Corpse of Kim Jong-Il Becomes Tourist Attraction
The mausoleum containing the embalmed body of North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong-Il has been opened to tourists, who must follow a strict protocol. Young Pioneer Tours, a five-year-old tour group specializing in off-the-beaten path destinations, was the first group to gain admission when the mausoleum was opened to the public on Jan. 17. Gareth Johnson, managing director and founder of the group, said the tour was planned for January because the country would just be re-opening to tourists. (According to Johnson, North Korea is essentially closed for tourism in December and early January).
“We were hopeful that if we timed it right, the mausoleum would be open and we would gain access,” he said. “It was a combination of great planning and a little luck.” He described the experience as “surreal.” While the other mausoleums he has visited house people he has only read about in history books, this was someone he had seen regularly on the news in his lifetime.
The people on the tour, Johnson said, were “very moved. It was a very intense experience.” And, said Johnson, Kim Jong-Il looks pretty good, considering his state. “He looks like a person,” he said. “Not waxy at all.” All visitors are required to pass through jets of air to cleanse them of dust. Tourists are required to bow at the feet and arms of the dead father and son. However, they are not permitted to bow at the head, as it is considered disrespectful. Cameras and phones are not allowed.
Kim lies in state a few floors below his father, national founder Kim Il Sung, in the Kumsusan mausoleum, the former presidential palace.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2013/01/corpse-of-kim-jong-il-becomes-tourist-attraction/
"not waxy at all"!
= new reply since forum marked as read
Not the sharpest knife in the drawer..
He had hardly any facial expressions anyway.
Maybe they ought to resurrect Al Jolson.
Or, Vladamir Lenin's mummy.
Oh dear! Whatta ya gonna do with this wackaloonery?
reminds me of one of my state's largest attractions.."The Garden of Eden" People flock there to pay $2 to look at Dinsmoor's moldy corpse as per his wishes..he lays on a concrete slab containing the body of his first wife..his second wife (like 70 years his junior) bore his son (who may be the only surviving offspring of a civil war veteran iirc)..almost as bizarre as Kim Jong-Il, just on a smaller scale..
The mausoleum is the teepee looking thing behind the house..
but at least they don't blow the dust off people going in 
OK--how did they get the picture??!?
A must see on my next trip to NK!!!! 
