AP Reporters Taken for a North Korean Ride: 'Squealed with Delight'

If you want to see an example of a naive reporter trying to cover the horrors of a totalitarian state, look no further than this recent dispatch from AP reporter Jean Lee who ventures into North Korea. The report offers a “different side of North Korea.” Indeed!

“PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) – North Korea may be struggling to feed its people, but there was no shortage of mouthwatering options on the menu at our guide’s favorite restaurant: ostrich, duck and beef; scallops, crab and lobster; pancakes, stews, noodles and even spaghetti.

Even the kimchi – and normally I am not a fan of the spicy fermented cabbage that is Korea’s most famous dish – was irresistible.

That meal was part of a remarkable whirlwind trip that AP photographer Vincent Yu and I took to Pyongyang, capital of one of the world’s most hidden nations, for the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party.

Breaking away from the gaggle of foreign reporters allowed into the country for the festivities, we ate traditional North Korean fare for lunch. Afterward, we wandered along the scenic Taedong River, stopping to chat with families picnicking along its grassy, willow-lined banks.

Later, our guides had a surprise: a trip to an amusement park. Earlier, as we’d sped past in a car, I had squealed with delight and told them how much I’d love to see the fair.”