The secretive state of North Korea (DPRK) doesn’t seem to own any good reputation in the international media. The country has been criticized for a variety of not-so-good reasons. Although I firmly stand for human rights, peace, social harmony, etc., I’ll avoid repeating what you’ve often heard about the North. Rather, I’m here to bring some fresh perspectives to the table about How is Life in North Korea — based on my trip to the Hermit Kingdom.
Well, in October 2018, during the Golden Week’s holidays, I traveled from China to North Korea. Now, I’ve been writing blog-posts from the same trip. In my previous post, I’ve already discussed about life in Pyongyang.
- North Korean Culture – Please Respect the Country and Its Leaders
- Why to Travel to North Korea? Is North Korea Worth It?
In this post, I’d further extend the previous article and share some general observations about how is life in North Korea (not just in Pyongyang city). In particular, since the North Korean countryside looked fascinating to me, I’m also uploading photos from the North’s rural areas.
North Koreans look highly disciplined
To me, somehow, the North Koreans appeared to be very disciplined, like the soldiers. For example, if you come to China, you’ll see the Chinese people in groups often talking, sometimes laughing, sometime chatting, sometimes even jumping. But such sights were highly unseen among the North Koreans. Even in a group, the North Koreans would walk in utmost silence.
In fact, it was quite rare to see the North Koreans laughing (out loud). Here is a photo of a North Korean tourist group that I clicked near the International Friendship Exhibition Hall, do you see any smile? 🙂
North Korean Men love to dress Suit
What kind of dress has Kim Jong-un has often worn? Suit, right? Well, in North Korea, I realized that the dress suit was the most common attire among the local Korean men (at least in the autumn). They’d dress a suit even if they are riding a bicycle, for morning walks, or even during the agricultural activities.
However, there are differences between the western style of the suit and the North Korean ones. For example, the western suit dress for men often comes in 3 pieces: suit jacket, waistcoat and trousers. However, in North Korea, it’s mostly jacket and trousers (waistcoat rarely seen).
Also, the North Koreans don’t seem to have an inclination to wear a tie with the suit. However, the students at the Songdowon International Children’s Camp did wear red colored ties.
At the same time, the dressing style of North Korean women varied, and in general, it looked much more modern than what we’d usually see in South Asia.
North Korean Roads
Travelling by bus from one North Korean city to another could be a very tiring experience. During my trip, our bus would often jump on the road surfaces’ potholes. That is to say, the conditions of roads in North Korea are simply not good. If you rate a road from Los Angeles to San Francisco as 10/10, then the North Korean highways (such as Pyongyang to Wonsan city) are somewhere between 5/10 to 6/10.
However, the views from the moving bus looked absolutely stunning. For example, the scenic railway tracks passing through the mountains always drew my camera into action.
Mountains
Well, the North Korean terrain is ~80% mountain. These mountains are full of shrubs and looked alive. Since North Korea is not even a developing country, it’s a great place to experience natural views.
Also, there weren’t so many people along the hilly terrain.
Tunnels
Well, due to the presence of too many mountains, when you are out on a road trip, you are likely to pass through so many tunnels. Each of the tunnels has a unique name (written in Korean). Surprisingly, most of the tunnels don’t have any light inside. So, while passing through the tunnels, the bus driver would usually turn on the bus lights and use horn to avoid any kind of road mishaps.
Countryside
The views of the Korean countryside are indeed inspiring. As you pass through the countryside, you’ll see the locals living their daily life. They seemed to hang out in groups. Their clothes were often rural and could have been cleaner.
I particularly liked the wide yellow fields. Indeed, October is a good time to be in North Korea.
We also saw the cultivation of crops in the gardens. In fact, the cauliflower crops looked more popular in North Korea.
Buildings
While driving through the countryside, I saw so many beautiful buildings. My Canon 60D camera was virtually always ready to click photos of them.
Here is an another house, giving a proper rural feel.
Roadside shops
Across the North Korean cities, you’ll see numerous convenience shops along the roadside. In the evening, it’s more common to see the locals buying daily items at such shops. Here is a photo showing two kids buying some snacks at the roadside-
The flower shops
There are separate flower shops near most of the Korean monuments. You can buy one fresh flower bouquet for RMB 15, or so.
It’s not compulsory to buy one, but it’s recommended to offer floral tribute and show respect to the Korean leaders.
Propaganda posters
There are propaganda posters pasted across North Korea – they are simply omnipresent. Once I asked my guide about the purpose of the posters. She replied that the posters were to “protect our country and our leaders”.
Military Check points
Each and every Korean city has military checkpoints situated on the city’s outskirt on the inbound highways. Before a vehicle enters a city, it has to pass through the checkpoint. The vehicles are required to pay the road tax to the checkpoint military officers.
The tax varies from vehicle to vehicle. Once, when we were crossing a checkpoint, I asked my guide about how much was the road tax in North Korea, she replied, “I’ve paid RMB 100”.
Souvenir shops
There are way too many souvenir shops in North Korea. How do I know? Well, the tourists are taken frequently to the souvenir shops. So, if you visit a temple, after the temple visit, you’ll be taken to the temple’s souvenir shop. Oftentimes, we’d visit souvenir shops three times a day – each at different locations.
This is a planned agenda of the government to earn Forex – kind of exploiting the tourists.
North Korean Army
You’ll see the presence of the North Korean Army virtually everywhere in the country. Sometime, I’d purposely walk close to the army personnel to see if they’d ask me something. However, they generally didn’t seem interested to interact with the tourists.
Keep in mind that it’s not allowed to take photos of the military or military objects.
Poor economy
The struggling North Korean economy can be easily felt in the dressing and living style of the countrymen.
They’d often do manual works to earn a living as the use of the technology wasn’t probably that popular.
Alright, I’ll stop here! You can also check out my other North Korean blog-posts.
In summary, as mentioned in my other blog-posts, I indeed enjoyed traveling to North Korea. The road trips passing through the North Korean countryside and scenic mountains are part of my memories to cherish for a lifetime. If you are planning to travel to North Korea, make sure to choose a trip that includes a drive through the countryside.
That’s all about How is life in North Korea blog-post in North Korea Safe Travel Guide and Reviews. If you have any question about traveling to North Korea and organized tours, feel free to post in our forum so that others could also contribute and learn. For regular updates like us on Facebook, or follow on Twitter!
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Wish you a great time traveling to North Korea!
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Last updated: Saturday, October 27, 2018