North Korean propaganda has it that, since its completion in October, people have been keen to visit Munsu Water Park on the banks of the Taedong River. However, in truth many are reluctant to pass through the facility, knowing that “orders” to visit the place come at the expense of time that could be better spent working for private gain.
A Pyongyang source told Daily NK on the 3rd, “Since November we’ve been getting these coupons to visit Munsu Water Park via our People’s Units, along with orders for each person to visit at least once. But ordinary people, who have to work hard just to make money, don’t have any interest in that; they just pass the coupons on to middlemen instead.”
“The authorities are ordering us to go there whilst pronouncing it as the very essence of Kim Jong Eun’s care and consideration [for the people],” the source noted. “But do they really think people who have to live off trade would want to up stumps to go and have fun like that?”
“The very moment that the news started circulating that they’d started building [the water park], people immediately thought it would be something ‘for the cadres and ‘donju’ [the ascendant middle class]’,” the source went on, adding that traders who bought up the unwanted coupons have been caught off guard by the lack of interest.
The source did say, however, that some people who cannot receive coupons to visit the waterpark are prepared to pay money to use the facility. The state price for entry is set at 450 won, but it actually costs around 2000 won to enter and 5000 won to use the facilities, buying access not only to the outdoor pool but also an indoor pool and sauna, too.
“It takes about 7000 won in total to go there,” the source conveyed. “And there are few people who would pay the price of a kilo of rice to go and play for the day.”
