Pyongyang Chapter 9 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • Guy has a weird moment in which he mistakes Kim Jong-Il’s face for his own… but it’s just the angle of the mirror.
  • Guy then critiques the horrible clothes the people of North Korea wear (how dare they not be stylish) and wonders where all the disabled people have gone.
  • Mr. Kyu’s answer is pretty horrifying: “There are none… We’re a very homogenous nation. All North Koreans are born strong, intelligent, and healthy” (9.48). Yikes. No, really, where are they?
  • Guy’s guide, translator, and assistant take him to the Taekwondo Hall.
  • Of course, no one else is there. All the athletes have conveniently flown north for the summer.
  • Guy’s new translator, who doesn’t get a name, asks Guy about computers. Guy tries to tell him that North Korea is the only country not on the Internet, but the man doesn’t believe him.