]