Have you ever wondered how is life in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea (DPRK)? Would you be interested to dig more about the Hermit Kingdom? I, for sure, enjoyed exploring the secretive state. Well, in October 2018, I traveled from China to North Korea and spent a considerable amount of time wandering in Pyongyang. And, in this post, I’d share my memories of Pyongyang and elucidate the existing living conditions in the capital city from a traveler’s perspective. As always, I’m also uploading a variety of photos from Pyongyang to let you feel the North Korean way of life better.
Traffic police
In North Korea, you are unlikely to see the police forces (I heard there are some invisible ones). However, it doesn’t mean there are no security arrangements. In fact, you are likely to see the traffic police and armed forces across North Korea, not just in Pyongyang, all the time. The traffic police presence on the road is often exemplified by a pretty lady, probably in her 20s.
Her well-trained neck movements would invariably draw my attention.
Pyongyang Airport
If you are coming to North Korea by a flight, in all likelihood, you’ll be landing at the Pyongyang airport. Well, Pyongyang Airport indeed looks very clean and beautiful. Here is the counter of Air Koryo at the Pyongyang airport-
Propaganda posters
Throughout Pyongyang city and elsewhere in North Korea, you’ll see the omnipresent propaganda posters pasted on the buildings, roadside, bus stations, in the fields, etc. In some of the photos, you’ll see the Korean army overpowering US army, in some you’ll see a friendship between North Korea and China-
In most of the posters, you’ll see two former Korean leaders, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. The following poster depicts Kim Il-sung, leaving for China when he was 10 years old.
Mom carrying her baby
Well, I’m not sure why, but there were multiple occasions when I saw the Korean moms carrying their babies on the back. Once I asked my English speaking guide if this was a common practice in Korea, she said, ‘yes, very common’.
Local bus and bus stations
The Pyongyang city buses often have two coaches and they are usually very crowded. I’m not sure about the seating arrangements in the bus as the tourists are virtually not allowed a local public bus ride. However, from the outside I could clearly see that most of the bus passengers were standing inside the bus.
My tour guide informed me that the bus fare in Pyongyang is fixed to 5 Korean Won (per person per ride). That is to say, a passenger can go to any number of bus stops along a particular bus route for 5 Won.
Long Queue for the bus
Since the number of available buses serving Pyongyang city is probably not sufficient enough, you’ll often see the long queues waiting for the buses. Here are the people waiting for the bus, and entering the bus.
So what’s the solution? Bicycles!
Bicycles are a part of North Korean life!
In North Korea, you’ll see the locals often using bicycles. Particularly, in the morning and evening, the roads are full of bicycles when the locals commute to (and from) the office.
Pyongyang Metro
Another alternative to commute into the city is by the Pyongyang Metro, a lifeline of the city that runs entirely underground. A trip to the Pyongyang Metro is usually included in your trip. The tourists are usually taken from the Puhung Station to Yonggwang Station.
Again, the metro fare for the locals is fixed to 5 Korean Won (per person per ride).
The Yonggwang Station is well decorated — here is the photo that I clicked in Pyongyang-
Kids
In the morning time, you’ll often see Korean kids going to school. I saw many kids walking alone along the road with a bag on their back. Some kids were in groups and some with their parents.
Expensive cars
I did see a few expensive cars, such as Mercedes, on the Pyongyang roads. When I asked my guide if it was manufactured in North Korea, she replied, ‘imported from outside’.
Of course, the city has cheaper cars as well and now I’ll show you a not-so-expensive North Korean car-
traditional Korean dress
Well, the Koreans have a unique traditional dress. Here are the high school students from Pyongyang’s Kang Pan-sok High School in traditional Korean dress.
The Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang
The famous month long North Korean Arirang Mass Games are organized once a year in the Rungrado May Day Stadium, Pyongyang.
It’s compulsory for each and every tourist to attend this expensive show. For a 1.5-hour long show, a tourist need to pay RMB 810 (US $120). I really liked the show, however, I’m sure the price is simply arbitrary and too expensive.
Korean tourist buses
As I mentioned earlier, the tourists don’t get an opportunity to ride the local buses. So how do the tourists commute inside North Korea? As you may know, there are separate tour companies operating buses for international tourists. These buses are rather frequent on Pyongyang roads.
The laid-back life
If you are coming to Pyongyang city from a busy metropolis like Shanghai, you’ll be surprised to see the slow pace of daily life in Pyongyang. Especially, in the winter, the life is more and more laid-back.
Since the North Korean economy still heavily depends on agriculture, you’ll often see the casually dressed farmers going to work.
football
Well, football seems to be very popular in North Korea. I saw many instances where locals were playing football. Here is a photo from the Pan-sok High School’s sports ground.
North Korean Music
North Korea has its more music bands and they are very popular among the locals. The North Korean dancing movements looked quite basic (compared to the South Korean bands). However, the North Koreans, who literally don’t know anything about the South Korean K-Pop songs, very much liked them. The local bands often perform during the festivals in Pyongyang and the ticket prices are considered to be very expensive (RMB 300/person) from the local standards. So, the concerts are mostly attended by the rich North Koreans.
Also, these songs are often played in the buses and restaurants (that’s how I got to know about them). Here is the photo from my TV screen-
Skyscrapers
Do you know how the residential apartments look in Pyongyang? Here are some of the buildings, imagine living here for free.
I learnt that housing, electricity, water, medical services, etc. are provided by the government for free. That also (probably) meant, you can’t own the house in North Korea. The houses are virtually the property of the government, and you live there based on the pleasure of the government.
Alright. I’ll stop here. Well, indeed, a lot can be written about how is life in Pyongyang city (and other Korean cities). So, in my other post, I’ll further talk more about the general living conditions in North Korea (not just Pyongyang)!
In summary, North Korea is yet to become even a developing country. So, when you come here, don’t expect the living conditions similar to those in the developed countries. However, that doesn’t mean, you shouldn’t travel to the Hermit Kingdom. North Korea indeed has its own charm. As such, it’s a very much a unique experience to explore a truly natural country. 🙂
That’s all about How is life in Pyongyang 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 exploring Pyongyang city!
Cheers!
Last updated: Monday, October 22, 2018