Original photo: SurfNorthKorea.com
Just a few months ago, North Korea’s tyrant, Kim Jong-un, threatened the US and Japan with nuclear war. Around the same time he sipped tea with Dennis Rodman, promised to wipe South Korea from the map, extended an invitation to three of the world’s best snowboarders (two of which are American) to visit the country’s new ski resort, and sentenced a 21-year-old American to 15 years in prison and hard labor for attempting to steal a sign from his hotel in Pyongyang. He’s a bit of an up-and-down guy, wouldn’t you say?
The truth is, these are just a few examples among the dozens of perplexing things the Supreme Leader has accomplished since succeeding power from his father in 2011 (Ramsay Bolton?). And only God knows the atrocities he’s committed that we haven’t heard about. It all makes me wonder why anyone would want to visit such a volatile shit hole. Not only does one California man think it’s a good idea, but he believes that bringing surfing to the region will bridge the two nations.
Lamberto Lo prepares to enter where few have ever gone before. Photo: OCRegister
With permission from North Korea’s government, Orange County surf instructor Lamberto Lo and a fellow friend from China, Nicola Zanella, will launch a 10-day surf adventure beginning in the nation’s capital city of Pyongyang. They will be surfing in waters that have been virtually untouched by the public. Lo was specifically forbidden from bringing (among many other things) religious material and the DVD “The Interview,” a controversial fictional by Seth Rogen and James Franco that depicts the assassination of the North Korean monarch.
“Waves are empty, un-surfed, and they break on pristine beaches, where few foreigners have set foot,” Zanella told BBC.
Rincon or North Korea? Photo: Arctic Surf
“I know that when these North Koreans catch their first wave, they’re going to smile and then I know that there’s hope for people,” Lo told NBC7 news. He continued by saying that many of his friends have told him he’s crazy to take the trip. Lo responded by saying this wasn’t about politics. It was about bridging a gap and catching some waves.
“It’s not about what I believe, what they believe. It’s all about love, just giving them an experience that they would have never had before,” said Lo. “When I get them to smile, I will know there is hope.”
