The Royal Geographical Society is pleased to welcome Simon Cockerell to lecture on "North Korea: the Reality".  North Korea is one of the world's biggest enigmas, a country that is featured almost daily in the news but yet is somewhere of which little beyond rumours and speculation is known.  In this talk, Mr Cockerell draws on the experience of his some 110 trips to North Korea during the last decade to describe the realities of the country, from the political situation to the daily existence of North Korea's people.

Over the last decade, Simon Cockerell has seen at first hand how things have changed in North Korea, despite the political base and fundamental principles of the country staying the same.  The lecture initially analyses the events of the last decade.  Mr Cockerell goes on to comment on why outside observers are constantly predicting some kind of change in the country, but why hitherto change has never materialised in a meaningful way.

Most interestingly, Mr Cockerell describes his experiences in dealing with North Korean people.  Generally the state is seen as a monolithic entity in reports about the country, ignoring the fact that the some 25 million people who reside in North Korea have widely differing political views, but most of whom have no control or influence over the politics, actions and statements of their country.  Mr Cockerell speaks of what the people make of the major issues, including widely-reported events such as nuclear tests, missile/satellite launches and leadership changes, showing how they are viewed within the country.

In this lecture, Mr Cockerell also gives numerous unexpected insights, anecdotes and human tales from a place mostly known to the outside world only for macro-issues.

Simon Cockerell hails from England and moved to Beijing in 2000.  He joined Koryo Tours in 2002, of which he is now General Manager, and has since travelled monthly to North Korea.  Mr Cockerell also organised the first friendly football tours to North Korea, a highlight of his North Korean experience.  He lectures regularly on North Korea, having given presentations in numerous countries including China, the UK, the US and South Korea as well as regular appearances on regional and international radio and television.

Members and guests are most welcome to attend this lecture, which is HK$100 for Members and HK$150 for guests and others.