North Korean Diary 03: Mangyongbong Steams into Wonsan Pyongyang, North Korea, Saturday, April 12, 1997 The Mangyongbong 92 reached Wonsan port at 5:30 p.m. yesterday but it was too late to unload our goods, so we planned to return the next morning and spent the evening dining with our guides, Ambassador Kim Sun Man, the former deputy representative of the DPRK mission at the UN (who is now in charge of humanitarian aid from the Americas at the Flood Rehabilitation Committee), and Mrs. Choi Ra Hwa who works in the same office; also Dr. Kim Jong Yun, director of the Third Hospital in Pyongyang, and Shin Jong Ok, the deputy director, who is a pharmacist, and our two drivers. I suggested we eat at a bulgogi restaurant outside the hotel and one of our drivers recommended a bulgogi restaurant run as a joint venture by a Korean-Japanese. It turned out to be an excellent suggestion as we were served one of the best Korean meals IÕve had in a long time with fine and friendly service. The bill was also quite reasonable by Tokyo standards. However, Debbie and I felt guilty enjoying such a good meal and leaving food on the table when much of the population goes hungry at night. During dinner we had a chance to talk with Dr. Kim Jong Yun. He had come to Wonsan to clear customs for the Toyota Hi Ace vehicle we brought in to donate to his (Pyongyang Third Hospital) from the Christian Assistance for Medical Mission in Michigan. This is a relatively new hospital serving a large portion of PyongyangÕs population who have moved into new apartment complexes built in recent years. It has some 500 beds and treats 300 outpatients a day. Along with the vehicle, the CAMM gave us other medical equipment, such as an EKG machine, for the hospital. Dr. Kim listed for us a dozen hospitals in Pyongyang, some general and some specialized. They all provide free care but are lacking in equipment and drugs. Some people suffer from malnutrition. There are cases of TB. Most of the patients at this time of year come in with cold-related illnesses. The greatest need is for antibiotics. I asked him if there was a psychiatric hospital and he said there was one on the outskirts of Pyongyang. The hospital was not using any sophisticated drugs such as Prozak, or other mood-changing medication. It relied mostly on drugs that induced sleep. They are not very advanced in the modern treatment of mental problems, according to our observation. Dr. Kim said they did not read or receive any English-language medical journal but did see some Russian journals occasionally. They are anxious to keep up with news of advances in medicine but lack such information. Many of the doctors here studied in Russia. They received only one copy of an English-language medical journal some years ago and would welcome regular subscriptions to such journals. I said I would try to contact publications or American hospitals to see if such subscriptions could be donated. The hotel we stayed at suffered some electrical stoppage and hot water was conserved. It was provided for one hour a day at a time that we chose to take a shower. The elevator also operated only at certain times. The service, however, was good and cheerful. Maids came in every few hours to provide replacements of hot water thermos for tea. Our dining room waitress, dressed in a smart red uniform, worn by service personnel throughout the country, was friendly and efficient. When we finished our meal she wished us "a good day." The streets in Wonsan are empty of traffic as was the road and highway to and from Wonsan. Very few cars are seen, except trucks carrying people and goods. People mostly walk or use bicycles to move about. Occasionally you see a bus or truck with dozens of people riding in the back. Farmers were tilling fields along the roads. The tunnels are dark but since last year have installed reflectors which provide good light (reflected from the car lights) without using any electricity. ItÕs an example of the resilience and ingenuity under severe conditions. The port where the Mangyongbong 92 was docked is just a five- minute walk from the hotel. It commands a spectacular view of the sea. We got there at nine on Saturday morning and saw our Hi Ace vehicle on the deck. The customs people arrived at 10 and our Mr. Kim met the captain and asked him if he could download our vehicle first so we could depart and catch the lunch time break when the long tunnel back to Pyongyang, under repair by the army, is open to traffic. A crane lifted and brought our car down. Dr. Kim Jong Yun and Mrs. Shin Jong Ok were very happy to see it. Customs officials then carefully looked into the car and opened the boxes from the spare parts kit. They then placed a seal over the radio and the car was turned over to the doctor. The hospital driver who had come to Wonsan to drive the van back then washed it and we all drove back, the deputy director sat next to the driver of the Hi Ace. On the way back the van stopped and picked up several hitch hikers. The vehicle has the logo of the CAMM on both sides. Midway on the three-hour drive we stopped at the Tea House along a lake and all enjoyed a cup of noodle and ginseng tea or coffee. We agreed to hold an official ceremony later next week at the hospital after the medical equipment is cleared. It apparently was on the same ship but consigned to the Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee instead of me so it was difficult to sort it out among the many packages today. We returned to Pyongyang around 4 p.m. and checked into the Koryo Hotel which is filled with performers and delegations from all over the world here for the Spring Festival commemorating the late President Kim Il SungÕs birthday, April 15. There have been a series of performances and concerts all week, to be highlighted by a "mass game" event on the 15th. As the 15th and 16th will be holidays, we will see some of these events. I received a fax from Bell Indo, the Bangkok-based trading company handling our order of rice from Vietnam, informing me the ship carrying our order would likely arrive at Nampo on April 23-24, so we will have to wait till it arrives, for our distribution. We also decided, tentatively, to bring our corn from Dandong up to Pyongyang by train and distribute it in a needier area rather than Sinuiju where we were told that the distribution there is already equitable. But we may also go to Sinuiju. We will work it out over the next few days. We will learn more about the famine, distribution system and health care needs in meetings with officials in the next days. The mood in Pyongyang is bustling and festive. It shows little change over our previous five visits. In fact people seem more relaxed than before. There is no visible sign in the capital of the suffering and shortage which are reported to exist in the countryside, but Pyongyang is more privileged. We will visit those areas during our stay and report on them. The dollar shop at the Koryo Hotel, which accepts won traded with foreign currency, was well stacked with everything from Parker pens to DPRK-made hepatitis vaccine, and included bicycles, rechargeable fluorescent flashlights, Japanese cosmetics and foodstuffs, including U.S.-made LibbyÕs beans, Key Foods beets and Nally corn been hash.