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Murderous North Korean stamp
Tuesday, 19th July 2005
East Midlands Conservative MEP Roger Helmer has just returned from an EU parliamentary delegation to North Korea, bringing with him an extraordinary 10 Won postage stamp showing a North Korean soldier in the act of bayoneting an American. The stamp was on open sale in a shop a few yards from Helmer's hotel in Pyongyang, the NK capital. Helmer found a pervasive climate of paranoid anti-US propaganda in North Korea. It started with the routine in-flight announcements on the in-bound flight to Pyongyang, which were interspersed with praise for "Great Leader" Kim Il Sung, and rants against "American imperialism". Papers carried stories about an imminent American attack on North Korea. Posters showed US missiles trampled underfoot, while murals showed heroic NK soldiers in attack mode. Helmer says he was saddened but not surprised by the propaganda. But he was shocked to find that even postage stamps carried the same message. In addition to the stamp showing the bayoneting, others show hands stabbing "American Imperialism", and many show aggressive scenes of guns and fighting. Commenting on his find, Helmer said "The NK’s frequently cite a lack of respect shown to them by the USA as an excuse for not engaging in talks on the nuclear issue. They need to learn that respect has to be earned, and that it is a two-way street. These stamps are a disgrace. It looks as though the NK’s are trying to ramp up the problem, not find a solution". • North Korea: Five Days in the Workers' Paradise • Photographs from North Korea |
