By Dominic Bailey

BBC News Online in Ealing



In recent weeks, many of my more experienced colleagues have been entrenched in places such as Baghdad, Basra and Um Qasr as US-led forces stepped up the so-called War on Terror.

With the opening of the first North Korean embassy in the UK, I had my chance to come face to face with part of President George Bush's "Axis of Evil" - or peer through the gates at least.

The embassy is in a tree-lined avenue in west London

Gunnersbury Avenue in Ealing, west London, is a rather unusual place for an embassy - no matter what the public profile of the motherland.

Leafy Belgravia in the heart of the capital has been passed up for even leafier suburbia.

The North Circular thunders along the tree-lined avenue of detached and semi-detached houses worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

For the secretive North Koreans it is more Bananaman's Acacia Road than Danger Mouse's Westminster bunker.

Perhaps it is a case of living up to the Lonely Planet guide's description of North Korea as "a fascinating blend of George Orwell's 1984 and Cold War comic opera".

The embassy itself blends in with neighbouring houses - at least four bedrooms, walled garden, electric security gates, BMWs or Mercedes or both parked in the drive and, in recent weeks, builders carrying out endless renovations.

Des Res

Apart from the brass "DPR Korea Embassy" plaque next to the door, the only give away is a 20ft flag pole and fluttering flag.

They'll all be wanting one now.

I hope this type of noise is not an everyday thing

Embassy neighbour

Exactly why the North Koreans chose to locate the embassy here is known only to them.

The suspiciously crackly telephone line is never picked up and, when one does track down a spokesman, answers are denied for "reasons of security".

But there are great links to the M4 and Heathrow and it is outside the Congestion Charge zone.

Embassy staff are also unlikely to be troubled by streams of tourists wanting visas - only 150 westerners visited North Korea last year.

Campaigners accuse North Korea of human rights abuses

There is even a cricket club about five doors down, a tennis club over the road and you can collect manure from the Ealing Riding School up the road - providing you "bring your own bag and tools".

Neighbours are also baffled by the decision to place such a high-profile embassy in a residential area out of "town".

Net curtains could not prevent people noticing that money was "flowing into the house", being spent on renovations.

One neighbour thought a family was moving in until she realised she hadn't seen any women and children going into the house.

Human rights concerns

Then, on Wednesday, she noticed the flag pole, media pack and demonstrators outside.

Day One hasn't gone down well.

"I hope this type of noise is not an everyday thing," she said.

We are deeply concerned about the human rights abuses being perpetrated in North Korea today

Richard Chilvers

Christian Solidarity Worldwide

"We live here peacefully and hope they will."

The cause of the commotion was more than two dozen demonstrators, dressed in skeleton outfits and facemasks, who used the day of opening to highlight human rights abuses in North Korea.

Richard Chilvers, spokesman for Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said the protest was against a regime "which treats people with barbarity".

"There are more than 100,000 people in prison camps inside North Korea and there is well documented evidence to support that," he said.

"We want to make the point that while the international community is very concerned about the nuclear situation, we are also deeply concerned about the human rights abuses being perpetrated in North Korea today."

Now that there is an embassy in the UK, it will no doubt be the focus for such campaigns.

There are reports that the North Koreans are looking for more permanent premises in central London.

But for the moment the embassy business of a country that is listed as one of the world's bogeymen will continue in this quiet corner of London - where keeping up with the neighbours will mean buying a flagpole.