George Yeo: Musings is a collection of just that: The former foreign minister’s musings across various diverse topics.

Series Two, the second of three books, looks beyond Singapore to the region and beyond, drawing from Yeo’s experiences in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. — and not just in his capacity as a former foreign minister.

The book is written by Yeo, with Woon Tai Ho, and published by World Scientific. It is now available at all major bookstores, and Mothership readers can order a copy here with the promo code “WSMSGY20” for 20 per cent off.

The book is presented in a question-and-answer format. An excerpt from Chapter 10, "Changing Tides: Korea", is reproduced here. In it, Yeo tells the story of his first trip to North Korea and his interactions with officials and citizens of the "Hermit Kingdom".

By George Yeo, with Woon Tai Ho

As Singapore Foreign Minister, I hosted a visit by North Korea Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun in 2007.

We knew he was diabetic and got our eye doctors to see him and make him a new pair of glasses. I think we also arranged for him to be dialysed in Singapore. He was in a good mood and clearly enjoyed the food we served at dinner. I was not sure what gift to present to him and finally decided on a box of bird’s nest, not knowing whether North Koreans valued it. But, symbolically, it expressed our respect for an elder for he was much my senior in age. In December, I received a New Year card from him. It turned out that he had died before I received his card.

I met his successor, Pak Ui-chun, at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in the Philippines a few months later. He invited me to visit North Korea. As Singapore would soon be chairing ASEAN, I agreed.

My goal was to persuade North Korea to accede to ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).

I probably became the first Singapore Cabinet minister to visit North Korea. As mobile phones were not allowed, we left them in Beijing, and from there we flew in a Russian aircraft to Pyongyang.

We were accommodated in a guest house in a wooded area which reminded me of Diaoyutai in Beijing, but on a smaller scale. The rooms were spartan but clean. Breakfast was somewhat abstemious but adequate. The country was short of food. The service staff kept away from us unless we needed them. They were alert to our needs from a distance.

At the opening dinner, Minister Pak was warm and friendly. His deputy made a remark which moved me beyond words. He said that when Minister Paek was on his death bed, he shared with him a bowl of the bird’s nest I had presented.

At the end of dinner, Minister Pak made a request to make greater use of medical facilities in Singapore. I replied, yes, of course. I learned later from a businessman in my delegation that senior North Koreans did not always have a good experience in China. Minister Pak looked forward to visiting Singapore for the ASEAN Regional Forum in July 2008 during which time North Korea would accede to the TAC.

I called on President Kim Yong-nam who had been in that role for a long time. He had a genial disposition. In advance of my visit, Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong wrote a letter to Kim Jong-il.

What seemed a little strange during my meeting with President Kim was that every time he quoted Kim Jong-il, he stood up. I felt some pressure to stand up also when quoting Lee Hsien Loong but did not think our PM would have been impressed.

5 days in the Hermit Kingdom

In all, my wife and I spent five days in North Korea.

In our delegation were Ambassador Chin Siat-Yoon, his wife and my Second Permanent Secretary Bilahari Kausikan. Both Siat-Yoon and Bilahari volunteered to join me. Everyone was curious to find out more about the Hermit Kingdom, a name which originally applied to Joseon.

One of our first visits was to the Kim Il-sung Memorial which was the palace he used in office. As the corridors were long, parts of them had travellators like those we find in airports.

I remember having to take an air bath before entering the chamber where his mortal remains were in a glass casket. As I had visited both Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong in the same state, this was not a novel experience for me.

Before leaving Singapore, I thought I’d try my luck and ask to attend Mass in Pyongyang as we were going to be there on Pentecost Sunday. I was told it would be arranged.

On that Sunday, we were first brought to see an underground subway station which was cavernous and ornate like those I had seen in Moscow. We were then brought late to a pretty church full of people singing lustily, men and women on different sides of the aisle. The women were veiled the way my mother was at church in the early 60s in Singapore.

Communion was already over. We were only there in the last five minutes, in time to receive the priest’s blessing. I then had a brief conversation with the priest. He was from South Korea and spoke fluent English. I asked if my wife and I could receive Holy Communion. He replied that Mass was already over and seemed in a rush to disengage.

As we left the church, we saw church-goers stream out. None made eye contact with us.

In Pyongyang, we also visited a supermarket which was absolutely spotless. We could have eaten off the floor. The goods on display were neatly arranged. We could see the ladies adjusting them whenever they were slightly out of position or not at perfect right angles.

There were no bicycles on the streets of Pyongyang. People walked. They looked healthy and spirited.

It was clear to us in Pyongyang that the country was experiencing great hardship. Pyongyang was in partial blackout at night to save electricity. Many apartment windows had broken glass. In some cases, the windows were covered with plastic sheets. I wondered how they coped in winter. Some years later, China donated a glass factory.

The enormous pyramidal Ryugyong Hotel was visible from a long distance. It was not completed for many years because of lack of funds. Food portions served to us at official meals were small.

One free evening, we went to a restaurant by ourselves for dinner. The food was good. My wife, who was never a beer drinker, proclaimed the brown ale excellent. The most memorable meal was Korean barbecue. We drank many glasses of ginseng wine that evening.

When we returned to our rooms, there was nothing to do except to go to bed early. The TV set had two official channels. There was a telephone set but international direct dialing call rates were astronomic. With the alcohol’s assistance, we slept soundly. Then, at about 2am, both of us were wide awake as the effect of the ginseng kicked in. Finally, at about 4am, we went back to sleep again.

Getting lost in the countryside

On one day, we went to see Nampo Port on the west coast which did not leave much of an impression, although I knew the North Koreans were proud of it.

On another day, we headed south to Panmunjom and Kaesong. The highway was straight and broad.

The business delegation separated from us to visit Kaesong Industrial Park which I had been to from South Korea before. It also gave them an opportunity to see the demilitarised zone (DMZ) which I had also seen from the South.

The official delegation visited Manwoldae, the old Goryeo Palace, instead. Kaesong was the capital of the Goryeo Dynasty.

We then headed to visit the famous Guanyin temple called Kwanumsa (观音寺).

Unfortunately, the lead vehicle turned a corner too fast and the rest of us got lost, wandering around the rural countryside for almost an hour.

The countryside was much the same as what we saw along the expressway — neat, few machines, some worked on by men in uniform.

Finally, we got back to where we started in Kaesong and headed back to Pyongyang without seeing the temple. The hillsides were clad with young pines. The guide explained that the old trees had all been cut down during the last famine.

"All darkness except for a small dab of light"

On the last day, we travelled by rail in a Chinese train to China.

I was standing by the window looking out at the countryside and chatted with the Chinese trainmaster. He said that China was once like this and that the situation could remain with little change for a long time.

We arrived at Sinuiju and crossed the Yalu into Dandong in Liaoning Province. Along the way, we saw an old Bailey bridge which was destroyed at the half-way mark on the Korean side during the Korean War. I was told it was kept in that state as a war memorial.

At Dandong, we visited the “Memorial Hall of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea” (抗美援朝纪念馆), commemorating all the major battles and the contributions made by every province in China.

There was an exhibit showing the support from Overseas Chinese like Tan Kah Kee. I took a picture and sent it to one of his grandsons in Singapore. The explanatory material was in Chinese and English.

When I called on the Party Secretary of Dandong, I suggested that Korean explanations be included too as South Korean tourists would surely be interested in visiting the museum.

That night, we took a walk on a promenade by the Yalu River. The Chinese side was full of life and lights.

Across the water, it was all darkness except for a small dab of light, which I was told was at the location of a Kim Il-sung statue in Sinuiju.

From Dandong, I flew to Beijing. I told a senior Chinese official about my visit to North Korea and said that it would take off like Vietnam once the country opened up.

His immediate reaction was that North Korea would do better than Vietnam once that happened.

Top image courtesy of George Yeo and by Steve Barker via Unsplash