“Let’s Go to See the North Korea in South Korea, the Mangyongbong"

The ‘moving North Korean territory’ Mangyungbong 92, which arrived at the Dadeapo Port in Busan on the 28th of last monsth, induces nostalgia to people who lost their hometown, and much curiosity to citizens of Busan.

The Dadeapo Port, where people can see the Mangyungbong from 200m away, becomes a tourist attraction, where hundreds of citizens of Busan and tourists gather and take pictures or see the ship with binoculars.

A hometown lost person Mr. Chon (75) that we met at the Dadeapo Port on the 1st said in tears, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to go my hometown (Sukchon, Pyongnam) with that ship.”

This ship, which is a place of abode for the North Korean supporters and the brass band for the Busan Asian Games, is 126m long, 20m high, 21m wide, and 9672t, so it is not different from any other cruise ships.

There is the North Korean national banner drawn at the chimney and red English sign ‘MANGYONGBONG-92’ is inscribed at the master. There is the ‘Mangyongbong-92’ sign, which is known that the North Korean President Kim, Jung-Il wrote himself at January 28, 1992, on a copper plate above the stair on left of cabins.

Inside the ship, there are control room, theater, auditorium, dining room, bathroom, and game room as well as cabins. When she entered the port on the 28th there are signs on the interior walls saying ‘Let’s live in our way,’ and ‘The Great Leader Kim, Il-Sung is with us always’ caught our attention.

Inside the ship, where 356 people including 288 supporters and 68 crewmembers are living, there are only 5 days’ supply of essential things such as rice and drinking water. Therefore, through a negotiation between South and North Korean officials, 38 items of 16 days supply including rice 3,840kg (240kg a day), 1,200 1l bottles of drinking water, vegetables, kimchi, meat, fish, snacks, and fruits will be supported as early as the 2nd.

And 24 kinds of medicine including an aid to digestion, antibiotics, and antiseasickness pill for queasy and 9 kinds of industrial products including irons would be provided soon.

The items that has been provided or being provided to the Mangyeongbong 92 include 1 TV, 440V electricity, 10 kinds of newspaper, 4 mobile phones (for liaison officers), 8 telephone lines, and trash bags.

Like other ships for overseas service, the local service people take out the trash once in every 3 or 4 days.

Although the life inside the ship is in secret, the people on board are known to wake up around 6 in the morning and retire at around 10 at night.

silent@donga.com