Unprecedented Trip to North Korea’s “City of Iron”

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• published: 29 May 2015
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Six times in six years FTV applied to visit North Korea, succeeding on five occasions. Plans to visit four administrative districts made the paperwork on this latest trip particularly daunting, but persistence paid off, as FTV became the first Taiwanese media group to visit Chongjin, a northeast provincial capital known as the “City of Iron.” Travel documents are essential to secure passage across the border of a province, directly administered city or special city in North Korea. On bidding farewell to Rason, we head south for Chongjin, the capital of North Hamgyong Province and the country’s third largest city.After filling out forms and submitting documentation at the border, our Rason travel agents hand us over to travel agents from Chongjin.“Goodbye.”“Can we go?”“Yes.”For two and half hours we travel over bumpy mountain roads and past arid fields that should have been sowed at the beginning of May.An abrupt change from pastoral to urban setting is apparent upon entry into Chongjin. Like Rason there is a port, but the similarities end there. Chongjin is an industrial city of 600,000 that trades the open, international feeling of its busy neighbor to the north for rows of factory chimneys. Tens of thousands of workers, who produce a quarter of the nation’s steel output, primarily rely on bicycles for transit, though some use city buses and trolley buses. Second to Pyongyang in terms of trolleys, Chongjin is the only city on the east coast that has these vehicles.In the daytime, the industrial vehicles that ply the streets attract the attention of blue-clad traffic officers.“Sir, you cannot film this.”As the first Taiwanese media group to visit Chongjin, we must deal with weary handlers. They issue a stream of prohibitions: do not film pedestrians, do not film soldiers, do not film while the vehicle is moving. But they are happy to promote the city’s digital library. Completed in 2013, this is a place where students and members of the general public study typing and computer animation or go on the domestic internet.Hahn Kyung HeeDeputy Head Librarian, Chongjin LibraryWe’re open from 9 am to 6 pm and closed on Wednesdays since this is a day of rest for workers.Suspicions that North Korea harbors state-sponsored hackers made us curious about the capabilities of this young network manager.Hong Jung ChulNetwork Manager, Chongjin LibraryI work from 7 am to 7 pm. (Are there problems that you cannot solve?) If I have questions, I search the internet for answers.It’s the beginning of May and North Korea remains mired in a drought. Households accustomed to electricity restrictions have solar panels installed on their balconies. We must deal with water and power cuts at our hotel.Park Hyun KyungChongjin GuideThere was no power this morning. (There was no water yesterday). When there’s a blackout, use this bucket to flush the toilet.North Koreans keep water reserves. Without street lights, each evening the city is plunged into a darkness broken only by headlights and small lamps scattered among a few households. Nighttime temperatures drop to just 4 degrees Celsius, but the hotel doesn’t provide warm water for bathing.Despite these problems, Chongjin does feature a clean, undeveloped coastline. Five minutes away a revolutionary site abuts a white sandy beach and coastal homes in a picturesque setting.The city’s greatest asset is its ice-free port. In 2012, China leased the port’s third and fourth piers to serve as a transport hub for goods flowing between China, South Korea, Russia and Japan. In recent years, Russia invited the two Koreas to join in constructing an “Iron Silk Road” that cuts across the Korean Peninsula. If built, it will connect the Trans-Siberian Railway to Rajin, Chongjin and the South Korean city of Busan, allowing for unimpeded transport of coal and iron.China’s and Russia’s interest in the port of Chongjin points toward an important future role for this city.Anne HuFTV News DirectorThis is our first visit to North Korea following a major shake-up at the upper echelons of power. While our application was accepted, the mutual trust we had accumulated was wiped out, adding to difficulties. At our hotel we conduct nightly rehearsals to prepare for the challenges and unsettled itineraries we face.This is FTV’s Anne Hu, C. F. Su and Chun-hao Yeh with an exclusive report from North Korea.