Memorabilia from North Korea: Books (Pyongyang Review & 100 Questions and Answers)
Following on from my first series regarding memorabilia I brought back from North Korea during my 2005 trip is the next series, a couple of books I picked up at Pyongyang book store. The first book, 100 Questions and Answers – Do you know about Korea?, is an enlightening book dealing with some commonly asked questions regarding life and political stance of both North Korea and their interactions with the rest of the world. The second book, Pyongyang Review, is a quick overlook at Pyongyang city and all the show piece city has to offer, as well as its much decorated history. I’ll go into a little detail for each of the books.
If you would like larger coped of any images, or without watermarks, please feel free to email me.
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100 Questions and Answers – Do you know about Korea
Front and back cover. The US seem to have been left out.
The book has a good array of questions that I think a lot of people may ask when thinking about North Korea. Of course the validity of the answers are somewhat questionable and with most books from North Korea about North Korea the information is embedded with very blatant (to us anyway) propaganda. You’ll see a good example of this later on. A few of the questions posed by the book include;
1. Why is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea the sole legitimate state of Korea?
5. What is the Juche idea?
15. How are human rights guaranteed?
42. Is there any environmental pollution?
69. How many nuclear weapons are deployed in south Korea?
Well you get the general idea. One of the more interesting questions was this one;
77. What is the stand of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in its relations with the Unites States?
The answer, which I copied straight out of the book, gives a good insight into the psyche of a North Korean citizen’s thoughts towards the US.
The US imperialists were perpetrating aggressive acts against Korea one hundred years ago. Since the Second World War they have occupied south Korea, and there they are perpetrating colonial plunder and oppression.
Since their occupation of south Korea they have imposed the agony of national division on the Korean people, turned south Korea into a base for supplying war materials and provoked a war against the DPRK. Today they are bringing the black cloud of nuclear war over our land; for all this they are called the ringleader of aggression and war.
It is the United States that is wholly to blame for the hostile relations between the DPRK and the United States.
The government of our Republic, first of all, takes the stand that its relations with the United States can be improved only when the US administration desists from interfering in the internal affairs of Korea so that the question of Korea’s reunification can be solved by the Korean themselves in an independent and peaceful way. The United States has seized power in south Korea by stationing a large number of armed troops there and by effecting its colonial rule openly there with the help of its Korean puppets.
So, the occupation of south Korea by the US imperialists constitutes the main obstacle to the reunification of Korea.
When the US troops of aggression withdrawal from south Korea and the United States stop interfering in the internal affairs of our country, the reunification of the country can be attainted peacefully on democratic principals by the Korean people themselves, and a bright future will be opened up for Korea.
The government of our Republic also holds the view that the US administration should neither help the resurgence of the Japanese militarists not manoeuvre to bring them into south Korea.
It demonstrates a hostile and unfriendly attitude towards our people for the Unites States to make the Japanese militarists its agent to undertake the invasion of south Korea and turn it into a Japanese commodity market and a base for supplying raw materials to Japan.
If the United States wants to improve relations with us it must discontinue its unfriendly propaganda and hostile policy towards our Republic.
The United States is continuously conducting malicious, reactionary propaganda against our country, raving about “the threat of southward invasion”.
In order to solve the question of Korea’s reunification by peaceful means, the government of our Republic has so far advanced various sincere proposals including one for tripartite talks, but the Unites States, while making no response to our proposals, is pursuing a vicious, hostile policy towards our Republic.
So the improvement of relations between our country and the Unites States depends entirely on the attitude of the latter.
Interesting reading to say the least. It’s a fascinating book and well worth reading. I have to confess that I read it completely during one of the nights in my Pyongyang hotel room, simply because I couldn’t put it down. Please note, the book always prints south Korea with a small ’s’.
Pyongyang Review
Front and back cover.
The next book, Pyongyang Review, is a relatively light book on the city of Pyongyang. I wouldn’t go as far to say that it was free of patriotism, and to suggest that Pyongyang is the most advanced city in the world is a bit of a stretch of the imagination (although I hear they are now getting satellite TV 
). Really, its a guide book to all the little relics in and around Pyongyang that I’m sure the whole of South Korea would be somewhat jealous of. There are certain claims that some of these relics are somewhat dubious in authenticity.
The book also has an impressive collection of photos. Here’s just a small collection I picked out at random;
My hagwon never looked like this!
Foreign Languages Publishing House (1989) 100 Questions and Answers – Do you know about Korea
Pyongyang, Korea
Foreign Languages Publishing House (1995) Pyongyang Review
Pyongyang, Korea
Links in the series;
Tags: North Korea
North Korean Photos and Info. | David | 
9/4/2009 - Thursday 8:00 am
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By Stafford, 9/4/2009 - Thursday @ 5:48 pm
I would note New Zealand has also been left out of the cover of “Do You Know About Korea”.
Being that we are all capitalist running dogs it doesn’t really surprise me though.
By David, 10/4/2009 - Friday @ 9:49 am
In all fairness I don’t think it would have fitted on the map. I’m not even sure the stance of North Korea with New Zealand… why? did YOU do something Stafford???