Hello North Korea

Yesterday, after i came home from the church (and got to know that my host dad had spent a few days in Tokyo), we went to take a look at North Korea from Odusan Observatory. The observatory was placed on the widest part of the river, what I found quite special. I mean, if people want to come and look at North Korea then why not put it closer? Well i guess they have their reasons. 

North Korean soldiers Ps: not real humans.

 (Click on the images to get them bigger if you want to read the text on them)

South / North
North Korean mountains don't have many trees on them cuz the people use it to warm up their houses. And near the border to South Korea the military take down some of the forests in case.. someone would run there... so they could see and stop them (mostly for the North Koreans who runs southern).

South / North
Well, I must say that my school looks much more like the North one.

South / North

Hmm.. The "foreigner only" floor didn't have any binoculars toward North Korea but only South Korea O_o'. But i sat down and listened to how the northern part of Korea had built a propaganda town on the other side of the river with houses that no one lives in, and the only time you see people there are at farming seasons and at holidays such as the great leaders birthday.
After being on the foreigner floor, which btw was totally empty except for me, my host mum and brother came and took me to the floor for koreans, which had quite a few binoculars toward North Korea. There where even an outside place to take a look at the north from and listen and looking at slideshows of different cities in North Korea.

Here you can see that the observatory is at the widest part.

I made these pics dark so you could se something of north korea.
whit out the binoculars it was quite white and you didn't see to much when you took pictures thnx to the fog and dust.

Sorry that you can't see the houses whit my crapy camera :/

North Korean bread with read bean inside. Neihter me nor my host mom found them delicious but my host brother did, so we had to buy them. I don't remember the exact price now but when my mom told me I couldn't believe my ears :S.

North Korean house.

North Korean schoolbooks.

And children books.

North Korean classroom whit pictures of  김일성 Kim Il-Sung and his son 김정일 Kim Jong-Il . 

I will try to remember that.

On the way to and back from the observatories we could see barbed wire and "guard houses" whit guardians in between the road and the Han river, which is a river in South Korea so if you would jump over the wire and swim over you would just come to South Korea.

And let us end whit the North Korean national anthem 애국가 (Aegukka)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCGoLCdcHm4

English translation:

Let morning shine on the silver and gold of this land,
Three thousand leagues packed with natural wealth.
My beautiful fatherland.
The glory of a wise people
Brought up in a culture brilliant
With a history five millennia long.
Let us devote our bodies and minds
To supporting this Korea forever.

Embracing the atmosphere of Mount Paektu,
Nest for the spirit of labour,
The firm will, bonded with truth,
Will go forth to all the world.
The country established by the will of the people,
Breasting the raging waves with soaring strength.
Let us glorify forever this Korea,
Limitlessly rich and strong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCGoLCdcHm4

I will see you again. Next time, maybe a bit closer ;)