Post date: Aug 01, 2013 11:6:15 AM
Reuters Business Video Report - REUTERS VIDEOJOURNALIST, MAXIM DUNCAN,
"Here on Kim Il-sung Square, the noise is deafening. And you can literally feel the ground shaking as the tanks thunder past. It's meant to be the largest ever parade in the country's history. Now, Kim Jong-un may have different public face to his father Kim Jong-il, but here you see no sign that the country is moving away from the country's military-first policy. And what better place to show it than the anniversary of a war that's still so alive in the North Korean people's consciousness"
But it hasn't been all militarism.It's a national holiday, after all, and there have been plenty of mind-bogglingly large civilian events to keep the people of Pyongyang out of trouble.
REUTERS VIDEOJOURNALIST, MAXIM DUNCAN,
"In North Korea the anniversary of the end of a tragic war is in fact a celebration of their victory. And the thousands of smartly dressed young people behind me are a testament to that. It's basically the closest thing North Korea gets to a barn dance, but the overall goal is to show that the country is prosperous and vibrant under young leader Kim Jong-un"
The rest of the time, we've been ferried around on our buses, looking eagerly for signs of change on the city's streets while we ourselves were watched carefully by nervous minders.
Certainly the showcase capital looked more manicured than in past.
We visited gargantuan new memorials and museums to the Korean War, which seem particularly extravagant when you consider the grinding poverty that plagues the countryside.
On one outing I met groups of school children visiting a palace that houses the embalmed corpses of former leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.
One innocent-looking 12-year-old girl told me that she and her classmates learnt about the war to strengthen their determination to take revenge against the "American Bastards", as she called them.
REUTERS VIDEOJOURNALIST, MAXIM DUNCAN,
"During the trip we've had a good deal of opportunity to speak to the man on the street, or at least the man who visits monuments. And while it doesn't necessarily show exactly what people think, it's given a good idea of the kind or propaganda that's going ahead of this anniversary. I've been surprised and shocked by the kind of language that men, women and children are using to describe the American imperialists and the vassal states - that would include me"
But fortunately, I found a huge gulf between the rhetoric and behavior. People have been friendly and curious, often smiling and waving at us.
Before a performance of the Arirang Mass Games, audience members asked us to share their packed lunches.
It's gestures like these that reassure you that in the end we're all just people. But somehow they leave you wanting more.
And while I gawp at tens of thousands of people moving in perfect unison, it would be worth so much more to spend a day with just one of them, and hear about their hopes and their fears.
But for now, I can only look forward to the day when that's possible.