From North Korea, With Dread - New York Times

From North Korea, With Dread

By Adam B. Ellick and Jonah M. Kessel

Nov. 28, 2017

This fall, we went to North Korea on a quest to understand whether war is inevitable, whether there is a real chance millions of people might die.

Along with Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristof and editorial writer Carol Giacomo, we arrived in the world’s most isolated country as tensions between it and the United States were at their highest in a generation. In a sign of continuing escalation, just today, North Korea launched another ballistic missile.

While we were preparing for our trip, President Trump was telling the United Nations that the United States may be forced to “totally destroy North Korea.” The country responded by organizing a series of huge anti-American parades.

We were hosted by the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which had invited other members of the American media as part of a charm offensive, a counter move to the war of words and surge of missile tests. This is the story of two novice and reckless leaders — one 33 years old, the other 71 years old — taking their countries toward what we fear is a needless collision.

The risk of war is greater than the public appreciates. There’s a complacency surrounding this crisis, which has been kicked down the road by several American presidents. Now, with war more likely than ever, talks are even more urgent, and we hope this video can serve as a call for politicians on both sides to seek exit ramps for peace.

Social Media From North Korea

Unlike North Koreans, we were able to access the internet by purchasing a special SIM card that is available only to foreigners (and priced for foreigners). Still, we had to use a VPN to bypass a firewall that blocked most social media sites. While on the ground, we were very careful not to post anything that would jeopardize our safety, so we purposely posted neutral descriptions.

These are some of the images we posted while we were there, with fresh commentary.

Credit Adam Ellick

North Koreans huddle around the daily newspaper while waiting for the train on the subway platform. It was striking how many pages depicted military parades.

Rush hour going into Pyongyang is eerily devoid of cars. Nonetheless, it is dotted with military checkpoints. Eighty-five percent of people live outside the capital, and no one can enter without permission. Only the elite and most devoted followers of Kim Jong-un live in the capital. On our trip, we were sequestered in a guest house outside of the capital city. This was our view every morning as we left.

Credit Adam Ellick

North Korean children study and play in front of a rocket at the relatively new Sci-Tech Center in Pyongyang. We interviewed a few children who had never met an American before. “My heart is thumping,” said one boy.

We were curious to watch North Korean state television and dismayed when we discovered it was blocked in the rooms of our guest house in Pyongyang. However, on the last night, Adam was able to catch a glimpse on this television in the lobby. What he saw was essentially a military montage.