When I returned home from my first trip abroad to Russia in 2002 I arrived at LAX loaded down with a duffel bag full of souvenirs. With my subsequent travels to Russia and other European countries, I began accumulating massive amounts of stuff. Much to the dismay of my mother, my room back home in California began to resemble a Russian souvenir market. My shelves were lined with stacking dolls, chess sets, and bottles of vodka, and my closet was overflowing with enough Soviet military surplus items to outfit a battalion. I’ve since learned that accumulating so much stuff is rather, well, ridiculous, and usually refrain from purchasing any souvenirs unless they are small. With this trip to North Korea, however, I brought along plenty of euros in case I happened across something unique.
Unfortunately, however, the variety of souvenirs available in North Korea is lacking, unless you are really, really into political books written by Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-il. During our five day tour, our guides took us to several souvenir stores which basically stocked the exact same products – endless rows of tracts written by Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-il. They are probably the most prolific authors in the world, writing on anything from party building to opera. Sadly, there are no Kim Jong-il bobblehead dolls, “I love Pyongyang” t-shirts or mugs, Mt. Paekdu snowglobes, military headgear or gas masks, or Kim Il-Sung mausoleum shot glasses. Not even a lousy miniature Tower of Juche with a thermometer on the side. Just books. Lots and lots of books.
One of the largest souvenir stores we visited, with plenty of books to choose from. It’s like the Barnes & Noble of North Korea.
I’m sure this is on the New York Times bestseller list.
“Land of Morning Calm” is exactly how I would describe North Korea
Surely these are page turners
Ironic
The official English language propaganda newspaper
Unfortunately, this painting was not for sale. I have some space on my wall and I think it would have fit perfectly.
Our guides took us to Korea Stamp, a store that sells, yes, you guessed it, stamps. I am not a stamp collector, but the variety of stamps was incredible.
This is the most popular stamp among American tourists. It depicts Richard Nixon being stabbed by pens. Unfortunately, it was sold out when we were there, but I did purchase a small poster of this image.
Kim Jong-il and Putin
Golf and baseball in the DPRK
Atoms and doves
So what did I end up bringing back to the U.S.? Not too much. A few sheets of stamps, a copy of “The Benevolent Sun”, a hilariously dry biography of Kim Il-Sung (as it turns out, it’s multi-volume and I only purchased one, oops), a few pins, a small flag, and a propaganda poster. The poster is definitely my favorite purchase. It’s hand painted and depicts a soldier carrying an AK-47. When it comes to communist propaganda posters, what more could you ask for?
“Let’s boldly push forward the revolutionary march for the establishment of the powerful and great nation!” (Thanks to Jae for the translation)
From The Razors Edge:
Amazing pics I never thought they would have tourist shops let alone let one of you “imperialsist americans” in (just kidding). When you were there did you ever have any run ins with the secret police??? I had problems with them when I was in Cuba.
From Roger McCarthy:
Love your blog which I serendipitously found while googling for Mexican food in London (you’re right there’s none – as I should well know having lived there most of my life – but one lives in hope) – only to find it full of fascinating relics from the Lost World of Communism.
Photos of N Korea are particularly impressive – shop looks exactly like the big Moscow bookshop (Dom Knigy? – afraid I’ve forgotten nearly all my Russian)I visited in the mid-1980s.
Wonder if you’ve read the recent Christopher Hitchens piece in Slate (‘Starving and stunted dwarves, living in the dark, kept in perpetual ignorance and fear, brainwashed into the hatred of others, regimented and coerced and inculcated with a death cult’) and the book by BR Myers he reviews in it?
http://www.slate.com/id/2243112/pagenum/all/
Anyway hope you keep on travelling and writing and photographing – you have a real talent for it.
From Lindsay:
All, thanks for the comments.
Razor – nope, no problems with the secret police. We were well under control by our guides.
Roger – speaking of Mexican in London, give Wahaca in Canary Wharf a try. Went there back in January and found it to be quite good.
Looking forward to reading the book by BR Meyers.
Hopefully will have more N Korea related posts up soon.
From Roger McCarthy:
Going to a Roman history conference at the British Museum next month and was going to give the Covent Garden Wahaca a try then as I’ve passed by it and looks relatively authentic – assume they have the same menu as Canary Wharf (which is a bit too far out and the only area of London that I really loathe).
If I ever manage to revive my own blog I’ll post a little review.
From Roger McCarthy:
Going to a Roman history conference at the British Museum next month and was going to give the Covent Garden Wahaca a try then as I’ve passed by it and looks relatively authentic – assume they have the same menu as Canary Wharf (which is a bit too far out and the only area of London that I really loathe).
From Lindsay:
Roger, let me know what you think of it. I was really pleasantly surprised.
From Kim Wang Chung:
“I flew 7,000 miles to Pyongyang and all I got was this lousy copy of ‘Kim Jong-il on the Fundamentals of Revolutionary Party Building’.”
And you didn’t have the brains to dip a Q-Tip in lemon juice and swab the paper. That’s when the truth is revealed and you become an illuminata!
Dudette . . . you missed the bus!
From Sascha:
Hello,
I just wonderd, how much did the propaganda poster cost and how did you get get it? Did you just ask the shop keeper for it at the souvenir store? Im going there soon and would love to get one of these too
Thank you very much in advance!