Visiting North Korea | DW Documentary

My name is Luca Faccio. I am a photographer and live in Vienna. I have visited North Korea 7 times since 2005. Taking photographs of the people there and their views. During my travels I saw more than was allowed. Journalists who visit the country are accompanied at all times by supervisors. I have known my supervisor for several years. Here I took photos with them. They check what is being filmed, who you are talking to and what it is about. I see family images. But from time to time I also see new things. I see several new ideas emerging among people who are caught up in this collective thinking.

A paranoid system to which I too must surrender. It is mandatory to begin each visit in front of the statues of the two great leaders. I am familiar with this. The two statues are part of the large Mansudae Monument, which commemorates North Korea's resistance against Japanese occupation. The capital, Pyongyang, has a population of more than 3 million people and is also home to a middle class that is increasingly economically independent of the state. A middle class that could be a problem for the regime in the long term. Since 2008, around 2 million mobile phones have been authorized. They monitor me using a mobile phone.

It also works for calling, but only for national and selected calls. For example, my supervisor. This is the first time I am allowed to travel by taxi. But of course together with my supervisor. We visited a supermarket where I found typical Western products. In my opinion people dress very well. There were casinos and I even discovered the Viennese coffee culture. However, I was the only guest. What surprised me was that state television showed Western propaganda figures. During my visit, the controversial Slovenian rock group Laibach was the first Western group allowed to perform. The dream of reunification between the North and the South is still valid.

However, this dream is slowly sinking due to new provocations and aggressive military tactics often applied on a border said to be the most dangerous in the world. I tried to discover the true condition of North Korean society. Because for me they are normal people behind the system. Looks are deceiving. I wasn't in just any souvenir shop. I was in Panmunjong, in the demilitarized zone. There is no shortage of coffee, smiles and cartridges. This is the highway from Pyongyang to Seoul. This was a disturbed railway for over 50 years. Here we have a manuscript by Kim Il-Sung. The great leader Kim Jong-Il visited this place four times.

I walked through the demilitarized zone together with my supervisors. There are three people in total. The atmosphere is sinister, full of tension and dreamlike. The day before my arrival there was a shooting. Military training is taking place today. It smells like ammunition and war. My supervisor said that his troops would protect me. Nothing relaxing. This zone extends along the peninsula along the 38th Parallel (the border line between North and South Korea). This is the place where the Allies arbitrarily divided the country after World War II. The border area is 248 km long and 4 km wide. This region is considered the most dangerous border in the world.

Here I met a colonel, I had known him for 10 years. Close enough that we often drink alcohol after meetings. It was clear to me that there was a person in the uniform and a person behind him. Here the ceasefire and the end of the war were negotiated. For you taking photographs is the most important thing. You don't have to give an explanation. The colonel took me from one barracks to another. It is very important to mention how often and what great leaders came to this place. He had to tell me that. But he was clearly interested in other things.

How is Austria reporting current conditions on the Korean Peninsula? This was the most important place in August in relation to the ceasefire. Two days after the completion of this building, on July 27, 1953, a ceasefire was agreed upon and signed here. On the day of the treaty signing, the Americans wanted to move the buildings further

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. They didn't get it because the journalists saw it and prevented it. On March 3, 2012, Great Leader Kim Jong-un said during a visit: If there is another war with the United States, we will not sign a ceasefire. We will destroy America until they surrender.

Evil America that moves buildings is like a dream to me. After the war we signed a ceasefire. But in future wars there will no longer be a ceasefire: Kim Jong-Un. The casual way we talk about war here sounds like Italians talking about football. My journey continues. We headed to the famous Blue Building where the meeting between the South and North Korean delegations took place. It is the border between the two countries, created by the victorious Allies in World War II. I admire your tenacity to continually create images. We arrived. Blue cabins. The beginning of the drama for the Korean people.

The center line of the impenetrable border. By comparison, the Berlin Wall is, according to some, like a garden barrier. A few meters from here is South Korea. Anyone who tries to cross will be shot. I heard that some foreigners are nice to us here. But benefit from us when they return home. I later discovered that the translator gave a different translation. Maybe it was to save face or it was intentional, I don't know. Critical questions are dangerous here. There are 13 newspapers in North Korea, but only one opinion piece. Upon returning to Pyongyang I wanted to know what people think about the reunification of the two Koreas.

I am allowed to discuss this with young students. I mean I won't tell you about our reunification. All people in Pyongyang should try to support the reunification of our country. Another must-see on the agenda is the birthplace of Kim Il-Sung. He is the founder of the country. And the house where he was born is a place of pilgrimage that everyone should visit. Father, mother and all members of his family fought against Japan. President Kim Il-Sung was born here. Since he was little he received patriotic and revolutionary education from his parents. That is why our communication expert, Kim Jong-Un, is not only loved by young women, but also by all Korean people.

Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il were very loved. Everyone loves a great leader. But is that true? It is very difficult to determine what is real and what is made up here. The same flowers here are sold several times a day. A supervisor behind them picks them up and then the flowers are "recycled." Eternal tribute to the eternal president. My next stop was a monument to the founding of the North Korean Workers' Party. The monument, 50 m high and made of granite, represents the communist symbol: the hammer and sickle. In addition to a brush intended to represent intellectuals.

The relief represents the battle between workers against the imperialist threat. Here at Life-Giving Trinity Church, I received a surprise. When the Russian punk band Pussy Riot was arrested, I documented an art event at a Russian Orthodox church in Vienna. As a result, I was interrogated by counterintelligence. In this Russian Orthodox church in North Korea, I use the same topic to indirectly talk about human rights. According to the Christian NGO Open Doors, North Korea is last in the world in terms of punishment of Christians. Pussy Riot sings and dances in a bikini at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow to demonstrate against Putin's regime during the election campaign.

I think the musicians insulted Our Lady. I don't want to imagine what would happen here if they insulted Holy Kim. According to the priest, someone who has extensive knowledge, information from the outside world must come from a source. If I asked directly about human rights, it would be seen as a provocation. And it may make my journey even more difficult. In many cases, people remain silent about things they do not want to talk about. Concentration camps, purges, shootings, those things do not exist here. Officially, this place is heaven on earth. The North Korean people are taught from childhood to accept all state ideologies.

Sacrifice your individual existence to that of the group. Even young children are trained to confront adults who express dissatisfaction with the leader and the party. I want to know when and how this brainwashing started. I tried to find the answer to this question in a school. A school with more than 1,000 students. But when I visited, the school hallways were empty. The principal took me to see the classrooms. Everything looks so new and neat. The schools I know are not like that. This is our cloning laboratory. It's a microscope. And on the screen you can see a cell enlarged 1,500 times.

It is a technical process to clone animals. He told me that Kim Jong-Il had announced that nanotechnology and biotechnology were the heart of North Korean science. So it seems. To avoid seeing the empty classrooms, the principal took me to a class that studied mathematics. Everything seems artificial to me. I don't know what the students are really taught here. When I started recording, the students used the calculator for no reason. But your calculations don't make sense. I think these students are just pretending. There are photos of great leaders everywhere. Hanging in every room. When I asked a student if he knew that Columbus had discovered America, he was silent at first.

Then the principal asked me to leave the room because he was disrupting class. But there was another surprise for me on this visit. They invited me to play soccer with 30 teenagers. I had never experienced anything like this in North Korea. A great moment for me wearing the Genoa shirt. For them it's not about winning. I think the students played badly on purpose to make me look better. During some games, there were 200 to 300 students sitting in the stands, so it felt like being in a stadium. As a result of the latest UN sanctions, North Korea must stand alone.

Raw materials or products cannot be exported. Looking at current economic conditions, it is hopefully only a matter of time before North Korea changes its harsh nuclear policy. They allowed me to visit a textile factory. I have come here four times. But the manager is new. Please come in and take a look. They showed a model of a loom. The workers, mostly women, are the pride of the country. Officially these workers receive a salary of 5 euros per month. Their real salaries may very well be even lower. People here survive on food stamps distributed by the government. Malnutrition is common in North Korea so people become smaller.

I must say that this factory is very clean. The workers laughed and joked. It is very clear that this country needs economic reform. Exports to China fell by half. Additionally, the country loses half of its agricultural land every year as a result of natural disasters such as droughts and floods. Leaving the country defenseless against climate change. Like many other poor countries. And because of new sanctions, North Korea is more isolated than ever. I'm glad I was allowed to photograph some of the workers. This is not easy to do here. My supervisors are responsible for my actions.

If I don't follow the rules, the situation could get complicated for them too. Over the years, the increasing number of private vehicles has shaped the face of the city. This shows that something is happening in the capital. Also at least in the private economy. New buildings are being built and the financial district reminds me of other famous cities in Asia. But in reality, these buildings housed high-ranking party officials. I was lucky to be allowed to visit this type of apartment after several years. In the elevator you see surveillance again. There are people who document where and when residents go.

It is difficult to imagine this type of system. The apartment they showed me was not just any apartment. It is a place of obligatory pilgrimage for foreign journalists. It is noted that Kim Jong-un has visited this place directly, but does anyone live here? There is no smell. Everything is perfectly organized. Like in a catalog. I can not believe it. I felt like I was in a movie where Kim Jong-un was the powerful director. On September 4 we got to work. Suddenly someone drove up. They are looking for me. They told me that a great leader would come.

I never expected that. Of course I'm happy. It seems to me that Kim Jong-un is not only executing people but also invading property. I'm not sure what a dictator does in someone's apartment, but things are different here. Although most North Koreans do not have the money to buy anything to supplement their food rations, there are still supermarkets stocked with Western products. Supermarkets are not always open and shelves are often empty, but this is a sign that the middle class is growing in Pyongyang. And ask for openness or at least certain luxury items. As I mentioned before, workers officially receive 5 euros per month.

You can't buy many things with that money. Those who buy here are upper middle class. The longer I am here, the more convinced I am that it is women who are forcing cultural changein his country. It is evident that his clothing no longer follows the rules of propaganda. They dress like Westerners. The desire for luxury goods has reached Pyongyang. Or at least in the upper classes. The women in line in front of me shouted: Long live the glory of Songun! Songun means "primary military." And that is the name of the state ideology that gives priority to national defense, in order to protect itself from the threat of imperialism from the United States and Japan.

In North Korea there is mandatory military service for men. The term is 10 years. The beloved leader came here six times. The venerable general came here four times. The current leader has come twice. Who comes, where and how often. In North Korea they tell you this all the time. I visited a state-owned vegetable plantation. 423 families live here. New houses were built to expand agricultural cooperatives. I hope they will allow me to talk to the people here. I was promised they would take me to one of the surgery sites, but I only saw a few people in what was supposed to be home to 423 families.

In a tall building that looked like a surveillance station, I was allowed to film the workers. From a safe distance. That's not what I imagined. Again, this is typical of North Korea. Giving up is not in my nature. So I insisted on meeting with the workers. I don't want to just look at what's allowed. I'm here to get to know Koreans better. To achieve this I have to know them. I managed to convince my supervisors. And after making a few calls, a group was formed. They took me to the greenhouse. As a side note, there is nothing in North Korea that is not well organized.

I don't think the word "improvisation" exists in North Korea. By the way, the red panel on the wall of the building says: vegetables for the people of the capital. Despite all the propaganda and what I would call brainwashing, Koreans often surprise me in a positive way. It is very important to pay attention to details in meetings with them. Although they are always organized and regulated. These encounters have an impact on the people here. I think it's the only way to separate people with propaganda. Pyongyang, the capital with a population of more than 3 million people, is experiencing a construction boom.

Skyscrapers are popping up everywhere filling the city skyline. If you look closely, the South Korean names are covered by North Korean banners. Like I said, you just have to pay attention to the details. I wonder where North Korea gets the money for this type of construction project. Nearly 80 percent of Pyongyang was destroyed in the Korean War. Over a three-year period, the United States dropped around 30 tons of napalm bombs on several regions and cities. However, economically North Korea was stronger than South Korea, until the 1970s. Thanks to the help of the Soviet Union. After that, North Korea fell further into its isolation.

It is not possible to record a concert for Pyongyang workers every day. I've been trying this for several years, but it doesn't work. This footage was taken in 2013, when I was allowed to film everyday conditions in North Korea, while walking. A victory for me. I can take a taxi for the first time. For this to happen, my supervisor had to call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Of course I'm not alone. There were supervisors to my left and right. As a tourist, of course, I paid three times more, but that also happens in Rome and New York.

I discovered something new. It may seem insignificant, but the image of a North Korean airline plane is an advertisement. A surprise in a country where the main publications only show the divine leader. This is new and perhaps an attempt to open the country to a globalized world. The taxi driver who had no left thumb took me to an unexpected place. One of the most famous entertainment venues in Pyongyang. Clue. Often called the People's Ice Rink. In 2007, it was one of the venues for the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship. The Austrian team competes here in Pyongyang. According to the information, the games in North Korea are attended by the largest number of people and obviously not because there are so many fans here.

Pyongyang's middle class gathers to ice skate, eat ice cream and drink beer on Sunday afternoons. Unfortunately I didn't buy a Martini but I did buy table tennis. And the enemy, who was none other than me, was allowed to play and win this time. The face of the city of Pyongyang has not only changed architecturally. Young people are starting to learn about skating. And it is often seen in parks where tanks usually patrol. Or at least that's how it used to be. Arrived! I'm not sure if Italian is taught here, but it's a start. Speaking of 'arrivederci', the Arirang Festival always catches my attention.

As for anyone who has seen it. It is named after an old Korean folk song and attempts to represent the history of North Korea in a heroic way. Using mass dance and gymnastic movements. More than a thousand people participated. Making it the largest dance festival of its kind. If I look beyond the madness of the propaganda, the choreography is always very impressive. The Arirang Festival is not celebrated regularly. It is usually held in spring and autumn, but sometimes the festival is not celebrated. Those who participated, they told me, received televisions or refrigerators as prizes. This great event aimed to link the public with the political objectives of the regime through extraordinary images.

I have attended Arirang festival 4 times. But this time I saw something strange. People tried to leave the stadium, while supervisors tried to stop them. The military was present in large numbers around the stage. That's why I couldn't record for a long time. The supervisors wanted me to concentrate on acting. Is that a form of resistance? There may be people in North Korea who do not want to accept a third member of the Kim family as leader. Another historic event occurred on my last visit. Controversial rock group Laibach was allowed to give a concert in Pyongyang. But what our concert in Pyongyang demonstrated is that both sides are willing to work together.

This is very difficult to do for both parties. They both had to push their limits to make this project a success. And this is what I call a real and genuine cultural exchange. When both parties work together and sacrifice something. to achieve a common result. So after Mickey Mouse, Western music also came to North Korea. The lyrics are translated into Korean as you can see at the top of the screen. I think the Laibach concert you saw would not have been possible without three or four important cultural collaborations that have already taken place before. Music is a language without words.

Which can be understood in many different ways. And this is a musical miracle. You can't have a certain recipe for music. I feel like for the first time I finally understand these lyrics. When vocalist Mina sang Nothing's Going to Change My World in front of 1,500 spectators in Pyongyang, it was a magical moment for us. Nothing will change my world is the right phrase for a country that prohibits all types of Western music for its people. It is not uncommon for those who own CDs or movies from South Korea to end up in concentration camps. Until now, Western music could only be heard in some karaoke bars for foreigners.

Will Laibach go down in history as Bruce Springsteen in East Germany? Let's hope. It seems to me that North Koreans are very happy and optimistic. At least that's what the people I met showed. I think the North Korean people understand that nothing lasts forever. There are people who want to live in peace, but due to the mistakes made in the Cold War, they are forced to live in continuous war. I cannot repeat too often how happy I am among the North Korean people. I have a lot of friends. My journey over the past few years has taught me that veiled criticism and generalizations are useless.

Whether in Europe or North Korea, a country I still don't know.