My Reflections on the Recent Trip to North Korea

By Dr. David Park (박경래)
CAMM Midwest-Chicago 지부

I have had the privilege of traveling to DPRK(North Korea) recently with two distinguished gentlemen, Mr. Pak from Seattle and Dr. Sul from Detroit. I traveled with Dr. Sul on Sept. 13th, 2000, and arrived the next day in Beijing around 6 pm. We were greeted by Miss Ji and later met by Mr. Pak who arrived later. Mr. Pak, of no relation to me, however, arrived in Beijing with no luggage to be found. Thankfully, when we returned on the 16th, the luggage was found, and we were on our way to DPRK aboard the Air Koryo. I was cautious but very excited about flying to the North Korea, where I have never been.

It was a dark, gloomy day when we arrived, but we were warmly received by the officials. We settled at the Pyongyang Hotel near the famous Daedong River. Though it was somewhat older, there was much space in the room. We all enjoyed the variety of food served and the friendly service provided by the attendants. I felt they were very courteous and kind toward us.

I was thankful for the opportunity to visit the Third People's Hospital twice. Dr. Shim was very eager to show us around, and we have had nice visits with the different departments. The place was fairly busy with many services including pharmacy and dental services. I realized the hospital need more endoscopes and parts for them, especially the special light bulbs. They need to update their diagnostic capabilities using more machines to speed the process. I was happy to hear that the new X-ray machine will be a reality in a near future. They still need medical specialty books including PDR for the Third Hospital. They also mentioned they need IV meds such as antibiotics, muscle relaxant/paralytic agents and steroids. They could also use the nebulizer machines for the asthmatics. I was also glad to hear about their surgical advances in using laparoscopic techniques.

The highlight of my visit was on Sunday when we went to Bong Soo Church. Their service was uplifting, and I especially enjoyed the choir. I was glad to be able to meet some people visiting form Canada and others doing a long-term humanitarian work. I prayed for the salvation of the souls in every part of the North. Another memorable occasion was when we went to the Jungbang Mountain near Sariwon. We visited the famous Sungbul Temple, and had a wonderful picnic with the group. We saw dear little children playing in the creek. We joked and talked about the politics in the South, unification of the country and other important topics. It was a special time just by the fact that we were able to discuss and express our thoughts on such varied topics.

All in all, it was a special and memorable time for me. It was also a very educational time. I have gone to such extraordinary places as Juche Tower and the mausoleum for the Leader Kim Il-Sung. The Shinchun Museum was heart-breaking and thought-provoking. These places have made a special impression on me and also helped me understand the cultural and ideological backbone of the North. We live apart and may not associate much with each other, but we still feel the same pain of national division and have the same aspiration of its eventual peaceful unification. The leaders of the North and the South have made remarkable historic moves for Korean Peninsula.

Now is the time to bridge the gap of the ideological differences and move toward the blessed united Korea. How wonderful that will be! I hope and pray that I will soon be able to enjoy the unified Korea, where our apparent differences fade away because of our strong national bond and love for peace.