<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"><FONT BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=3 PTSIZE=12 FAMILY="SERIF" FACE="Times New Roman" LANG="0">Dear friends and colleagues,<BR>
<BR>
Tom Coyner, in Seoul, has kindly alerted those on his email list<BR>
to a truly excellent series of new photographs of North Korea,<BR>
apparently taken by a young Russian tourist couple very recently.<BR>
See </FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#ffffff" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=2 PTSIZE=10 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"> <A HREF="http://www.fishmonger.ru/06-07-27/index.htm">http://www.fishmonger.ru/06-07-27/index.htm</A><BR>
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Alas, the captions are all (not unreasonably) po-Russkii.<BR>
Might some kind person on this list translate them? If they <BR>
are half as good as the photos, they'd be well worth reading.<BR>
<BR>
But the pictures - large, crisp; about 70 in all - speak for themselves. <BR>
Most seem to be in or near Rajin-Sonbong; including the imposing <BR>
but apparently deserted pile of the Emperor Hotel & Casino, with statuary.<BR>
(Shades of Ozymandias, already?)<BR>
<BR>
The greater part are scenes of everyday life, which Coyner compares<BR>
to South Korea in the 1970s. They include: <BR>
- Views inside a home, including ondol.<BR>
- Women carrying water, on their heads and on shoulder-poles<BR>
(In general, many persons carrying, pulling or pushing various loads)<BR>
- That age-old Korean icon, the bony bullock patiently pulling a cart<BR>
- A tourbus stuck on a muddy rutted road, pulled out by a bulldozer<BR>
- Assorted boats<BR>
- Miscellaneous electrical equipment<BR>
- and much much more.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Separately, may I also take this opportunity to commiserate with all<BR>
those who were looking forward to visiting North Korea in the coming<BR>
months, but whose tours have been abruptly cancelled; and nor least to<BR>
Leonid Petrov, who put much effort into organizing these. See<BR>
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/30/AR2006073000993.html<BR>
<BR>
Much as one symapthizes with the DPRK over the latest flood damage,<BR>
give the current political climate (post-Taepodong) it seems fair to<BR>
wonder what is the real balance of reason vs excuse here. I fear<BR>
it tends to confirm my sour view that the true meaning of <I>juche</I><BR>
is not giving a damn about anybody else. <BR>
<BR>
Best wishes<BR>
Aidan<BR>
<BR>
AIDAN FOSTER-CARTER<BR>
Honorary Senior Research Fellow in Sociology & Modern Korea, Leeds University <BR>
Home address: 17 Birklands Road, Shipley, West Yorkshire, BD18 3BY, UK <BR>
tel: +44(0) 1274 588586 (alt) +44(0) 1264 737634 mobile: +44(0) 7970 741307 <BR>
fax: +44(0) 1274 773663 ISDN: +44(0) 1274 589280<BR>
Email: afostercarter@aol.com (alt) afostercarter@yahoo.com website: www.aidanfc.net<BR>
[Please use @aol; but if any problems, please try @yahoo too - and let me know, so I can chide AOL]<BR>
<BR>
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