Paper Wings Over Pyongyang

A group of young people stands at the bottom foreground of the image, looking up at a tall, worn apartment building. The building, with visible balconies and windows, towers into the sky. Above, numerous paper planes are captured mid-flight, set against a clear blue sky with the sun casting a warm glow. The image has a vintage, sepia-toned effect, adding a nostalgic atmosphere to the scene.

Dear Min-jun,

Guess what? I finally made it into the top ten!
10th place out of 342 paper planes this year. Can you believe it?

We had the Annual Paper Flyer Championship today—same rules as always. Everyone folds their best plane, we climb up to the roof of Block 9, and one by one, we launch them into the wind. The flyer that travels the furthest wins.
You remember how last year mine didn’t even make it past the food stall at the corner? 211th place. A disaster.
But this time... I don’t know what changed. Maybe it was the fold. Maybe it was the breeze. Maybe it was just my lucky socks.
But the second it left my hand, I knew—this one would fly.

It soared past the old playground, turned just slightly over the road, and landed in the alley next to the teahouse. People even clapped! (Okay, two people clapped, but still.)

The winner got a bag of roasted chestnuts and a comic book. I didn’t win anything, but I don’t care.
I was 10th. Tenth!

Next year, I’m aiming for top five.
I’ve already started working on a new model. Maybe we can test it together next time you visit?

Fly high, my friend.

Your aeronautical rival,
Dae-hyun

Postcards from Pyongyang

Paper Wings Over Pyongyang