Rason

At the far northeastern tip of North Korea bordering China and Russia, Rason was created from the cities of Rajin and Sonbong into a special free trade economic zone to bring hard currency into North Korea. We had expected the attitude towards foreigners to be more welcoming here as a result, but in the end the place proved to be even more paranoid of outsiders than the rest of North Korea is. And that's saying something! It's no wonder that most foreign companies pulled out of Rason long ago, and as an economic experiment it has been largely a failure.

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Rason is actually quite pretty in the summer, but all the chimneys visible everywhere are a reminder that this place gets bitterly cold in winter.

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Fish drying in the summer heat with the laundry.

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Walking downhill from the Rajin Revolutionary Museum into the city of Rajin. Our guides got very angry at this point that we were taking pictures of ordinary houses and ordinary people. It wasn't much longer before we were ordered to put our cameras away.

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One of the main axes of Rajin City, the street from the Revolutionary Museum down to Hae'an Park and the coastline. And as is typical for North Korea, almost no vehicular traffic. This was another picture that earned me the fury of our guides.

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Rajin Foreign Languages School, where students study English, Russian, or Chinese. Tourists are often brought to this school to give the students the chance to practice their oral skills with native speakers.

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The entryway to the Rajin Foreign Languages School. From closest to farthest (two on the right, then three on the left) the signs say: Transform Beliefs, Transform Conscience, Single Mindedness, 100 Battles 100 Victories, and Unyielding Korea.

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Colorful Rajin City apartment block. One sees the same building styles and colors in Siberia.

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Rajin city street scene taken surreptitiously from our bus window.
The sign says, "Let's follow the dying injunctions of Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il, and wholly promote the building of a strong nation!"

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Rajin Port.

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"Immortality Tower" at Rajin Port.

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Workers clean the grounds in front of giant mosaics of the kimilsungia and kimjongilia flowers at Rajin port.

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Traffic cop monitors the relatively light traffic at Rajin City's busiest intersection.

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Outskirts of Rajin City on the drive to the Rajin Shoe Factory.

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Rajin Shoe Factory.

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Hae'an Park, Rajin City.

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Rollerblading kid pauses to watch Kim Jong Un on giant video screen at Hae'an Park, Rajin City.

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Propaganda van spreading the message at Hae'an Park, Rajin City.

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Rajin workers gawk at the unfamiliar sight of foreigners in their midst.

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Friendly waitresses at the travel company restaurant. The one on the left has a cell phone strapped to her left wrist.

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Kimjongilia flower hothouse.

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Kids playing soccer in Rajin Stadium in front of oversized portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.

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"Bright sun of our Military-First Country � Long Live General Kim Jong Un!" Taken at Namsan Square, Rajin City.

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Namsan Square, Rajin City.

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On the drive from Rajin to Pipha Island, massive industrial site that seemed to be completely idle.

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Looking down slope to Pipha Island and the massive (and almost completely deserted) Emperor Hotel & Casino.

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Most North Korean fishing boats we encountered looked like nothing but rust was holding them together.

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Typical North Korean village near the Daehung Trading Company. Yet another picture that made our guides furious.

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The road down to the Daehung Trading Company. Beautiful mosaic mural of Mt Paektu sunset at the top.

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Security guard at the Daehung Trading Company entrance.

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Now we know where all the squid we've been eating for the past week is coming from!

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Overview of Sonbong City.

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Sonbong City outskirts.

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Young Pioneers walking in front of propaganda sign in Sonbong City.

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Outside the Sonbong Textiles Factory, pondering the message on the red sign: "Self reliance is the only way to live!" North Korea knows it has almost no friends in the world and has a long history of being screwed by outside powers, so the philosophy of "Juche" (Self reliance) has taken on a central role in state propaganda. Still, it seemed wildly inappropriate to be so prominently displayed in a region of the country that depends almost entirely on the outside world for sustenance. I couldn't help but wonder if all the locals employed by foreign factories were cognizant of this blatant contradiction.

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Sonbong Textiles Factory. The two red plaques on the wall are quotes from Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. LEFT SIDE: "In order to improve the production of light industrial products, we must strengthen quality control more than any other product aspect." -- Kim Il Sung. RIGHT SIDE: "We must focus our deep interest on new product design, including technical preparation. Technical preparation is the key process for production." -- Kim Jong Il.

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The North Korean version of a modern sweat shop. But most of the girls seemed happy.

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Visiting the 5.16 Kindergarten in Sonbong City.
On the left, a typical classroom with remarkably well-behaved children.
On the right, a special song and dance performance by the kids just for us.

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And what kindergarten would be complete without mockups of tanks and soldiers?

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North Korean pavilion in the Three Countries Border area. This pavilion is built on a hilltop in the far northeastern corner of North Korea where it is visible to people in both China and Russia. In this picture, China is straight ahead and Russia is just beyond the river to the upper right.

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Zooming in on the Chinese border buildings. The farm house in the foreground is in North Korea; the buildings in the background are in China. The train that connects North Korea to Russia goes across the bridge visible in the center right. Russia is to the far right in this picture, just across the river.

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A few last random pictures of Rason as we drive towards the border with China and back to "civilization". I left with mixed feelings. Rason is billed as one of the most free, most forward-thinking parts of North Korea. But the reality is that it seemed even more paranoid of outsiders than anywhere else. And just as poor.