Everyone should see North Korea, everyone should witness this system and way of life for themselves, because we are humbled, enlightened and broadened by what we experience with our own eyes. North Korea is a dystopian regime, a feudal monarchic, ultra-nationalist cultic state parading itself as a Socialist paradise; when we talk of it having "no parralel in the contemporary world" that is not a light statement, it means what it says. It is easy to go to Benidorm or Magaluf, get drunk and do nothing, it is easy to go to Thailand and lie on the beach, but it takes a real character and real courage to visit North Korea.
The journey to North Korea fills us with a tragic and moving visualization of the very best and the very worst of humanity. Through the coated shell of the regime and all its ways do we see the lives and the hearts of real people, who are not brainwashed robots, but human beings just like you & I, with real experiences, opinions, thoughts and feelings. I have been to many countries in this world, I have seen many peoples, many places and many things. But nothing has touched my heart as much as the people of North Korea have and the hardships that they face. Despite their fear of foreigners, the curiousity of many for the outside world could not be hid from us, especially that of the children, who I weep for because of what they have been born into. Regardless of everything, North Koreans are not a hateful people, they are a humble people and at heart, a loving people. Beyond their governments fiery and vindictive rhetoric, they are not looking to wage wars, blindly fight to the death or pursue violence, they are just looking to survive and, like any other people, make the most out of the circumstances they have been given, which are remarkably little.
These people need a connection with the outside world, they need an opportunity to see different, to think different, to know different. On the train back to Dandong I was able to show a North Korean man pictures of my time in South Korea last year, including many pictures of the deeply modern city of Seoul. Although he could not speak much English, he shown great interest, warm and enthusiasm for what he saw. He done this despite the obvious fact had this happened in North Korea itself, he would have been in deep trouble, yet he seemed happy to do it. He was not rejecting the world outside of the bubble he is subject to, those images may leave a lasting effect on him. We might not preach our ideas to them, but when we visit, we bring with us our experiences, culture and way of life from the outside world. For a regime that thrives in isolation, that is a priceless antidote. The recognition seeps in that if the regime wants to make money from tourism, then with that comes an unavoidable openess imposed on it.
Thus, I stand by my conviction that these trips achieve a brilliant good, not only for ourselves personally but for the lives of those there in North Korea itself. Such visits plant seeds, seeds of light, seeds of hope. Whilst I do not believe the North Korean system will collapse, I think a positive approachment towards it (without endorsing the morally questionable things they do), is the best hope of achieving a small and gradual change. You can never win by antagonising North Korea, because that is the game their leadership desires to legitimate itself with incredible skill and Machiavellian craft. If we shun the country, it will make no difference, but if everyone goes, it certainly will. Therefore, I have chose to return and likewise bring people with me. So that we may discover who we ourselves are, but likewise that they may one day find themselves.
A special thanks to everyone who came on this trip or who has went on any other trip to North Korea.
