Pyongyang, 'more free than expected'

Former first lady Lee Hee-ho and her entourage did not meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their four-day visit to North Korea.

But Lee and the entourage that returned Saturday released pictures and impressions of a Pyongyang livelier and freer than expected, in particular because the young leader has been eliminating his possible rivals or opponents.

An official with the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center was reported as telling Yonhap there were more cars on the streets of Pyongyang than five years ago and more people using cell phones, referencing those who had been to the North before during the historic 2000 summit and the 2011 funeral of Kim Jong-il. Those who took photos said that there was were no restrictions in taking them.

Lee visited on the invitation of Kim Jong-un, whom she briefly met in 2011 at the funeral of the leader’s late father, Kim Jong-il.