Glyn Ford, who was a member of the European Parliament for over 25 years, has published a new book of photographs of North Korea titled “Picturing The DPRK.”
Mr. Ford, a former member of the British Labour Party’s International Affairs Committee and a former member of the European Parliament (1984-2009), served on the International Trade and Foreign Affairs Committees, as well as the Security Subcommittee. He is currently the director of Track2Asia, a non-governmental organization coordinating international relations in Asia.
As an expert on North Korea in the United Kingdom and Europe, Mr. Ford traveled to the country nearly 50 times over 25 years while serving as a member of the European Parliament. His book is a collection of more than 760 photographs taken during those visits, depicting the daily lives of North Korean citizens.
Notably, his photographs were taken not only in Pyongyang but also in various locations such as Sinuiju, Wonsan, Nampo, and Kaesong. They garner attention because they reveal streets, schools, hospitals, vacation spots, and workplaces that outsiders typically find difficult to access.
“North Korea is often portrayed as mysterious and malevolent, with its leadership condemned for its military ventures and human rights abuses…prejudged as perpetually guilty of the worst actions for the worst reasons. Yet, hidden behind this façade… there are 26 million men, women, and children just like us. These millions have their hopes, dreams, and fears…” he writes in the book’s preface, adding that “the capitalist approach after Kim Jong-un is also detectable in the photographs.” The photo book has been published by the Pacific Century Institute (PCI), where Ford serves as a board member.
Ford also has ties to South Korea, having served on the U.S. delegation to the Korean Peninsula in 2004 and as a senior fellow for POSCO at the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii in 2007.
By Brian Choi [ichoi@koreadaily.com]
