With their white cap , shouldered their costume and martial gestures, traffic officers are in Pyongyang that the guards of the queen are in London. More than manage traffic , the primary function is to adorn these lovely junctions. Hence the astonishment aroused by the news that one of them had won the highest honor reserved for heroic feats of arms. All the national media showed Ri Kyong -sim , 22, sobbing , receiving the medal "Hero of the Republic " for having " saved the security headquarters of the revolution when an unexpected circumstance ."
What " fact " ? What has she done exactly ? Releases not breathe a word . It does not take much to ignite the minds : according to some, Miss Ri would stop a tram that would stamp the presidential car. For others, it would have saved yourself the new leader of an assassination attempt ... But the truth , according to a group of " spoilers " North Korea would be much more modest : the police would have saved the fire ... a propaganda poster bearing the name of the young Kim . Absurd, but entirely plausible : "There is a series of recommendations concerning the mandatory posting pictures of officers in all the houses, says researcher Andrei Lankov In case of degradation , an investigation is conducted and the culprits are found in . labor camp. " Similarly, the official press often reports the case of dedicated citizens who sacrificed their lives, or their children, to save the sacred images ...
Citizens must bow to the statues
North Korea twenty-first century remains a grotesque extreme example of totalitarianism , a kind of absolute monarchy Stalinist- Maoist , which worships delusional to the ruling dynasty. The capital is bristling with oversized glory of founder Kim Il -sung (who died in 1994) monuments, "his" party of "his" wins "his" ideology , etc. . On the hill Mansudae his colossal statue, 22 meters high , which was originally covered with gold leaf , is now flanked by that of Kim Jong-il , his successor died in 2011. There are about 30,000 of these " sanctuaries " in the country . Portraits of Marx and Lenin, who still remained in the square Kim Il- Sung , have them disappeared . Any reference to communism had also been deleted from the Constitution in 2009. In the pantheon of the " hermit kingdom ," there is room for indigenous gods.
They require a permanent worship. "This is the country in the world where there is the most birthdays pretexts for public celebrations , observed a diplomat. The most important is not the foundation of the Republic, nor the creation of the Party workers. It is the celebration of the birth of Kim Il -sung . As in a monarchy. " During these endless commemorations , citizens must go before the statue of leaders, bowing deeply before laying a wreath and withdraw backwards. Foreign visitors are required to observe the same ritual .
It does not say but Kim Jong-un " supreme leader Kim Jong-un "
At a recent press trip to Pyongyang was joined " Le Nouvel Observateur " , the organizers refused to take us to Mansudae . The reason ? "We believe that some of you will not want to bow ," confessed one of the tour guides . Unthinkable! One of the tasks of these "guardians " also is to ensure that the foreign visitor "not cut a piece " leaders taking a picture of a sacred effigy. Another roundly rebuked us heard us mention the name of Kim Jong-un . " We can not talk about our leader with such disrespect It hurts must add one of his titles, for example . " Supreme leader Kim Jong-un . " "
The tour program is a long pilgrimage different " holy places " or manicured luxuriously renovated. As the Sun Palace , former residence of Kim Il -sung transformed into a mausoleum after his death, containing all the vehicles he borrowed , train included. Or the Museum of the victorious War of Liberation of the Fatherland , dripping with marble and crystal , with its dozens of historic scenes scaled - rewrites of history that give Kim Il -sung rejected the starring role and the U.S. responsibility for the terrible Korean War.
No reference to the 150,000 prisoners worst gulag history
The most surprising , perhaps , is the floral exhibition " kimilsungia " and " Kimjongilia " purple orchid and a red begonia named after dear leaders . In a huge building , cleverly arranged flowerbeds million of these flowers make up dozens of tables to the glory of the achievements of the regime military course - nuclear warheads , missiles, tanks, etc. . - But also industrial - factories, bridges , ports - and planning - as Pyongyang area with modern skyscrapers . No reference to the terrible famine of the 1990s , the result of a dismal economic management , which killed a million people. Neither the 150,000 prisoners worst gulag history. Or total control of information . Or malnutrition that affects a quarter of children ... " These flowers were created and offered by foreign friends to our two leaders because they are the most exceptional beings on earth ," say the hostesses with a disarming smile . No doubt a " friend " will soon offer Pyongyang a " kimjongunia " ...
Renovations have also been an opportunity to subtly alter the portraits of Father of the Nation . During his appearance on the political , anxious to make up for its lack of image scene , the young Kim had cultivated his resemblance to his grandfather , dressing , combing her hair as in the 1940s. Today it is the turn of the venerable Kim I change appearance to resemble nothing so much as his little son ! Must part company guards interpreters if you're out of " Potemkin village." The task is daunting : the hotel is totally isolated on a desert island, there are no taxis ...
But nothing like a visit to a department store to understand what it's like everyday people . There are a variety of products - toys , shoes , dishes, etc. . - From China, payable only in foreign currencies. No queues at banks, most barges are content to contemplate the items. One pair of sneakers cost in effect the equivalent of several months of a teacher's salary ...
Behind this crazy decor , wild markets
Since the fall of the USSR, the economy of North Korea, totally dependent on big brother collapsed. From top to bottom of the scale , families and especially women have engaged in the business , although it is prohibited. Just out of avenues lined with grass center to discover , in the peripheral buildings decrepit neighborhoods , in a sling, a bridge or a strike, " grasshopper market." It is well known that points are found around the bike fully loaded and carts, farmers from the production flow of their plots "private" . At the slightest sign of a watchman , the market evaporates .
This underground economy has generated a class of new rich who thrive in the gray fringes of the system, through the indulgence officials properly tamed . These are the adventurers of early capitalism that populate the chic cafes, beer houses, sushi bars and newly hatched Pyongyang spas. They are also introduced to the South Korean DVD series, theoretically prohibited , which move under the more discrete form of USB keys. There are few , their possession led a stay in the labor camps . A Japanese journalist Korean explains : "With these soap that fascinate everyone , the North is trying to imbibe the culture of the South There is now a desire for this prosperous and free society , in spite of . propaganda hounds to portray as bastardized and exploited ... "
For leading expert Andrei Lankov , if the Kim regime was able to finally put away the external pressure by acquiring nuclear weapons , it remains dependent on the support of its own people , so far obtained through a complete blackout. But some merchants and some DVD could well break the armor of ignorance.
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