It is not the image that US President George W. Bush was trying to conjure when he portrayed North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" that threatened US security but North Korean officials, it seems, are fans of the film Sound of Music and readers of the British satirical magazine Private Eye.

The surprising cultural habits of North Korean bureaucrats were exposed by Jim Hoare, the British charge d'affaires in Pyongyang, who painted a more benign picture of the reclusive Communist state than Mr Bush did in his controversial State of the Union address.

While Mr Bush's speech reinforced North Korea's reputation as a sinister regime shut-off from the outside world, London's man in Pyongyang revealed that North Koreans shared more with westerners than commonly thought.

"Some people have access to western films," said Mr Hoare, during a visit to Seoul. "The number of people I've met [in Pyongyang] who've seen the Sound of Music is amazing. I've met people who've seen Mary Poppins and everyone I've met seems to have seen Titanic. Most of the men have seen at least one James Bond film."

Further infiltration of western culture into Pyongyang comes through regular deliveries of British newspapers and magazines - including Private Eye - to the foreign ministry, arranged by Mr Hoare. "For a selective few, there is more exposure to western culture than we thought."

Mr Hoare arrived in Pyongyang last July after the UK joined the growing number of European countries with diplomatic ties to North Korea. His role is expected to be upgraded to full ambassadorial status once a dispute about the embassy's use of satellite telecommunications is resolved - signalling Britain's commitment to engagement with Pyongyang.

The number of European embassies in North Korea has risen from five to 13 in the past two years, underlining the difference in approach towards Pyongyang between Europe and the more hardline US, which accuses North Korea of exporting weapons of mass destruction.

European embassies in Pyongyang act as a buffer between North Korea and the US. "We've been telling [North Korea] that they must distinguish between rhetoric and reality and that they must not over-react," said Mr Hoare. He said there was no sign of tension on the streets of Pyongyang since Mr Bush's "axis of evil" speech nor any visible evidence of preparation for military conflict, despite North Korea's condemnation of the remark as "little short of a declaration of war".

"People go round with smiles on their faces," said Mr Hoare. People seemed to be better-fed than in previous years - given 250g of rice per day by the government - and there was no sign of dissent against Kim Jong-il, the North Korean leader, he said. "People are socialised in a way that means by the time they are adults, they accept a lot without question."

Mr Hoare admitted that the relative comfort and contentment of people in Pyongyang was not matched in more remote areas of the impoverished country and said it was possible that forced labour camps existed in mountainous areas.

But Britain's lobbying on human rights issues has had limited impact. "They have a long way to go in understanding our concept of human rights because they think they live in a paradise."