Foreigners in 1984 North Korea were seen as intrinsically dangerous. They knew way too many things which the average North Korean was not supposed to know. In the mid-1980s, when mature Kimilsongism was in its full bloom, North Koreans were supposed to believe that they inhabited a lucky island of prosperity amidst a worldwide sea of poverty, destitution and suffering. Needless to say, the North Korean government understood that excessive interaction with foreigners could easily damage such propaganda myths, myths that were and probably still are vital for the security of the state.

Additionally, the outside world was seen as