North Korea - The land of milk and honey

Peter Wu

2012年9月10日

Seriously I had absolutely no idea North Korea is the land of bliss, the latter-day Utopia. Based on Mr. Lai King Tong’s first hand report, North Korea is streets ahead of everyone in many things, and is the leader of many movements, including:

Modern infra-structure – Electric trains, electric buses, buses and trucks as required, a robust underground railway system, grand modern buildings. It’s very clever of them to design their underground railway system as a dual-purpose transport centres and nuclear fall-out shelters. I salute its leader for putting the best interest of his people at heart. Has the MTR Corporation ever provided us with nuclear fall-out shelters in their MTR stations? People were not even allowed to take shelter in the MTR stations during the last typhoon, for God sake!

Healthy and clean living, judging by the lack of cars, clean streets, a total absence of rubbish and littering, no spitting, no disgusting public urination and defecation as is common in China, a lack of vehicle-generated pollution, peace of mind because there is no traffic grid-lock so there is no road rage or angry/frustrated motorists. People can get to work on time and arrive happy. Productivity reigns supreme in North Korea.

Conservation - It does appear North Korea is the world lead in the Green movement, by ditching cars in favour of bicycles. This is a lesson for many of the industrialised nations, including China which are at the mercy of petroleum and plagued with traffic-derived problems. We have long forgotten a little exercise daily – walking and cycling - is good for our bodies. What a shame!

Life is simple and care-free. While most of us wake up wondering what to wear, what make-up to put on, which movie to watch, where to Yum Cha, where to get the best bargains, these things never bother the Koreans because, by the sound of it, they all wear the same thing, same style, same colour and even the same badge. Simplicity rules. How sensible.

But most importantly, they have a job for life. You don’t have to worry about the Global Financial Crisis. There is one for everyone. Most re-assuringly there is no fear of redundancy and laid-offs. There is no unemployment. President Obama, having just come off the Democratic Convention, is hugely envious of North Korea’s zero unemployment. If he can half the US unemployment rate, he can be president for life. No bull.

Pay is totally fair and equitable. You get 36 Korean Wons a month whether you work or not so there is no argument about pay rises or bonuses. Industrial relations are harmonious to say the least. Strikes, walk-outs or demonstrations in support of pay rises are completely unheard of. Because the workers there are such model citizens, the police presence on the street is zilch.

The provision of welfare is from cradle to grave. Food is abundant. If the tourists can eat well, as KT has told us, it indicates the locals eat even better.

The introduction of the ‘national education’ in the curriculum is an non-issue with the North Koreans. They are all patriots. Their obedience to their leader is absolute. They will study and absorb without question everything in the national curriculum. Eat your heart out, Leung Chun Ying.

There are no shops so there is no need to surf the net to seek the best bargain, or pound the pavements for same, or worry sick about being ripped-off. Again, the North Koreans are leading the world in the back-to-the-basics movement. This is exactly what living is all about – stress-less, hassle-free, happy – and North Korea epitomises everything what the capitalistic system is not.

We are immensely grateful to KT for undertaking the ‘intelligence-gathering’ trip to North Korea (at considerable personal risk) and for demolishing many myths and propaganda about the place with this report. To me, retiring or emigration to North Korea suddenly becomes hugely attractive.