The rumoured birthplace of the Leader Kim Il-sung is situated in a park called Mangyŏngdae. Complete with a fun fair the hill holds an ensemble of three huts in pristine condition. Inside you can find depictions and utensils that the family of the leader has used to make a living. There is a cold noodle press, various bowls and jars and pictures of the man and his family. When I visited the premises delegations of school children from around the country paid their visit as well.

The narrative starts here

These souls that have been drilled since Kindergarten to remember every aspect of the narrative of this place where truly engaged. Many of them gave donations in form of flowers on a mural reciting the history of the place.

When the show is finally over

But on the other end they were only children. Kids like to play, shout and scream. So as soon as the visit to the sacred place was over they started to behave like normal kids would. You can hardly imagine what cognitive dissonance is brought up in these young years already.

When the DPRK would open up it’s doors to the rest of the world tomorrow would the world image of these kids not be shattered? How many of them would need to question their ideals and believes and what would be the outcome of this process? The Kim dynasty managed to change the life of generations of humans. It is a really mind distorting process to think about. At least for me.