This is my review about the graphic novel that I read, Pyongyang.

This novel was written by Guy

Delisle. He was a French animator from Canada who visited Pyongyang, North Korea for an
official trip to work on a new French Cartoon series.

To start off, I will briefly summarize the book. It doesn’t really have a plot to it. Rather, it is a
collection of experiences that Guy Delisle experienced on his trip to Pyongyang. It is about the
oppressive regime that North Korea is under. Guy Delisle and his few other friends travel with
their guides to different places and learn about the country. They see how the country is so
different from the outside world. The government makes the people seem so hard working. For
example, Guy finds out that there is a job where people paint stones on the sidewalk. The guide
however explains that they are volunteers, even though Guy clearly knows that the guide is
lying. He sees the unimaginable amount of propaganda that the country has. For example, there
is a propaganda march every morning with a megaphone. Guy couldn’t go through a day
without seeing the picture of the supreme leaders. Their names are carved even on mountains.
Guy was also once taken to a museum. There, the guide explained how America, South Korea,
and Japan committed atrocities during the Korean War. However, Guy knew that the museum
was very biased and that it didn’t include the atrocities that North Korea committed on other
countries. Guy was also shocked by the extremely non-social behavior of the people there. No-
one had any emotions nor did anyone talk to anyone else. It looked like they were all hard
working robots who only minded their own businesses and didn’t waste a single minute talking.

I really like how Guy portrayed North Korea. He described exactly how his experience was
instead of fake information on the North Korean regime being extremely evil. His work was not
biased and over-the-top like other authors would do to attract the readers. I once read an article
saying that a person can be sent to a prison camp for not bowing to the pictures of the supreme
leaders. However, Guy Delisle shows that the rules in North Korea are not as strict as that. He
does say that he had to bow to the pictures of the supreme leaders, but not that he would be
sent to a prison camp if he doesn’t. The fact that his book was not biased made it more like an
informational text that can be used as a good source rather than argumentative.

I also had the opportunity to view North Korea through the eyes of a person who has actually
been to North Korea. An average person would think that the easiest way to find information
about North Korea would be the internet. I used to think that too and watch YouTube videos on
North Korean. However after reading this book, I have realized that the information about North
Korea on the internet is filled with rumours. I realized that the internet portrays North Korea as
much more evil than it actually is. Reading this book was also a wonderful moment for me to
realize how much false information the internet is filled with. Just to be clear, I am not saying
that Guy Delisle doesn’t portray North Korea as evil, he does but not to the extent that the
internet does.