The Man Who Knew Too Much.(Norbert Vollertsen)(Brief Article)

Norbert Vollertsen went to North Korea to help famine victims for the small organization German Emergency Doctors. Early on, his team won plaudits from Pyongyang. But as he learned more about the country's misery, he grew outspoken. Late last year, during U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's groundbreaking visit to Pyongyang, he guided several journalists accompanying her on an unscheduled tour of grimy health clinics in the capital--a rare glimpse of the real North Korea. On Jan. 3 Pyongyang declared him "unfriendly" and, after an 18-month stay, expelled him from the country. He spoke last week with NEWSWEEK's George Wehrfritz in Seoul. Excerpts:

WEHRFRITZ: How did you become a celebrity in North Korea?

VOLLERTSEN: Three weeks after I arrived, there was a serious burn patient in one hospital. The staff tried to hide him from us. It was very Korean: don't show foreigners the real misery. But we discovered him and offered medical care. We gave him infusions, bandages, everything. When we returned a week later there was an incredible scene: the entire hospital staff had lined up to help this poor patient by giving their own skin for transplantation. We also offered our skin, and in the end they accepted. After it was broadcast on the evening news, we were famous. After that we were invited to a tourist resort, and then to Parliament, where we were offered a Friendship Medal.

Did the patient survive?

Yes. I met him and his family several times after his release. In a way, it was our only private contact with North Koreans.

When did things begin to change?

Actually, my feelings changed the day I arrived. On the way from Beijing to Pyongyang, I realized what was going on. All the distinguished people onboard--diplomats, senior government officials and military personnel--with their ["Great Leader" Kim Il Sung] buttons on their lapels, were carrying designer clothes. At the airport they were welcomed in their big Mercedeses. I thought: what's going on here? I'm arriving in a communist country, but all the people in the airplane are carrying bags full of duty-free goods. When I went to the hospital the next day and saw the starving children, I was very angry.