Today I once more give my column over to North Korean writing, as found in the 30-day prayer manual you can receive free at http://baekjeong.com . This is from Day 19.

Some people who visit Pyongyang get a little sentimental, like Yoon Suk-min, a famous composer for student activists' songs in the 80's and 90's. He visited Pyongyang in 2003 and composed a song entitled "Why don't you visit Pyongyang?" on the return flight:

Why don't you visit Pyongyang when you have hard times?

There are people who live with smiles despite the hard times,

There are priceless people.

We must feel a type of brotherhood when we see North Koreans. We must be able to see the future of the beautiful and bright Pyongyang. But we must also see the veiled truth of the city. Most of the fugitives who have fled from North Korea know the veiled truth. Many South Korean are not able to see the truth and easily fall into the sentimental approach of the composer.

But we must take a look at the dark side of Pyongyang. We will love them when we see it. We will have a consistent heart-love for North Korea. Here is some of the "dark side" of which I speak:

1. A city for show.Pyongyang is a place for showing a good face toward foreigners, since there are some in the city who live quite well. NK Citizens living outside this metropolis must receive, often with great difficulty, a special pass to travel there. North Koreans want to be in Pyongyang at least once in their lifetime.

And yet, at least one foreign businessman who lived in North Korea for a while said that Pyongyang is not North Korea, since it was built simply for show to the rest of the world.

2. The center of Idols. Pyongyang is the city where the "greatness" of North Korea and Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il are broadcast to foreigners, much as in Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon. Visitors are brought to the statues of the leaders and all the historic monuments.

3. The center of waste. We can feel the struggle of famine and poverty-stricken North Koreans at famous places where huge outlays of cash were expended, including the pagoda of the Juche ideology, the Man Kyung-dae Home, Kum-kang-san Palace, and Youk-yung Hotel.

Incredibly, as mentioned on another day, the government spent eight hundred nine million dollars to build up the Palace where they laid Kim Il-sung's body in state. This amount of money is equal to 600,000 tons of imported corn. If they had spent that money purchasing food, upwards to 300,000 lives might have been spared, some estimate. Therefore, many North Koreans think Pyongyang is a city to be disdained, not admired.

We must be able to see the shadows of Pyongyang inside what is being propagandized for the world. Even then, we do not judge, but rather pray. We ask God to forgive us, as we witness a city once called "Jerusalem" become a place full of sin. Let us call out to God that He will change the city back to its former glory.