Ladies and gentlemen, a real Prince has spoken and his prognosis is positive.

In an interview with Thai English newspaper The Nation on May 11, 2016, Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein (pictured above) had this to say about North Korea's capital, Pyongyang:

"My prediction is that if there is no major crisis, Pyongyang will become another Singapore within 15 to 20 years with science and technology institutions and hi-tech companies and a highly educated workforce and government pushing hard in this field. It's amazing that the government is encouraging the new generation to learn and speak English. Studying English was made obligatory starting at primary schools two years ago. That means in 10 to 15 years, English will become their second language. This is what they want."

Prince Alfred, who is chairman of the advisory board of the Vienna-based International Peace Foundation (IPF), made these comments after he had gone to North Korea for his first-ever visit in October last year.

Enamoured by the hermetic nation's scientific drive and inspired enough to do something more with them, he went back again to the capital of Pyongyang on his second trip in early May this year, this time with three Nobel laureates in tow.

The prince was spearheading efforts by his IPF to initiate an academic dialogue between the group of Nobel laureates and North Korean students and academics.

To his surprise, senior Pyongyang officials and academics quickly and openly embraced the idea.

Positive view of North Korea

Speaking to the Thai media outlet, which has a history of being more favourable of pro-royalist and pro-establishment governments in its editorials, Prince Alfred revealed his deep faith in science and technology bridging cultural and intentional propagandist misunderstandings perpetuated by the media.

He said:

"You may have disagreements and conflicts, but mathematics and science are a universal language. One and one equals two wherever you are. The spearhead of international dialogue has always been the scientists, because they speak the same language. Therefore, we have a good start here. And it has nothing to do with politics. We try to find common ground to bring people together."

Among his other observations, the prince also said that young people in North Korea are "positive and enthusiastic and even idealistic" and that not everyone was depressed, distrusting or living in fear.

He even went as far as rebuking journalists for presenting one-sided stories of North Korea as the aggressor, by not sufficiently highlighting the provocative stances taken by South Korea and the United States, such as when both sides cooperate by displaying their militaristic machismo targeting the north.

For the uninitiated, Liechtenstein, a German-speaking principality located between Austria and Switzerland, has a population of about 37,000.

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