Life in North Korea
Trying to find out what life is like in North Korea is a bit like trying to find out if the light turns off when you close the fridge door. You can never truly look inside and discover anything with certainty, but by talking with people and keeping your eyes open, you can start to get a basic sense of things.
The capital: Pyongyang
For citizens in the Pyongyang, life is certainly better than in the countryside.
North Koreans need permission to live in the capital (there are roadblocks on the country’s streets that stop you moving around without permission) and the city is generally made up of people loyal to the party and those who have a higher position in society.
At some special events we went to like a funfair and a FIFA soccer game, it wasn’t unusual to see people with mobile phones and digital cameras.
But this certainly wasn’t a common sight on the streets, presumably because technology like that is too expensive for most people.
On the streets of North Korea’s capital themselves, there’s an eerie feeling of vacuity – an emptiness evident by the lack of vehicles, sounds of traffic or crowds of pedestrians.
In theory there are 3 million people in Pyongyang but it seemed quieter than a small country town.
It felt a bit like one of those post-apocalyptic movies, with the irony being that the world thinks it will be North Korea that will wreak the apocalypse.
There is a sense on normalcy, though, on the public transport. The old buses and trams are full of people (obviously they don’t own cars) and the subway was packed at peak hour when we took a ride.
The average North Korean isn’t commuting from home to the office, though. Many are employed in construction, manufacturing or the military.
None of this is easy work, by the way, and the construction teams we saw were doing a lot more by hand than you would expect in any developed economy.
A department store on a main street was deserted every time we drove by it, just a lonely attendant standing behind a counter. Unlike a normal capital city, there weren’t restaurants, cafes, bars or shops lining the streets.
The Pyongyang skyline was filled with the grey concrete apartment buildings that house the population, where they presumably spend a lot of their time.
At night, though, many of the windows were dark (either because of power shortages or because they were uninhabited) and it felt like a city designed with the promise of a metropolis but without the ability to deliver.
Glimpses inside some of the lit apartments revealed simple, bare abodes with prominent photos of the leaders on the wall.
While most people seem to live in these rudimentary apartments, there is still a lot of grandeur in the public buildings and it’s hard to know whether the residents see the contrast as an insult or a source of pride.
One of the more impressive buildings is the Children’s Palace, which we were told is a place where schoolchildren come after class to learn music, sport and arts. Inside is a massive marble foyer, which seems a bit excessive for some young kids.
We were treated to a concert, which was extremely impressive, though. In keeping with the ideals of the regime (and The Dear Leader Kim Jong Il’s artistic bent), children spend a lot of their spare time practicing singing, dancing and gymnastics.
Rural North Korea
Outside of the capital, any buildings of grandeur quickly disappear, save for the large bronze statues of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung.
Green fields of corn and rice stretch from the road to the mountains on the horizon. The countryside is lush and green but this belies the poverty and rustic lifestyles of the citizens.
Everywhere we look there is hard manual labour. This is not a region with cars, let alone any machinery to tend to the land.
Old women, backs bent, work in the rice paddies; young boys carry large sacks in the arms along the side of the road; a man cycles past with a dead pig strapped to the back of his bike.
It looked like extremely basic living, the kind of life that may not have changed for decades, and it was similar to a lot of the simple farming in South-East Asian countries.
Except, of course, for the large signs in the fields and on the mountains, the messages of affirmation from Kim Jong Il in red and white, inspiring everyone to work harder for the good of the fatherland.
As I mentioned earlier, there are military checkpoints on the main roads to stop people leaving their area without permission.
As we passed through the small cities along the way you could see they remained true to the communist architectural style of concrete with concrete.
The larger apartment buildings looked like housing commission of yesteryear, while the small houses seemed to be in a constant state of construction.
In the regional cities, like most places, there was a noticeable lack of cars. But people didn’t gather on the streets to socialise, they walked the footpaths with purpose but without determination.
Military personnel strolled through the cities, while schoolchildren travelled in small groups.
It also struck us that everyone outside the capital, regardless of rank or position, is thin. It was hard not to notice how gaunt each person is, still easily noticeable even under their drab pragmatic outfits.
We stopped at a small factory in one of the cities to see the ‘great industriousness’ of the North Korean people. It was a water bottling plant and was staffed exclusively by women.
Clean and basic, it seemed effective but had a lot less automation than you would expect in 2011 (and you have to assume this was one of the better factories if tourists were allowed to see it).
Poverty and torture?
Stories from citizens who have escaped North Korea paint a picture of daily life as full of back-breaking work, with so little food that they scavenge in the bush, and with the constant fear of retribution from the government if they step out of line or dare question the conditions.
With our tour guide minders controlling our accessibility, we certainly didn’t see anything along those lines. But, at the same time, you never got the sense that people were particularly joyous.
There was rarely laughter on the street or spirited conversation between friends that you would expect in a normal country.
To my eyes it seemed as though people were resigned to monotonous daily lives and were simply going through the motions because it was easier than challenging the situation.
Having said that, the North Koreans were always happy to smile and wave at us as we passed by.
When we were able to catch those moments, you could see the warmth in their hearts and realise that there was a lot more going in inside than their dispassionate expressions let on.
There were a few times in Pyongyang when we saw the locals relax and truly enjoy themselves.
At the soccer game between North Korea and that other football powerhouse Tajikistan, for instance. Or at the funfair, for which there is a weeks-long waiting list.
Our final day in Pyongyang was also National Day and there were celebrations of singing, dancing and games in the park (with a little too much alcohol for some of the locals) and the highlight – a mass dance with thousands of people in the square at dusk (which we all joined in).
Regardless of what life has been forced upon these people – and we will probably never truly understand what that life is – they are still innately human.
It was nice to see the moments when that came out, when their teeth flashed into a smile, when the rhythm of the dance came naturally and not from education, and when they found enjoyment in the simple things in life.
How do the people accept tourists? Smiles and waves?
And are you taking all the photos in these blogs. They really are very good.
x
The way people react to foreigners is fascinating. Only about 2000 white tourists are allowed in each year so they stared suspiciously at us like we were aliens but as soon as we waved or smiled they waved larger or smiled brighter than us. It was as if they didn’t believe we could be friendly until we proved it and then they were just ecstatic!
Hi Turtle,
Thank you for your sharing, people have gone to north korean told me ,they were not allowed take photos of the local people,s life,could you tell me how can you do this ?
White tourists. Smh
So you’re saying only “white” tourists are allowed inside? No other race? Why?
I’m not so sure that only white people have been able to visit. However, something a lot of people don’t know, or forget, is that a LOT of Asian cultures can be rather racist towards people are darker complexion. It’s something I’ve seen many people address regarding visiting South Korea, Japan, and parts of China. beauty standards especially in SK are actually a lot more than what some expect. True to their classic belief, the whiter the skin, the more beautiful they are. I’m not saying that it’s impossible for people of other ethnicities to have visited, nor am I claiming that North Korea holds such racism, as I don’t know how the people truly are and what standards they hold. I’m just stating a fact to keep in mind that MAY also play a part in the NK culture.
stop being racist , you dumbfuck
I think it’s obvious from his context he was saying that tourism is strictly controlled vis a vis quotas, and for white people – and he is identified as white in the admitting process – that quota is 2,000/year.
that isnt the truth i am from india and i had visited north korea my skin tone isnt white but i was allowed
Thanks to Sharing. 🙂
Hi Turtle,
Have you approached newspapers or weekend magazines with this article? It would be a great read on a Sunday morning. Beautiful pics too.
Hi Turtle
So well written, annunciated and illustrated, I told you that you had the steely photographer pose down to an art! A truly unique trip with great people.
Look forward to more musings as you travel. Mark
Wow Turtle, these blog posts are a true pageturner. What an incredibile experience — and how “devotedly” you reported it! 😀 Thumbs up, big time.
Thanks Fabio – glad you liked them! Everyone ends up devoted after a trip to North Korea 🙂
I checked out your blog but can’t tell where you are at the moment?
Hi Turtle, haha glad to know the two “supervisors” to your stay properly indoctrinated you! 🙂 Yesterday I was sitting at a café (in Amsterdam) and telling a friend about your story. She then pointed me to a “funny” story happened to a guy from the Netherlands.
This guy was a post stamps collector, and took on a trip to North Corea to get some of those – I suppose their value is pretty high. Unfortunately, he was not on the plane that was meant to bring him back. The family tried to get news but a curtain of silence was around this thing. And then, on a newspaper in Pyongyang, an article appeared featuring an interview with this guy that was reportedly glowing in happiness and witnessing the North Corean elections, stating that he’d never seen a more democratic country.
Turned out he was detained under suspicions of being a spy for a few weeks. You can find an article about it on the Huffington Post if you look for Willem van der Bijl!
This is really interesting since so few people are able to visit and write about North Korea. I recently read the graphic novel Pyongyang, and it was eye-opening to learn about how sterile and scripted life is in the country. How did you end up in North Korea?
Yeah, it was fascinating to see it in person. You can actually go with a tour company – they just limit the numbers each year and place conditions on what you can do when you’re there. But you should look into it – I’d recommend going with Koryo Tours.
Unfortunately for the people of North Korea not a lot will change for them until the regime changes. Most people there really know nothing of the outside world since everything is censored. At least now they are letting some people in. Several years ago the photos you took would probably have not been allowed. You did a great job documenting everything.
You’re right – the people there are very unaware of anything that the regime chooses not to tell them. But there are small signs that things are relaxing a bit… like allowing limited tourism, for instance.
Nice work, both on the writing and photos! We don’t know nearly enough about Korean culture. We were invited to meet with Korea’s Tourism Board folks in Atlanta last week, but ended up missing it. After reading this, I’m beginning to wish we’d gone!
Hopefully you’ll still get a chance to go sometime. It really is a fascinating place. But who knows how the new leadership will treat the idea of tourism…
I didn’t even realize they allowed limited tourism.
It’s tightly controlled and the numbers are limited but it’s not too hard to organise a trip through a tour group. Definitely worth the time!!
What a rare and unique opportunity! Thanks so much for sharing, it sounds a little eerie to see so few people out and about even in the capitol.
‘Eerie’ would be an understatement. The whole country was like a time capsule. We could have been time-travellers, the way it felt!
This is really fascinating! Thanks for writing this piece – I know next to nothing about North Korea, and this is the most ‘insider’ view I’ve had. really informative, great writing, fab pictures!
Thanks for that! They announced just a few days ago that they’ll be continuing tours in 2012 despite Kim Jong Il’s death. So check it out if you can!
I’ve been fascinated by North Korea for years and these are some of the best ‘daily life’ type photos I’ve seen recently. Different than the typical cookie-cutter tour pictures. Nice post, love the countryside shots.
I think it’s too easy for the media to find images that fit the ‘stereotype’. In reality, the country looks very different.
Excellent article Turtle, atleast i have an overview now on how people lives in North Korea. Indeed, very pragmatic and rudimentary.
As I said, it’s hard to get a true sense of life there. But a trip like this definitely gives you a much more accurate view than much of the media.
Hey great article on North Korea. Really fascinating to see that you’re able to take photos whilst on a moving vehicle. Anyway, great post and photos of the most intriguing nation to date
Thanks Amer. Technically you’re not supposed to take photos from a moving vehicle but our guides were fairly lenient with us as long as it was innocent stuff that we were shooting.
I have heard some stories about North Korea. And it is really refreshing to hear about North Korea from someone who has been there and experienced the life….the pics are great and the article is great. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks. You definitely get a better appreciation of the country once you’ve seen it for yourself. But I think there are still a lot of mysteries about the place.
Really fascinating post and great photos as well! This is definitely one country I’d love to visit, but for now I’ll have to live vicariously.
Thanks. Going in there was one of the best experiences I’ve had on my travels. I’ve never seen a country like it before!
Wow! I must be the only person in the world who wasn’t aware that we can visit NK! Thanks for guide, very interesting, I also enjoyed reading the one in Paraguay 🙂
Neither of them are your typical tourist destinations – but that’s why I loved them both so much, I think!
Fascinating! Thank you!
Hi, Turtle.
Did you by any chance have the opportunity to assassinate Kim-Jong Un?
Ha ha ha. I would be too worried about N Korea hacking my blog and taking me offline! 🙂
Dear Turtle,
Many thanks for an unbiased and great insight on North Korea. I wonder wheather its the internal military or an external embargo letting down so many people of Cars, Mobile, Internet, Modern Farming Machines and good Transport, Power so that they can live a better life.
Yes, that’s a big problem.
Does kim jun un know how the rest of the world lives???
very interesting and enlightening
It doesn’t look too bad to me. It definitely wouldn’t be my first choice, but most certainly wouldn’t be my last.
Interesting viewpoint. I think a lot of people would probably say it would be their last choice of somewhere to live… but each to their own!
See Afghanistan, it is so so much worse .
If u ever plan to travel there , will not even survive to tell the tale.
Great blog and pics .
He spells his name Kaden with a K. Gross. That’s one step up from Kody. Disavow anything he says.
This is the first time iam reading your blog….its awesome i really liked it …..how could i follow u and get notifications on your updates about other countries????
Thanks so much turtle you savedmy life I had to do an essay and You saved me with this
also please subscrible to my youtube channel its Zinkler 123
i am about to do some gaming videos
I am really vurioud about the life in North Korea. This blog really fed me knowledge about them. Thanks!
Thanks – I’m glad I could help!
My heart just breaks for these people. It just seems so unfair. They will never know freedom, they will never know what it is like to be able to prosper, to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor, or to be able to question their government or vote to change it and make it better.
AM VIZITAT NORTH KOREEA = ESTE O TARA CURATA CU UN POPOR OSPITALIER SI EDUCAT . NU VA LASATI PACALITI DE SMECHERII RAU INTENTIONATI ,CARE FOTOGRAFIAZA NUMAI PARTEA NEGATIVA.DATORITA SANCTIUNILOR ECONOMICE IMPUSE DE IMPERIALISTII AMERICANI, POPORUL SE MULTUMESTE CU PUTIN SI SUNT FERICITI. ESTE ADEVARAT CA LA EI NU EXISTA SOMAJ,PROSTITUTIE ,CORUPTIE,DROGURI SI DEVALIZARI DE BANCI ! ESTE SINGURA TARA SOCIALISTA DIN LUME, CARE LUPTA PENTRU A PASTRA INDEPENDENTA SI SUVERANITATEA IAR PENTRU ACEASTA ESTE NEVOIE DE ARME NUCLEARE SI O ARMATA PUTERNICA IN LUPTA CU IMPERIALISMUL AMERICAN! VENITI IN ROMANIA SA VEDETI O TARA SARACA, CORUPTA SI JEGOASA ,UNDE CAPITALISMUL A INVINS SOCIALISMUL ! ASA CA MAI LASATI VRAJALA CU CAPITALISMUL VOSTRU MURDAR!
What are the chicks like?
dang af thanks for teching me shit
this is a very helpful webulersite and i hope to endolge in korean vodka one day too and drink all my troubles away
Goodness! I really didn’t know this. This post extremely was important
and encouraged me expand my horizons. Great job. I would appreciate it my blog about DPRK.
Hopefully relations between North Korea and South Korea and the United States will get better as the days, weeks, months, and years go on so that the way of life will be better for the people in North Korea!
These all look amazing!! Thank you for share
those folks are really good eh..
very good, it’s good, congratulations, it’s very helpful
i think they are used to of this life, because they don’t have idea what we are living, we feel sorry for them, because their lifestyle is kinda weird for us and m sure they think the same way for us . but truly speaking i cant even imagine my life without laughing louder no matter where i am. i love your blog about north Korea. i am imagining a lot of feeling right now and i just hope …ONE DAY ,a leader will come and raise among them and he/she will bring the taste of freedom in north Korea.
Wow, thank you so much. This website that i have stumbled into will most likley be the closet I’ll ever get to experincing these countries. I will visit frequently. And tell my friends.
Good story, thank you.
Is it safe to travel there unescorted?
North Korea- The Leader is a A Cancer- a milignant growth that should be cut out-He has to spend a life in prison…with nothing but basic food,,,,I would allow him surgery aneasthic.. BUT No pain relief..No antibiotics .Certainly NO Dental care…A bit of Toothache..an inflamed abcess may just bring his chubby kness to the ground .
Shut up, you anti NK shit head!
North Korea is very friendly and peaceful people. We can see why North Korea naturally defensive against aggressive arrogant country like America, UK, Australia, India and Israel who want to attack it. It’s not how I see what the western media portray is as.
How many Americans have heard of the No Gun Ri massacre, in July 1950, in which hundreds of Koreans were killed by U.S. warplanes and members of the 7th U.S. Cavalry regiment as they huddled under a bridge? Details of the massacre emerged in 1999, when the Associated Press interviewed dozens of retired U.S. military personnel. “The hell with all those people,” one American veteran recalled his captain as saying. “Let’s get rid of all of them.”
How many Americans are taught in school about the Bodo League massacre of tens of thousands of suspected communists on the orders of the U.S.-backed South Korean strongman, President Syngman Rhee, in the summer of 1950? Eyewitness accounts suggest “jeeploads” of U.S. military officers were present and “supervised the butchery.”
Millions of ordinary Americans may suffer from a toxic combination of ignorance and amnesia, but the victims of U.S. coups, invasions, and bombing campaigns across the globe tend not to. Ask the Iraqis or the Iranians, ask the Cubans or the Chileans. And, yes, ask the North Koreans.
For the residents of the DPRK, writes Columbia University historian Charles Armstrong in his book “Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World, 1950-1992,” “the American air war left a deep and lasting impression” and “more than any other single factor, gave North Koreans a collective sense of anxiety and fear of outside threats, that would continue long after the war’s end.”
It is still 1950 in North Korea, because the war (sorry, police action) has never ended. The countries involved, including the relevant UN actor countries, are still observing an armistice. North Korea was cut off and embargoed so that they would be defeated economically. End the war and enter into negotiations for peace, as should have happened decades ago.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/31/im-the-only-australian-living-in-north-korea-let-me-tell-you-about-it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnQmEYouTS0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMoSyk0rK9s
I am 14 now. I just saw a video of a North Korean woman talking about her past life in NK. Luckily she had escaped from there at the same age of me. But unfortunately at that time she had to face some difficulties because of their escape. Her mum got raped and her dad got killed by a Chinese person. And she almost got raped at the age of 13.
I honestly was dying inside, thinking why would those leaders in North Korea would do that. Don’t they even have a brain to think properly. Y would they do it for people. I really wanna know how can we help them.
All I can do for now is to prey that those people who r willing to find freedom will find peace one day. So I hope you can prey too even if u don’t believe in it. And if we have actually something to do to help them please do, I will too if I have the power and knowledge.
And lesson to the people who r reading this: You are so lucky that u didn’t go through this. And me personally is so lucky to born in a country where I have freedom as a citizen. So be happy from what u have, there r people who suffer because they r just born in strict country
Your article is very interesting to me as I am in South Korea right now (and I am a black woman). No one has treated me unfairly or exceptionally well. It’s been a pretty normal and delightful experience for me. I found your article and read it because I’ve always been curious about life in North Korea. Thank you for sharing.
wow this is certainly one of those travel posts you slowly read to try and understand as much as possible, and the photos do a great job of transporting you to the place, or at least give you an idea of what it is like, I think North Korea has to be the most enigmatic country of them all, I could come up with a list of 100 questions about Life in North Korea right now. The closest I’ve been to it was at the DMZ, amazing post
First article i saw on google when I searched life like in North Korea
I have a better understanding and can respect their way of living
Nice article
I really like your photos, look nice and have a length. Thank you
Hmmm…I’m prepared to loosen my strict “China, North Korea and North Vietnam is so evil!” worldview,….I’ll still spit forcefully at a statue of a Chinese official…
Where are you live now turtle now and how are you ?
this is amazing im doing an assessment on north korea where i have to make my own story and my own characters and write about there life and this has so much information thankyou so much
We are visiting South Korea for the weekend from Japan. We’re doing a small tour of Asia and will return to America Sunday. Was just curious to read some on North Korea since we are as close as we will probably ever get in Seoul. I enjoyed reading your post. Thank you!
thanks for sharing it with us
Fascinating glimpse, & to see photos’! The bright costumes at the end are dazzling. I feel bad the people have too little freedom, so wrong & unfair; I wish it will change asap – but the lack of cars & the quiet city streets do sound good to me, compared to our over-noisy, over-crowded, materialistic & polluted Western ones. No way do I want to swap countries, but maybe we’re equally out’ve balance; we call N’K underdeveloped’ while we’ve gone to the other extreme, neither is ideal.
This is crazy, turtle, your amazing. This is all pretty acurate and it is really cool. It must be hard living there. Until next time… LATER BLADERS
Haven’t been to North Korea but by reading your blog now I can picturize how their life’s are.Also it was good to know despite undergoing all these circumstances they still do not hesitate to put on a smile when they see tourists,it really tells us how much warmth they have in their heart.Just loved those pictures. Wasn’t their any restriction to take those pictures?
I always wanted to sit and drive it. If not, look at it that way.
Thanks you for share.
Thank you for this wonderful article
thank you for share.
What an impoverished citizens, I found it hard to believe people go through this kind of lifestyle. As a nigeria I know that things are not how is supposed to be. But citizens are not restricted like this. Thanks for the info
We are visiting South Korea for the weekend from Japan. We’re doing a small tour of Asia and will return to America Sunday. Was just curious to read some on North Korea since we are as close as we will probably ever get in Seoul. I enjoyed reading your post. Thank you!
Your article is very interesting to me as I am in South Korea right now (and I am a black woman). No one has treated me unfairly or exceptionally well. It’s been a pretty normal and delightful experience for me. I found your article and read it because I’ve always been curious about life in North Korea. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve been fascinated by North Korea for years and these are some of the best ‘daily life’ type photos I’ve seen recently. Different than the typical cookie-cutter tour pictures.
Mentioning Korea as something extremely mysterious
I do not dare to think of going to Korea Tourism after reading the information about this country
You’re not very bright then, are you? Reading articles from Western media which are blatant propaganda (or quite often outright misinformation) and allowing that to influence whether or not you decide to experience a country and culture first hand.
I worked in the country for 6 months and also lived in Texas for a year, and let me tell you… I wouldn’t go back to the US even if for a 500% pay rise. But North Korea? I’d go back again and again at my own expense if I had the time and money.
It seems that Korean tourism is something very far away
I really want to go to places like this but that’s the hard thing
This place is like Vietnam in the 90’s when working with the government
How do the people accept tourists? Smiles and waves?
phuquocseawalker.com
Phu Quoc Coral Park
Nice write-up but it reminded me on a former East German, writing back home, 10 days after his lucky escape to the West.
Trust me, you haven’t even seen the cover of your story book, yet, let alone, telling what’s life in North Korea.
No offense but you really need to change the heading of your story but then again, you may not draw as many spectators to your post.
Nevertheless, your report on “What Life is like in North Korea” is the typical sensationalist writing. It’s people like yourself who plant totally wrong seeds and leave the people with it. Actually quite insulting.
After a 10-days visit to North Korea, …unbelievable.
Excellent article a pleasure to read and my deepest admiration for the North Korean people making the best of life in a wretched country through no fault of their own.I wish them all the best going forward and sincerely hope there are better days ahead.Thank You.
My heart just breaks for these people. It just seems so unfair. They will never know freedom, they will never know what it is like to be able to prosper, to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor, or to be able to question their government or vote to change it and make it better.
https://nhatrangbooking.com.vn/
In other words you can not say much. Technology is not so important. Do they eat? Have medicines? That you don’t even know, you only give your subjective appreciation. One thing the streets and everything look so clean, I wish to have some of that here in Egypt, where every street is filthy with lakes of black water mix with garbage wherever you walk.
It is very interesting the people are very genuine and live a good healthy lives. There is no pollution and very clean place.
these poor people im 52 and i feel the urge to want to go there and get a family out of this oppressed regime,is it posssible i wonder, without ending up in jail there, for the rest of my life, come on world help these people
Just now enjoying your blog, photos, and the comments about your 2011 trip to North Korea. My interest in this region began after watching a few South Korean tv shows on Netflix recently. Have you watched ‘Crash Landing on You’? If so, please share your opinion about its portrayal of North Korea. Either the director or producer told an intereviewer that the show’s depiction of North Korea and its people is about 60% accuracte. According to defectors who served as consultants/writers for this show, North Korean Army soldiers are not at all like the ones in this show!
Great article, yyou should checkout this vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMWi4XlNlwE , a russian guy made some illegal videos in NK ((there are two parts).
What country is the writer from? They seem to have a fetish for cars. Must be a peculiar culture prejudice.
Having visited North Korea in 2001 I can say it’s a great place to visit
You only see what they want you to see but still a unforgettable experience
I would love to go again in 2023 to see what has changed in 21 years but all borders are closed now
yep it bad
Your blog is a testament to the power of resilience and the strength of the human spirit.
This post provides such an eye-opening perspective on life in North Korea. It’s hard to imagine living under such strict conditions and limited freedoms. Thank you for shedding light on the realities that the people face every day.