atory to slow down when passing in front of the portraits of the great leaders so the temptation to reach for our cell phones and cameras is high and. we observe the portraits as they observe us. during our 1st visits here we were like many foreigners and treat by their omnipresence. but the more often we visited the less we noticed them. the same does not apply to north koreans cyclists are required to dismount from their bikes and look upon the statues of their leaders. cars must slow down. the 6 6 passers by turn to gaze at the images.

shortly after kim jong il's death by young upper class woman trying to explain what the leaders meant to her. it's a bit like you with your jesus she said except for us jesus would also be a member of the family. in the heat of the summer we occasionally saw a fan cooling the portrait of the leaders. north korean art like this fresco near the entrance to a sports shoe factory is designed to protect the country as the party would like to see it that it's not pure fiction but more often more an aspiration rather than a reality.

the real one factory or weeping willow paradise has 700 workers 70 percent are women they produce 1500000 sports shoes a year it's assembly line work. for years local products were conspicuous in their conformity. now the factory is seeking to draw inspiration from foreign trends. in marketing jargon this is what's called benchmarking. so how do you know. after he visited our factory a respected marshall sent us 142 pairs of foreign shoe models but one thing he said all this i think that. this missile can get it was. he

told us to display them at the workplace next to the ones which had been done incorrectly. but the point is should be that i was technicians and employees to observe and compare them to ours so. our goal is to raise the quality of our shoes to an international level legacy and that i just. copying foreign trends reducing imports and promoting local industry makes sense in a country that is often struck by sanctions but for the plan to work the products have to appeal to north korean consumers. one new brand is called body box with a b the shoes sport 3 stripes. but in north korea patriotism is still a key sales driver. fashions are changing slowly too. in the early 1990 s. a foreign ministry publication was still proudly defending the goal of

a monochrome society something between grey and brown. the times have changed. we pay a visit to a bowling alley bowling popular in the 1980 s. has become trendy again. up stairs people are playing the slot machines. downstairs we get a good look at some of the latest passions here to banners tell the party line.

it reads let's advance the social revolution that ensures the happiness and well being of the masses. if it wasn't for the slogans on the walls we could be almost anywhere in asia. this young woman is an office worker. but that's not as if everyone dresses to suit their body type and coloring some women have square shoulders and try to disguise them what would i do you would see the heavier ones try to dress in the color that suits them. up and then do the same don't say. everyone knows best which clothes shoes and makeup to choose so they can look stylish. good to. make on friday have fun. with that you know we come here with friends and colleagues to get some exercise and relax. bowling

alone is no fun it's the atmosphere and good mood that counts she put out to people . here. it's. just so. at this rest area along the motorway a bus full of chinese tourists has stopped on its way to k. song the city at the border to south korea. and 2017 nice visitors had all but disappeared due to sanctions. and $28.00 team they returned nearly $1000.00 chinese

tourists come each day drawn by the peace and quiet the unspoiled nature and perhaps a touch of nostalgia for a country that reminds them of china 40 years ago. though it might come as a surprise the training for jobs in the tourism industry is very popular in north korea nowadays. over the long term the country is hoping to increase the number of visitors by 30 percent each year. in the fall one sun beach on the east sea is deserted. it's the off season here 2 soldiers. have the beach to themselves. this time we're allowed to film them since they're not in uniform but. this is the same beach in the summer.

on the right the premium beach for absolute visitors. on the left the public area where admission costs just a few cents. whether it's a group of workers a gathering of students or entire families everyone's enjoying themselves. and. people who ride by truck or on bicycles some come for the day others for a week. many come from rural regions. ok everybody dig in. and. we

come from the countryside north of pyongyang. the whole family has come here to relax it's the best place to rest and have tried. our leader kim jong long encouraged us to come on. they're building another tourist site in one sun and this year we're enjoying the beach here. next year we plan to relax at the newcomer tourists on. in the distance we can see the construction site dozens of hotels are being built that's another priority for the current leader. when donald trump met with kim jong un the us president was enthusiastic about the area and said the location had a lot of potential for development. in 20152016 north korean delegations discreetly inspected the french riviera and other mediterranean resorts for ideas that they could bring back to adopted home.

the manager of a famous local fish restaurant is pleased with what's happening. the miners have just so it's a great opportunity to make one sound known around the world. i do but there are knots of guest houses and small hotels some people even campaign because the sea is very close. just because. because if i had many french people will come here to swim and try a famous soup of course so you go look look look look look look what. except in the mining in nuclear testing areas there's lots of unspoiled nature here. due to a bar goes farming uses very little artificial fertilizer. there's

little light. pollution due to frequent electricity shortages. it comes as something of a surprise that north korea has never thought to market itself as a pioneer in sustainable development. and inhabited for the past 65 years the demilitarized zone has preserved a unique biodiversity. so far pyongyang doesn't seem inclined to take advantage of these natural assets. because. i am. in the rest of the world north korea is seen as an anomaly. north korea also sees itself as unique

which it certainly is as frequent visitors we are struck by the endless repetition of the same songs sung everywhere at schools and on public transportation the same slogans decorate the streets the same films are constantly broadcast on t.v. north korea is a country under a bell jar a country marching to its own pace it's impenetrable frustrating exhausting. but its people are open curious and full of life. north korea is changing rapidly. poly or fast fast is a favorite phrase in both north and south korea. north koreans tastes are changing as are their hopes for the future. perhaps one day our image of north korea will change to.

this speech go in doesn't leave any crimes behind. because there's enough plastic lying around in chinatown 10 in common enough. for cycling this is a make or break you can't educate one chance to see the bigger picture they will think

if they kill over they live. in 13 it's double. you stood for the 1st group to get over. i'm sure that of us are also some of the. vocal in support of. what's a big walk over. to deliberate. life on earth one of a kind and. coincidences. where the improbable happened. was the creation of our solar system with our planet is a bit like winning the lottery. what is. we're unique

stortford you are real events on d w. c 3. faces due to any news live from at least $150.00 painful laughing the dead as a glazier hits as down in india a huge flood cast cascades through that to carrying them out and to bring into the areas below the search for survivors is ongoing also coming up tens of thousands of demonstrators again marching through myanmar's largest city announcing because that threatens to roll by.