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PYONGYANG, North Korea — We all knew that Pyongyang would be odd. But the strangeness of the place hit hard while on a morning jog last week during a visit to the North Korean capital by a State Department delegation and journalists covering it — including me.

The Paek Hwa Won Guesthouse had the feel of a minor Middle Eastern palace: gold carpets, jumpy staff and scores of empty rooms. Outside, a small lake with a brick path around its perimeter provided a running path for a jet-lagged reporter at 4 a.m.

Along the lake’s edge stood uniformed soldiers every 25 meters, carrying rifles with fixed bayonets. Each stiffened to attention as I jogged by and made a show of looking away, although one or two glanced in my direction once I had passed.