If you look carefully at the far wall of the train carriage you will notice the portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il always watching.pic.twitter.com/dTHor8TWzG
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The Juche Tower. Juche is the state ideology of North Korea. It basically boils down to Korea itself being the religion of Korea.pic.twitter.com/M2G4aamZy1
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The Monument to the Founding of the Workers’ Party. In addition to the hammer and sickle, the Koreans also add in a calligraphy brush to the usual Communist sign. Our guide told us this was because “we have more intellectuals than the other socialist countries”!pic.twitter.com/0rwmZzWkcJ
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<<Intermission>> The North Korean film I watched on one of my three TV channels. The other channels were all basically images of Kim Jong Un and people applauding.pic.twitter.com/4uHq6BTDHL
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On the glorious Day of the Sun itself, we visited the Kumsusan Palace where the bodies of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie in state. This was a highly regulated day where we had to wear formal dress and few photos were allowed.pic.twitter.com/76Tn9li8hB
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The sun magically appeared and Pyongyang was sparkling. We were told to maintain a solemn air and arms were to be at our sides at all times. We couldn’t put them in our pockets or even fold them.pic.twitter.com/sHAXNqrVct
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Korean women heading to pay their respects. Inside the palace, all visitors (including us) have to bow three times to the bodies of the Great Leaders. No talking is allowed.pic.twitter.com/b6YJvmoD7u
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The front of the palace. These were once Kim Il Sung’s offices, now they are a temple to the Kims.pic.twitter.com/vNCWsHkwET
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People from all over North Korea come for the Day of the Sun. Kim Jong Il also has his own day in February: The Day of the Shining Star. Officially though, neither of them are dead. They both remain President and Chairman of North Korea for eternity.pic.twitter.com/g7arPkIfjl
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We were then taken to boring exhibitions of the Kimilsungia flower named after the eternal President. Here is a rare photo of him when young where you can see the close resemblance he has with his grandson.pic.twitter.com/VKDUHOzjq1
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Statues of the Kims where we were forced to purchase $5 flowers and lay them at their feet before bowing.pic.twitter.com/O4cHalQUD5
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Later, in one of the main squares, a mass dance “spontaneously” broke out in honour of the day.pic.twitter.com/HPdy86t7q3
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The sight of hundreds of people repeating identical dance movements was quite stirring. We even joined in.pic.twitter.com/HWgfjAhQo1
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As a reward for our good behaviour and patriotism, we were then allowed a trip to an amazing bar which wouldn’t have been out of place in any major western city.pic.twitter.com/n1UWfJFoXj
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The Day of the Sun was completed by a dinner on an old fashioned river boat which was delightfully kitsch inside. Even the uniforms of the waitresses were a joy.pic.twitter.com/CQYws1lIsT
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After dinner, the waitresses put on a little show for us.pic.twitter.com/5AHdVRNdfy
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I will state here that I failed to capture my
flag.
Everybody fails.pic.twitter.com/w33fqSkshJ
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Our trip was coming to an end, but we still had one last treat in store for us...pic.twitter.com/JMswG3jyCj
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I was lucky enough to get given a copy of this magazine for the flight home. Let’s take a look at what’s inside.pic.twitter.com/Hh1XMBwuEW
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There was a special section on the recent meeting in Vietnam between Trump and Kim Jong Un.pic.twitter.com/666o6zcjFz
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On close inspection, note how Kim Jong Un’s name is typed in a slightly bigger font than Trump’s.pic.twitter.com/YUG6qBFIBc
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The magazine had a special section on other world leaders who have expressed their boundless admiration. They were all very relevant and up-to-date. Here’s what Stalin had to say.pic.twitter.com/PJ9UGDtPtC
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And Tito. Nobody else on my tour group of 10 even knew who he was.pic.twitter.com/Ido874xxDh
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Perhaps my favourite was this quote by Jimmy Carter who declares Kim Il Sung to be greater than all the Founders and Presidents of the United States put together and even God.pic.twitter.com/U9E7jbn3x3
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Sadly, all good things come to an end, and so did this. I enjoyed my visit to Best Korea and encourage anyone with a curious mind to go check it out. It’s a fascinating place and certainly rewarding. Annyeong!pic.twitter.com/c0ggOvGkCD
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