'Hamburgers were invented by Kim Jong Il in 2009!' Bizarre lifestyle of North Korean women convinced that burgers are a local treat and Lady Gaga is a MAN

Miss Kim, 20, a student studying English in Pyongyang, gave Eric Lafforgue a rare insight into North Korean life

When she's not studying, she likes to play computer games and says she hopes to travel to the UK one day

Unfamiliar with the reality of life in the West, she thinks Kim Jong Il invented the burger and Lady Gaga is male

She is also convinced that South Koreans would like to shoot her and says she hates Americans

Lafforgue says much of what Miss Kim believes is propaganda which North Koreans listen to from a young age




She's convinced that hamburgers were invented by Kim Jong Il, thinks Lady Gaga is a man and refuses to ride a bicycle on the grounds that it's dangerous and would ruin the shape of her legs.

Meet 20-year-old Miss Kim, a student studying English at Pyongyang's University of Foreign Studies. As a reward for good behaviour, she was given the task of escorting French photographer Eric Lafforgue as he toured North Korea earlier this year.

'She had never previously left Pyongyang,' explains Lafforgue. 'It was a unique opportunity for her to visit her own country and to get to meet and speak to a foreigner.

Welcome to North Korea! English student and tour guide Miss Kim stands in front of the Grand National Theatre in Hamhung, capital of South Hamgyŏng province

Hitting the shops: Miss Kim, who says hamburgers were invented by Kim Jong Il, in front of a grocery shop in South Hamgyŏng's capital, Hamhung

Essential sight: During his tour of North Korea, the patriotic Miss Kim took photographer Eric Lafforgue to see Hamhung's Hungnam Fertiliser Complex

Proud: Miss Kim with her collection of stamps showing North Korean leaders both living and dead, and right, a poster of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un



'She was shy at first, but became quite talkative as the days went on and told me what life in North Korea is like for younger people, albeit without ever deviating from the party line.'

Miss Kim, who says her favourite place in Pyongyang is the dolphinarium and her favourite animals the dolphins, told Lafforgue of her penchant for Mozart, Bach and Beethoven and was baffled when he asked if she liked Lady Gaga. 'I don’t know who he is, no,' she told him.

Perhaps her American nationality might have had something to do with it, with Miss Kim insisting she only speaks 'English English' and telling the photographer that she 'hates Americans'.

Unsurprisingly, she's also convinced that the hamburger was invented by Kim Jong Il in 2009, while Mickey Mouse is the creation of China. ' They talk nonsense Mr Eric,' she said of the inhabitants of the US. 'I hate Americans!'

She also declares herself to be less than enthusiastic about South Koreans, saying that while those crossing the border from the south would be welcomed, travellers going the other way 'would be shot'.

Troubling: Miss Kim said she was unable to smile for this photo taken in the demilitarised zone because, she says, the sight makes her heart bleed

Divided: Miss Kim tries her hand at using Lafforgue's iPad (left) and (right) stares out across the demilitarised zone at South Korea



Technology: Although Lafforgue's iPad left her baffled (and horrified when she heard about Google Earth), Miss Kim was happy to show him her polaroid camera

Favourite place: Miss Kim's top tip for anyone planning a trip to North Korean capital Pyongyang is a visit to the dolphinarium - her favourite attraction

Unimpressed: Miss Kim was annoyed to hear of an American website that claimed people on the metro are actors. 'I hate Americans!' she responded

Miss Kim is, however, a fan of films, according to Lafforgue. 'My favourite film is Sea of Blood,' she told him. Asked what it's about, she added: 'It’s about the mass killings perpetrated by the Japanese against our people.'

Gladiator is another favourite, although she did reveal that some scenes proved to make for uncomfortable viewing. 'Some scenes were embarrassing,' she said. 'The scenes where you see a couple together.'

North Koreans take a relatively old-fashioned approach to dating, with girls reluctant to even dance with a boy they've only just met, while according to Miss Kim, pregnancy outside of marriage and HIV are both unheard of. 'That [pregnancy] never happens,' she insists. 'It never happens!' What about AIDS? 'We don't have AIDS here. Zero.'

While Miss Kim is happy to talk about her feelings for the late Kim Il Sung ('he was a pillar of my heart'), she reacts with outrage when asked whether current leader Kim Jong Un is attractive to women. 'That's an outrageous question!' she remonstrates.

Trying something new: Miss Kim tries her hand at using Lafforgue's camera and says she loves playing computer games when she's at home

Burgers explained: Miss Kim deciphers the menu for photographer Lafforgue during a visit to a Pyongyang restaurant. She says they were invented by Kim Jong Il Tasty: Miss Kim tucks in during a barbecue lunch in a Pyongyang park. The English student says she would like to visit the UK one day

Family: Although Miss Kim doesn't cycle, many in the countryside do as this photo (left) reveals. Right: North Koreans still venerate leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il



Honour: Miss Kim says she is proud to have played the trumpet in an Arirang celebration such as this one (pictured) when she was seven years old

Colourful: Taking part in the Arirang Mass Games which are held each year at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang is considered an honour by young North Koreans

Beautiful: According to Miss Kim, North Koreans consider women with big eyes, a high nose, a small mouth and very pale skin to be especially beautiful



Other parts of North Korean life are strikingly similar to Western lifestyles, with Miss Kim revealing a penchant for computer games and ambitions to travel abroad.

'Would you like to visit a foreign country?' Lafforgue asks her. 'Yes Mr Eric, I would like to visit England,' she replies. Despite her English skills, however, she says she won't be travelling to the US any time soon. 'No,' she insists. 'I only speak England’s English!'

Bizarre though much of what she says is, Lafforgue isn't surprised. ' The thing to remember is that almost everything she says is official propaganda, even the silly things,' he explains.

'People like Miss Kim are taught this sort of thing from kindergarten, so in that sense, she's a perfect citizen. North Koreans don't see the disparity between what they think is good to tell us and what we can see for ourselves.'





Rules: People tucking into a burger are given gloves to eat them with according to Miss Kim. Right: A group of pilgrims look up at a portrait of Kim Il Sung



Treat: Icecream is a popular treat in North Korea with vendors often spotted selling them in the street, as in this photo which was taken in Kaesong



Treat: A caterer poses with a model burger in his restaurant at Kaeson Youth Park - the most modern funfair in Pyongyang which was renovated in 2010

Fun: The Kaeson Youth Park in Pyongyang is a popular place for teenagers and twenty-somethings who live in the North Korean capital

Officials: A group of North Korean People's Party officials show off their identical blue and grey uniforms, matching hair cuts and scarlet armbands

Servant: According to Miss Kim, soldiers such as this one photographed manning the demilitarised zone, are servants of the people

SCARY SOUTH KOREA, ENGLAND'S ENGLISH AND CHINA'S MICKEY MOUSE: THE WORLD AS SEEN FROM NORTH KOREA

During his travels in North Korea, Eric Lafforgue had plenty of time to chat with Miss Kim, who, he adds won't face censure from her government thanks to her strict adherence to the party line. Here's what she said: Why doesn’t British or American pop music reach your country?

'Because it is not what we like to listen to. But we know Mozart, Bach and Beethoven!' What is the criteria for beauty in North Korea?

'A woman should have big eyes, a high nose, a small mouth and white skin, and she should not be skinny. Women in North Korea are truly beautiful flowers.'

Do women find Kim Jong Un handsome?

'Mr Eric, that’s an outrageous question!' Why does nobody dye their hair in North Korea?

'We need to respect the haircut regulation - we have a lot of choice. Having a different haircut is the last thing we’re concerned about.' Do you have any idea of the latest European fashions?

'No, Mr. Eric.' Young people buy jeans in which there are holes...

'I don't believe you Mr.Eric - you are joking.' Would you like to have a car one day? 'No, it makes people lazy.' Who is the richest person in North Korea?

'We are all equal.' What happens if a South Korean crosses the border and comes to the North?

'We welcome him.' And if a North Korean goes to the South?

'They shoot him.' Why don’t women cycle in Pyongyang?

'Because it is dangerous and it doesn’t give you nice legs.' Then why do women in the countryside all cycle?

'They don’t have much of a choice in the countryside.' Who was Kim Il Sung for you?

'Mr Eric, I can tell you that he was the pillar of my heart.' Why do they give plastic gloves to the people eating hamburgers in the fast food places?

'It’s because we haven't gotten used to getting dirty when we eat yet.'

Is it true that Kim Jong Il created the hamburger? 'Yes, it is! In 2009!' Were you there during the famine?

'We don’t call it a famine, we call it the Arduous March.' I want to offer you a gift, what would you like?

'Great Leader Kim Jong Un would be a great gift.' Do you remember the day Kim Jong Il died?

'Yes, Dear Leader Kim Jong Il died on a Saturday, but his death was only announced on Monday.

Why?

'Because he said in his last wishes that he didn’t want to ruin Sunday, the people’s day off.'

Do you know what Kim Jong Il was doing just before he died?

'Our Dear Leader had just signed documents to distribute 1kg of fish to every person in Pyongyang.'

And did you receive it?

'Of course we did Mr Eric!'



Hairstyles: Until recently, male students at the Agriculture University in Hamhung had to have this haircut. Now they must copy Kim Jong Un's unusual look

Essential: While women living in Pyongyang don't think much of cycling, for their country compatriots, the bicycle is an essential means of getting around

Normal life: Two women share some lunch while sitting under a parasol as they look out over a city vista in North Korean capital, Pyongyang