An Aussie In Pyongyang

The title says it all -- "I'm the only Australian living in North Korea. Let me tell you about it" :

"The Pyongyang Metro is always full of 'phone zombies' staring intently at games, movies or the news. Pretty much the only person I’ve met who doesn’t have a smartphone is my 73-year-old literary theory teacher, who has stuck with her 2000s Nokia-style device.

But perhaps the most insightful experiences I’ve had have been talking with various locals.

A taxi driver, for example, told me he knew Australia was a popular tourist destination. He knew we had backed the 'US imperialists' in the Korean war, which his grandfather had fought in, but said he hoped I would be the first of many foreigners to live in his home town.

In the dormitory, I shared a room for four months with a local student majoring in English. In most ways, he wasn’t too different from a typical bloke in his early 20s. An avid football fan, he loved Neymar and Messi, whom he followed alongside the April 25 Sports Club, a local Pyongyang team. He enjoyed the odd drink (and a more regular cigarette)."

Of course, a smart US foreign policy would be working to understand these internal changes and adjust accordingly.

Of course, there is no such thing as a smart US foreign policy these days.