Discover North Korea from the comfort of your classroom Part 1

What does the Edventure Travel team do when they’re not leading your tour? Take experiential learning journeys of their own, of course! 

To build his knowledge of Asia’s communist history and present day, our Director Billy Penfold travelled to North Korea in 2018. Here, he provides a glimpse of life in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, during one of the country’s most important annual celebrations. 

Want more North Korea insights for your students? Be sure to follow-up with part 2 of our North Korea series, which ventures inside North Korea’s education system. 

North Korea – known formally as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) – is famous for its tightly staged mass ceremonies. Among them is the Victory Day celebration held each year on 27 July.  

Victory Day marks the anniversary of the Armistice Agreement, signed by military commanders from the US, China and North Korea, which halted the 1950–1953 Korean War. The Armistice Agreement took over 158 meetings and two years to realise. 

Today, the Agreement is kept in Panmumjom, a small village close to the North/South Demilitarized Zone. The village is known for its heavy fortifications and blue United Nations buildings, which straddle the border of North and South Korea. 

As a result of the Armistice Agreement, US soldiers left the Korean Peninsula. North Korea deemed this event a victory and today the date is an annual national holiday. 

Victory Day celebrations centre around Pyongyang’s city square, Kim Il-sung Square. The square is typically used for military parades or displays of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal. But on this day, it comes to life in a colourful performance. 

‘On Victory Day, thousands of young Koreans join choreographed parades and mass dances. Each performance is elaborate and runs like clockwork, having been rehearsed for months in advance. Dancers are given special exemption from school or work to practise for hours each day,’ says Billy. 

‘In the lead up, chalk markings are placed on the ground, ready for the dancers who are trucked in each morning to rehearse. Guided by instructors with loudspeakers, they practise every step with precision.’ 

Each dancer wears a badge depicting North Korea’s former communist leaders, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. The badges are pinned on the left side of their shirts, to symbolise that the leaders are close to citizens’ hearts. 

Watching the Victory Day celebrations, Billy felt the performers seemed dispassionate and resigned to their routines. They danced competently, but without emotion. 

‘The young dancers went through their routines for two hours, performing delicate steps and swirling one around another. Their faces remained expressionless, as if they were simply going through the motions,’ he says.  

‘Traditional music blared, and national flags and banners fluttered overhead. It felt as if they were obliged to participate in the dance ceremony and had no personal interest in dancing; or possibly the months of rehearsing had taken the shine off the final routine.’ 

It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that the dancers disappeared quickly when the performance finished. Within 10 minutes, Billy says, the thousands-strong troupe dispersed from Kim Il-sung Square – off to enjoy what remained of their annual holiday. 

Away from the Victory Day festivities, other Pyongyang residents enjoyed the national holiday in a more relaxed way. They gathered at the city’s parks and lakes to spend time with their families. Some drank beer and enjoyed picnics, while others took part in traditional dancing. 

Walking through one of these parks with his tour group, Billy enjoyed friendly exchanges with local families. 

‘Kids were sent over to break the ice. They’d introduce themselves, then their parents would follow them. They asked to see photos from abroad on our phones, offered us beer and challenged us to some good-spirited arm wrestles,’ says Billy. 

‘Parents would nudge their children to practise their English. Through their children, our translators or Korean-speaking members in our group, they’d ask questions about our lives at home. They wanted to know why our hair was messy; why, if we were rich, we didn’t wear smart clothes; and what we thought of their country.’ 

These informal interactions helped Billy gain insight into people’s opinions and ambitions.  

‘I was told by several middle-aged men that they were sick of seeing nuclear missile propaganda posters in the city, and that no one cared for them at all,’ he says. 

Despite the State’s control of media, the absence of foreign books in North Korea and lack of internet access for citizens, he found most North Koreans are aware of the world outside. 

‘Many people said they’d secretly viewed South Korean films, TV series and K-pop music videos on USBs smuggled into North Korea from China. They said they find South Korean soap dramas fascinating, because they show the ‘other’ Korea’s way of life.’ 

Above all, Billy says, the value of caring for family shone through in each exchange. 

‘Everyone cared about providing for their family. They hoped their kids would get a good job and someday travel – specifically, to South Korea.’ 

If you’re keen for your students to learn more about North Korea, be sure to check out our exciting incursions! Packed with case studies, photos and more, incursions are a great way to bring our expert knowledge of the world straight to your classroom.