Kim Il-sung's 27 volumes of teachings form the core curriculum of the education system. Kim Jong-il rules as chairman of the National Defense Commission. But official decrees are still signed in the name of the eternal president, South Korean intelligence officials say. North Korea has the look of a garrison state. Soldiers can be seen standing at the entrance to dirt roads and around villages, peering into tour buses to make sure nobody is snapping pictures.
Many soldiers appear to be teenagers.
Though last winter was hard and a severe grains shortage is expected again this year, there is no evidence of grinding poverty here. The state has apparently succeeded in giving everybody a minimum subsistence living. But even Oun Joung-ni, the main village in an area the regime is showcasing, was dark at nightfall, with only an occasional candle seen flickering in a window. North Korea's chronic energy crisis has left most places without reliable power and the government is trying to negotiate electricity aid from the South. Yet the South Koreans on this tour seem to wholeheartedly embrace the idea of reunification, even if for reasons that might make the North uncomfortable.