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KORYO - „Land
of high beauty"
by Lena Selig
 Koryo
- "Land
of high beauty" - that
is what Koreans call their peninsula since the 10th century. Today,
morning
tranquillity, quiet and serenity are characteristics not readily
associated
with either the North or the South of the divided country. While words
like
openness, internationality and progress can be translated into many
different terms
in South Korea, in the North, it all boils down to one: Air Koryo. The
only
North Korean airline opens the gates to the world’s most isolated and
obscure
country for home-bound citizens and a selected international audience
twice a
week; such as our five person IPPNW delegation from Sweden and Germany
last
August....
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Excerpt of Lena's
speech at a North Korean Hospital:
"I was born in Leipzig in 1980 in the former
socialist German
Democratic Republic. I was 9 years old when the so called peaceful
revolution - the reunification - started. At this time, I didn't
really understand what the meaning of this was. Today, I think it was a
great chance for our people to live in a democracy, to have the
possibility of free thought, giving them a voice and allowing them to
learn and to study what they are interested in. Of course there are
many problems, too - not at least associated with the reunification,
but the difference to the time before is that everybody who is
interested will have the chance to solve and influence the situation in
his ability."
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Physicians
- to Pyongyang!
The International
Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW)
are
striving for a cooperation with North Korea. After an
IPPNW delegation had travelled to North
Korea
recently, the organisation’s Board of Directors decided last week in Boston to
initiate projects
in the isolated country. Lars Pohlmeier, a member of this board, told
the “taz”
that student exchanges and medical symposia are currently being
planned.
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