North Korea gift shops remove anti-American souvenirs after Singapore summit
Wed Jun 20, 2018 09:51:am World
11.7K By Obiaks Blog
Following the unprecedented and historic summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, the first between a sitting US president and North Korea leader, Western tour guides/operators in the North Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone say anti-American themed souvenirs and gifts, a dominant feature in gift shops shelves have been taken down.
According to Simon Cockerell, general manager at Koryo Tours, unless instructed to, staffs were unlikely to remove the items.
"They're always very popular, not very subtle, and, as of now, have all been removed," said Cockerell.
This move which follows Kim's declaration of an end to testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles while focusing on developing North Korea's economy, is the latest sign of a relaxed stance by Pyongyang.
The DMZ, a prominent tourist attraction in both North and South Korea was established following the cessation of hostilities between both Korea during the 1950 - 1953 Korean war though a peace treaty was never signed leaving both sides technically still in war.
"We had a group go down to the DMZ from Pyongyang three days after the summit held in Singapore where we noticed the change in what was being sold to tourists at the gift shop," said Rowan Beard, a tour manager at Young Pioneer Tours.
"They've shifted the focus from anti-Americanism to improving agriculture, sports and boosting the local economy."
"It's not just at the DMZ, all the anti-American posters I usually see around Kim Il Sung Square and at shops (in Pyongyang), they've all just gone," Beard said.
"In five years working in North Korea, I've never seen them completely disappear before."
But despite the seeming change in North Korea's relationship with the US and the rest of the world, Simon Cockerell is cautious about the recent moves by Pyongyang.
At the present time anti-Americanism is not the number one thing on the cultural docket," Cockerell said. "The anti-American things have been replaced by more positive and aspirational things."
According to Simon Cockerell, general manager at Koryo Tours, unless instructed to, staffs were unlikely to remove the items.
"They're always very popular, not very subtle, and, as of now, have all been removed," said Cockerell.
This move which follows Kim's declaration of an end to testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles while focusing on developing North Korea's economy, is the latest sign of a relaxed stance by Pyongyang.
The DMZ, a prominent tourist attraction in both North and South Korea was established following the cessation of hostilities between both Korea during the 1950 - 1953 Korean war though a peace treaty was never signed leaving both sides technically still in war.
"We had a group go down to the DMZ from Pyongyang three days after the summit held in Singapore where we noticed the change in what was being sold to tourists at the gift shop," said Rowan Beard, a tour manager at Young Pioneer Tours.
"They've shifted the focus from anti-Americanism to improving agriculture, sports and boosting the local economy."
"It's not just at the DMZ, all the anti-American posters I usually see around Kim Il Sung Square and at shops (in Pyongyang), they've all just gone," Beard said.
"In five years working in North Korea, I've never seen them completely disappear before."
But despite the seeming change in North Korea's relationship with the US and the rest of the world, Simon Cockerell is cautious about the recent moves by Pyongyang.
At the present time anti-Americanism is not the number one thing on the cultural docket," Cockerell said. "The anti-American things have been replaced by more positive and aspirational things."
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