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The good times continue for residents of Pyongyang and the country's privileged class. In keeping with Kim Jong Un's push to make North Korea the most entertaining country in the world for 8 year olds from the 90's, it has been reported that the great leader has demanded the building of more mini-golf courses. Reports from the JoonAng Daily confirm that Kim Jong Un toured the Rungna Pleasure Palace in July with the goal of locating a space to build a mini-golf course. Kim didn't just tag along and leave the planning to the architects, he brought his own pen and paper. With his notepad, Kim provided park landscapers with a drawing exhibiting the merits of tree placement between course holes. The genius of the trees according to Kim is that they have the capacity to provide shade for golfers as demonstrated in the drawing below.
"Kim Displays Shade Producing Effects of Trees:
Kim didn't limit his advice giving just to matters of landscaping. He also made valuable suggestions on the business side. First he posited that a mini-golf course cannot survive unless some sort of golf ball rental service is implemented. Strangely, he did not comment on golf club rentals. In addition, he suggested that the course be equipped with "places to dry wet golf equipment and clothing." Unless he is concerned about rain, this last point left me confused. What kind of mini-golf course has significant water hazards?
A post on golf in North Korea wouldn't be complete without giving due respect to the greatest golfer of all time, Kim Jong Il. For those who may have forgotten, it was widely reported in 1994 that upon playing his first ever round of golf, Kim Jong Il recorded a record breaking 38 under par with 11 holes-in-one! Don't believe it? Think again. The elder Kim had 17 witnesses. All 17 happened to be his bodyguards, but who are we to question their honesty.
