You might also like:
DESPITE tough UN sanctions early this year following North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and just days after state leader Kim Jong-un threatened to launch a strike on the US, the Pyongyang Taedonggang Beer Festival kicked off last Friday, pulling in over 800 locals and tourists.
The event – which will take place for about 20 days – was put together to promote Taedonggang beer, the state’s most popular local brew.
The festival also saw an opening ceremony on the pier of the Tedong River – one of the capital’s most recognizable landmarks – complete with entertainment and free beers to go around.
Uniformed waitresses served local beer along with snacks such as “Western bread”, nuts, pretzels, edamame, fried chicken and indigenous chili peppers.
There was also a sampling event where beer enthusiasts were made to judge and guess the beers they were drinking. On the side, visitors were serenaded with patriotic songs.
https://youtu.be/4tZYdv9KM5c
Video can’t be loaded: Pyongyang Hosts Its First Beer Festival (https://youtu.be/4tZYdv9KM5c)
Footage released from the event showed visitors laughing and kicking back over a few pints, a far cry from some of the more sterile public event and tourist images that have emerged from North Korea.
A newsreader on state broadcaster Korean Central Television said: “The Pyongyang Taedonggang Beer Festival shows our people’s lives are filled with happiness and optimism.”
Koryo Tours, a travel agency that organizes trips to North Korea for China tourists, managed to bring in over 100 tourists for the festival.
Simon Cockerell, general manager at the agency, said, “ a testament to the universal power of a couple of cold beers on a warm evening to make people get along with each other.”
Meanwhile, the Taedonggang brew is described by locals as a full-bodied lager that’s a little on the sweet side with a mildly bitter aftertaste.
The post North Korea holds first ever beer festival to promote local brew appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com