ABSTRACT
On returning to Pyongyang after an absence of more than a decade, I was immediately struck by some new impressions. The people, and particularly the women, were considerably better dressed. Variations in cut and pattern were manifest and left plenty of scope for personal preference. People were much more relaxed; they looked at foreigners and could smile at them, indeed even flirt a little. Young couples could be seen strolling through the city. At the theatres things often seemed rather chaotic as more people were admitted without tickets or occupied better seats than they were entitled to – both of which would have been unthinkable in the 1970s. And, of course, it gave me some patriotic satisfaction to notice Volvo cars still on the road while competitors of a similar vintage had virtually disappeared from the street scene.
