No gaols — no churches — in North Korea

Press, 28 July 1976, Page 17

No gaols — no churches — in North Korea

The Christchurch trade unionist, Mr Gordon Walker, recently spent two weeks in China and North Korea, with the Rev. Don Borne, of Porirua East, travelling at the invitation of the North Korean Government. In the second of his two articles. Mr Walker talks to ROBIN SMITH about the North Korean way of life. The first article appeared on this page yesterday.

The capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is Pyongyang. It lies on the west coast of the peninsula and the New Zealanders arrived there after a three-hour flight from Peking. Pyongyang’s airport is nestled into the hills outside the city, similar to Dunedin’s Momona airport. It is used by both military and civil authorities, and the military aspect can be seen in the anti-aircraft installations around the perimeter. Pyongyang is a city of wide boulevards, uncluttered by the bicylces of the cities of China. Completely devasted during rhe Korean War, the rebuilding of the city did not start until 1953. Even light industry’ seems to have been kept out of the city, which is basically’ an administrative capital like Canberra. The buildings are of concrete and brick,

and are mainly flats and offices. The capital is also the cultural centre of North Korea, most of the institutes for higher learning being there, and also the national opera, circus and movie theatres. Travel about the city for most people is b; bus, trolleybus, or underground railway. All these modes of transport are extremely cheap, costing 5 cents a trip for an unlimited distance. The New Zealanders were given the use of a car for the whole of their stay. Most of the time they were accompanied by their guide, Mr Lee, and their interp--''r, Mr Hong. There is no encouragement given a tourist industry, Mr Walker «-ys. but there are Chinese and Russian tourists. In particular, the Russians go to the North Korea from Western Russia;' they are

on holiday from the forestry. mining, and oil projects in Siberia. , The menu in their hotel was in four parts: Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean foods. The New Zealanders were served by waitresses wearing colourful brocades and silks similar to the dresses worn by all the working female population in Pyongyang. It is customary to use chopsticks, but knives and forks are available on request. Korean beer and wine is served with lunch and dinner, and imported drinks can be ordered. There are no bars as we know them so that visitors either drank in the hotel drinking room or in their own room. A feature of both Japanese and Chinese hotels is that there is always a large thermos of hot water in each room for guests to make themselves tea — without milk.

On the second day of their stay in North Korea the New Zealanders visited a children’s nursery — a combination of a day and a boarding nursery. In all cases the mothers have the choice of leaving their children for the night and only seeing them at the week-ends, or of taking them home each night, About half of the women leave the children in the nurseries until the weekends.

The whole country works a six-day week, with Sunday the only rest day. Most work an eighthour day, but heavy industry workers have a six-hour day. Shifts are worked but there is very little overtime. Schools also have a sixday week, but the sixth day is the special “Day of the Pioneers.” It is given to the state, and when the New Zealanders were there it was the tirqp of the year when the rice is transplanted into the fields. So. on the sixth school day, the children helped in this transplanting. The rice is grown in concentrated seeding areas and then lifted in clumps and transplanted into rows. It is the one time of

the year when North Korea has a labour shortage, and members of the armed forces also help in the fields. The children are supplied with two school uniforms a year by the state and they are similar to New Zealand uniforms. Children march to school, singing. Whenever the visitors entered a class they were greeted with applause and were applauded again when they left. The schools are well equipped, especially with musical instruments, including grand pianoes. The standard of music among children is high and the music they play is more western than eastern, The country is one large family, Mr Walker says. If a section of that family needs help, then they get it. The closeness of the population, he says, explains why there is no crime in North Korea. There are no gaols — and no churches. The Koreans say that all the churches were destroyed during the Korean War and they saw no point in. rebuilding them — and no point, in encouraging religion. Their country, their political system, and their leader make up their religion.