Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Robin Basselin.
Voice 2
And I'm Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Grégoire is a student at McGill University in Canada. He studies the languages and cultures of East Asia. In August of 2010, as part of his education, Grégoire went on a trip. He travelled to North Korea to study. Normally, it is difficult to travel to this country. But Grégoire was able to do this with the P'yongyang Project. He believes this trip was important for making him a better student and person.
Voice 3
"The P'yongyang Project made me grow into a more critical, thoughtful and responsible being. It also connected me with individuals I will always remember as friends. I will never forget any of this."
Voice 2
Today's Spotlight is on the work and people of the P'yongyang Project.
Voice 1
Matthew Reichel, Nicholas Young and Jonathan Warren created the P'yongyang Project in 2009. They were students at Brown University in the United States. Like Grégoire, they studied the language and cultures of East Asia. They each studied other areas too – including politics and economics. But all three men shared a common interest. They had an interest in the country of North Korea.
Voice 2
The government of North Korea is careful about what information it permits North Korean citizens to see. And it tries to control what information about the country is shared with the international public. Kay Seok is a researcher for Human Rights Watch. This organization reports on human rights around the world. She described the country of North Korea to the Guardian newspaper.
Voice 4
"North Korea is a culture where almost all freedoms are restricted."
Voice 1
As a result, news media from other countries often present North Korea as very secret or very controlled. Matthew believes that they only present the negative parts of North Korea. He believes there are positive things about the country that should be shared too. Matthew told the Duke University newspaper,
Voice 5
"North Korea is a country full of life. It has a lot of elements you do not hear about in the news. It is a far more complex and active society than it is presented."
Voice 2
So, in January 2009, Matthew, Nicholas, and Jonathan sent a request to the government of North Korea. They wanted the government to permit them to bring a group of people to North Korea. But this trip would be different. They wanted to encourage a trip organized around education. And they wanted to help encourage understanding between people of very different cultures. They hoped the government would let them bring a group of students and professors into the country.
Voice 1
It is possible for people from many countries to take guided trips in North Korea. As in many other countries, people must request a travel permit, a visa, from the government. And the government always requires visitors to travel with an approved North Korean guide.
Voice 2
But Matthew, Nicholas, and Jonathan believed a trip based on education would be different. They hoped it would give people the chance to talk with citizens of North Korea.
The men did not expect the government to agree to their request. But in April 2009, they decided to start an organization. This organization became The P'yongyang Project. P'yongyang is the capital city of North Korea. The P'yongyang Project is a not for profit organization for education. They wrote the goal of the organization on The P'yongyang Project website:
Voice 5
"Our goal is simple. We want to create a new level of educational cooperation and cultural exchange. We believe that peaceful meetings, discussion and working together is the most direct way to build trust and encourage respect between people of both countries. We also believe this will form the beginning of peace and successful conditions between North Korea and the global community."
Voice 1
Then they heard from the government of North Korea. The government had agreed to their request! It permitted Matthew, Nicholas, and Jonathan to bring a group of students and professors to North Korea. The men began to plan the trip immediately. In August of 2009, the first group of students and professors travelled to North Korea.
Voice 2
Today, Jonathan has a job with a financial company. Matthew and Nicholas still work with the P'yongyang Project. And now they offer four different kinds of educational trips. The first is called Delegations. The Delegations trip is organized to give people a chance to meet local people and have discussions. On this trip participants learn about the main issues facing North Korea and the areas around it.
Voice 1
The second educational trip is called The North South Dialogue Project. It is a two week trip. On this trip, people are asked to think of ideas for encouraging peace. They are also asked to think of ideas to improve the well-being of the area.
Voice 2
The third educational trip is called THiNK. It is a summer program. The letters of the word THiNk each represent a different word. The word means Transcending History in North Korea. People on this trip go to Kim Il Sung University to study the Korean language and learn about the history of North Korea.
Voice 1
Independent University Courses are the fourth kind of educational trip. These trips change each time. The P'yongyang Project works with individual universities to organize the Independent University Courses. These trips are organized on one particular subject. Participants from the trip research and study that subject at schools in North Korea.
Voice 2
The Harvard University newspaper asked Matthew about The P'yongyang Project. The newspaper wanted to know why people would be interested in this kind of program. He answered,
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"Many people come on the trip with a lot of already formed ideas. The one thing we like to tell people is to be questioning observers. We tell them to ask questions, but to be respectful. It is important to understand that North Korea is a place of its own. It is not like other places. It has its own individual culture and a political system like no other."
Voice 1
The P'yongyang Project values relationships and understanding. It was not easy to begin the project. Matthew and Nicholas had to work through many difficult problems to start it. But they believe the P'yongyang Project encourages values that will help bring people together. Matthew told the Duke University newspaper,
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"The P'yongyang Project got started because we talked. It takes patience. It takes being very respectful. And it takes acting in an informed way. It is about being more interested in someone else."
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