"Dearly beloved leader.."

Press, 28 July 1976, Page 17

"Dearly beloved leader.."

At the head of the “family” is Kim II Sung. He is treated by his people as father of the country’. The Koreans call him their “dearly beloved leader.” His birthplace at Mangvongdae is a national monument and museum and is visited by many thousands. From the early 1900 s to 1945 rhe Koreans suffered as a Japanese colony, and it ts the Japanese and Americans who are most disliked by Koreans. Their strongest hatred is for the Japanese because, Mr Walker says, it was an extremely cruel occupation from start to finish. But. since the Korean War, the United States has been blamed for the division of the country into two Koreas. There are strong bonds between North Korea and Russia, and the traditional ties to China remain firm. Mr Walker says that the Chinese are extremely bitter about their present relations with Russia, and he likened the public argument between China and Russia with the public dispute between North Korea and the United States. As in China, all Korean operas have a political basis. The one that the two New Zealanders attended was set during the time when Korea was a Japanese colony. During the performance many of the audience were overcome with grief as they watched the struggle of their people portrayed on the stage

Korea has a similar climate to New Zealand’s. It is hot in the summer, with less wind than in New Zealand, but in the winters it is extremely cold because of the huge Siberian land mass to the north-west. A major irrigation scheme is based on a lake about three times the size of Hagiey Park and which supplies water- to half the country. The lake has been stocked with fish and the land around is now the subject of a large aforrestation programme. Holiday cottages have been built around the lake, which is used as an ice skating area in the winter. There is no taxation in North Korea. Wages are low, families pay little in rent, and food is subsidised. The average wage is about $9O a month and rent is I per cent of the wages. If a husband and wife are both working and receiving a combined wage of $l5O a month, their rent would be $1.50 a month. And included in the rent is power, fuel, and other heating costs. Farmers are not paid a wage. Rice — the nation’s staple diet — is bought from the farmer at 60c a kilo and sold to the people in the town at 12c a kilo. There is no taxation, but the money is redistributed from cities to the country through the high price paid for rice. Through this income redistribution the city worker does not become richer than the farmer. The redistribution has a similar effect to the farm-

ing subsidies paid out of taxes in New Zealand. The main modes of communication are newspapers and television. Television sets are kept artificially low in price as it is the major communication method of the government. On one of the war memorials in Pyongyang is a television set cast in bronze. The memorial is to the struggle of the Korean people against the Japanese, and also to the Korean War. The television set is seen as a symbol of the modern benefits that have been given the people since the war. Mr Walker’s understanding of North Korean attitudes towards the South Koreans and the Americans was deepened by a trip the New Zealanders took to the demilitarized zone between the two countries. Kaesong is about four hours by car from Pyongyang and it is used by visitors as a stepping stone to the demilitarized zone. The hotel in Kaesong was full of visitors, including a number of Polish and Swedish army officers. The officers are part of the 1953 truce team which is still in existence to rule on violations along the frontier. Before they could venture into the demilitarised zone and visit the town of Panmunjom. the New Zealanders took the number plates off their car and had flags fixed to them, to conform to the strict rules of entry into Panmunjom.

They went through about 10 checkpoints but were stopped at only two. At the outskirts of Panmunjom they had to go through combined North and South Korean checkpoints. The place where the armistice was signed is maintained as a museum by . the North Koreans. They have there a complete history of the war as seen through the eyes of the North Koreans. The area where the negotiations took place, with its tables and chairs, has been kept as it was in 1953. From the museum to Panmunjom itself is another quarter of a mile and the visitors had their own personal guards at this stage. The air was tense, and to the New Zealanders it was just as if the war had ended only the day before. There is still bitter feeling between North and South Koreans there, and between North Koreans and Americans. Panmunjom is devoted entirely to the administration of the demarcation lines, and the visitors went to a building set aside for meetings between the delegates from the twm countries to discuss problems over the border lines. Mr Walker explains the North Korean’s attitude to South Korea and the division of the country: “The North Koreans blame the whole war and the division of their country on the Americans. The country is so isolated as far as travel is concerned that

this has enabled the longterm bitterness of the war to continue for more than 20 years. Neither side is able to negotiate without bitterness. “The North Koreans feel strongly that there must be more contact from both sides, but I am not optimistic about this. No maii is permitted between the two countries and there are no broadcasts from either country other than on political matters. “Apart from a few isolated sporting visits there is no contact between either side. This stops any real chance of reunification. There is a grave danger that if this is allowed to continue for many more years, the fighting could break out again.’’ In contrast to the harshness of Panmunjom, the New Zealanders made their last internal trip in North Korea to the seaside resort city of Wonsan, on the east coast opposite Pyongyang. Wonsan is a delightful holiday city, similar to Napier. From there it is about 40 miles into the area of their sacred mountain, which is also a holiday resort. There are walkways cut up the mountains, and superb views. There is an ancient volcanic area, beautiful and well maintained. Like the rest of North Korea, and like Singapore, there is no litter. “In comparison to these areas, we are rapidly turning our resorts into rubbish dumps,” says Mr Walker.