August 31, 2014 -- Updated 0813 GMT (1613 HKT)
On a tightly controlled trip, CNN's Will Ripley gets a glimpse of a
country that has built an almost unassailable boundary between it and
the outside world. FULL STORY
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U.S. PRO WRESTLERS VISIT
Pro-wrestling, country clubs and theme parks: What North Korea wants world to see
August 31, 2014 -- Updated 0501 GMT (1301 HKT)
CNN's Will Ripley is in Pyongyang.
Here are his photos. A sight the DPRK wants to show the world: A
massive sports village where North Korea athletes train.
HIDE CAPTION
CNN's Will Ripley travels to North Korea
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- CNN attends pro-wrestling festival in North Korea in tightly controlled trip
- Behind public spectacle, is an attempt at sports diplomacy
- Trip showcases country club, theme park, military might
- Minders watch reporters' every move
Back then, we're told the spectators thought the action was real.
Now, they're more savvy,
and appreciative, clapping loudly as the former American stars execute
their maneuvers during the two-day contest in Pyongyang.
"We're here to do something bigger and better," pro-wrestler Jon "Strongman" Anderson roars backstage.
He could also be alluding
to the purpose of the trip, an attempt at "sports diplomacy" by Antonio
Inoki, a Japanese former pro-wrestler turned politician.
He's organized the trip
at a time of thawing relations between Japan and North Korea over the
issue of abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s. Recent
talks opened the door for further investigations by North Korea and a
report is expected in the next few weeks.
The behind-the-scenes diplomacy is a long way from the public spectacles staged during this mixed martial arts festival.
The stars of the show --
including former NFL star Bob "The Beast" Sapp -- join arm-wrestling and
tug-of-war competitions with the Pyongyang locals, some who seem more
than a little bemused.
Tightly controlled
International media has
joined the tightly-controled tour, which took us from the birthplace of
the nation's founder Kim Il Sung, to the pet projects of its current
leader Kim Jong Un.
A bus ride seemed to take us back in time as we passed fields where locals where working, tending the soil with their hands.
Our destination was a
country club where, for the equivalent of $10 an hour, locals can ride
horses in an indoor arena. It's a past time only for Pyongyang's elite.
The country's per capita income is estimated to be around $1,000 to
$2,000 a year, putting such pursuits out of reach of most people.
However, outside
Pyongyang there's a place where anyone can see the country's most
impressive monuments, without having to visit each one.
Reporting live from North Korea
American wrestlers travel to North Korea
CNN tours Kim Jong Un's waterpark
It's a theme park that
displays North Korea's landmarks in miniature. Many of them could be
found in Pyongyang. Indeed, visitors could even see the real-life Tower
of Juche from the park.
The original, built on the shore of the River Taedong, is named after the political ideology formed by the country's Eternal President Kim Il Sung, that "man is the master of everything and decides everything."
North Korea's military
might and successes were paraded in other displays. We were shown a U.S.
Navy research ship that was seized in 1968 for allegedly spying on the
DPRK.
The U.S. claims it never entered North Korean waters.
Photos showing planes
and helicopters that had crashed in North Korean territory were also
displayed, including a graphic image of a dead U.S. soldier.
Asked why it was
necessary to display the photo, the guide said: "Because we want the
world to know they will be punished if they attack the DPRK."
Pet projects
Since taking power after
his father's death in 2011, Kim Jong Un has sought to make his mark on
the country and its population of some 25 million people.
He's launched a number
of pet projects, spending millions on a new Children's Hospital and a
slide-filled water park in Pyongyang, which we've seen firsthand during
our trip.
However, outside Pyongyang it's unclear how far the spending has spread.
North Korea remains a
secretive state, accused by a United Nations panel of widespread human
rights abuses, charges that the country denies.
Minders have watched our
every move, from the moment we landed in Pyongyang to the bus ride to
our hotel, which sits on its own island. The tour has followed
pre-approved routes; we're shown what they want us to see.
So far, that has been
impressive infrastructure for a country that's struggling to feed its
own people, and that has erected an almost unassailable boundary between
it and the outside world.
Hilary Whiteman in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
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