Throughout human history, there have been many dictators and strange political regimes. But only North Korea has preserved a regime that even Comrade Stalin himself would envy. In this country, everything is different from the rest of the world. In this article, we have collected for you 20 of the most interesting facts about North Korea.
1. It's not 2018 in North Korea, it's 106
The thing is that North Korea has a different calendar – Juche. Juche is a special ideology that “grew” on Marxism-Leninism. With its own, local, features. The calendar is counted from the birthday of the country’s first leader, Kim Il Sung, who was born on April 15, 1912.
2. Legal marijuana
Marijuana is legal in North Korea and is not a banned substance. But no one abuses it there, simply because it is not accepted.
3. Hairstyles must be approved by the authorities
There are 28 state-approved hairstyles in North Korea. Women, for example, can choose from 14 options. Married women cannot have hair longer than shoulder length, but unmarried women can have long hair. Young men are prohibited from growing their hair longer than 5 centimeters, but older men can grow it up to 7 centimeters.
4. Wearing jeans is illegal in North Korea.
Do you like jeans? Your parents probably remember acid-washed jeans. But Koreans don't. After all, they are considered a symbol of American imperialism.
5. Average height is less
The average height of North Koreans is, on average, 5 centimeters shorter than the average height of South Koreans. The reason is that there is a catastrophic shortage of food in the dictatorial country and most teenagers do not get enough to eat.
6. Humanitarian worker joins the army
The international community constantly delivers humanitarian aid in the form of food to North Korea, but most of it is not sent to the people and children, but to feed the North Korean army.
7. 330-meter hotel
For many years, the tallest hotel in the world was the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, with a height of 330 meters. The hotel was completed in 1992, but it still stands empty, with 103 floors never completed.
8. Unequal exchange
Over the past 60 years, more than 23,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea, but only 2 of the latter's residents have voluntarily gone to live in North Korea.
9. Free Volvos for Korea
In 1974, Kim Il Sung ordered a thousand Volvo cars from Sweden. Sweden fulfilled the order and delivered them to Korea, but Kim Il Sung never paid for them.
10. Your own operating system
Although North Korea has almost no computers, the country has its own operating system called Red Star.
11. The army has outdated equipment
The North Korean army is the fourth largest. It has over 1 million 200 thousand people serving in it, and over 4 million people in reserve. Despite its numbers, the North Korean army is not that strong. The fact is that all the equipment used by the army is hopelessly outdated. Most of the equipment in service was made in the Soviet Union in the early 70s.
12. Escaping North Korea costs 10,000$
It is no secret that many North Koreans want to escape their country, but it is not that easy. The country's border is very well protected, and the only way to escape is to use the services of smugglers who will help you get to China. From there, you can head to South Korea. This service costs about 10,000$, given that the average annual income of a North Korean resident is 10,000$.
13. Elections with only one candidate
Despite the dictatorship in the country, elections are held every 5 years. There are few candidates, only Kim Jin-un.
14. Girls instead of traffic lights
The country has very big problems with electricity, there is not enough of it. That is why there are no traffic lights in the cities, their function is performed by traffic controllers.
15. The largest stadium in the world
The stadium in North Korea holds 150,000 spectators. It is a very beautiful structure. From above, it resembles a giant magnolia flower with sixteen petals. From the side, the stadium looks like a huge parachute that has landed on the water.
16. Escape - execution of a family
If a North Korean commits a crime and is sent to a labor camp, his entire family will likely follow him there. Incidentally, if the country's authorities find out that someone has fled the country, his family will also be sent to a labor camp, or even shot. Knowing this, many give up their escape plans for the safety of their families.
17. Kidnapping the director
One day, on orders from the leader of North Korea, a South Korean film director was kidnapped. The authorities, under threat of death, forced him to make films for North Korean propaganda. Fortunately, he soon managed to escape.
18. Three TV channels
There are only three TV channels in North Korea. Two of them are available only on weekends, and one is available every day, but only in the evenings. As in all totalitarian countries, the task of television here is propaganda. Broadcasting is limited in time. All the presenters look alike - they have a uniform appearance, the same hairstyles and style of clothing. Only the color scheme of the suits differs. It is clear that the main thing for them is not the personality of the speaker, but the information he pronounces.
19. Branch of hell on earth
Detailed satellite images show North Korean concentration camps, the existence of which the DPRK still denies. Many of these camps are hidden in mountains and valleys, holding more than 250,000 men, women and children. The North Korean government may deny their existence, but photographs taken from space have revealed unprecedented detail about the sites.
The camps are divided into two types: labor colonies for political prisoners (there are currently six such colonies in the country) and "re-education centers" for criminals (there are between 15 and 20 of them). It is very easy to become a political prisoner: for example, you sang a South Korean song or accidentally damaged a portrait of the nation's leaders (it is enough to spill tea on a newspaper with their image) - and without trial or investigation, the "criminal" is moved to a camp. In the vast majority of cases, the camp becomes their home for life.
20. An American lives voluntarily in North Korea
During the Korean War, he defected to the North Korean side and expressed a desire to remain there. James Joseph Dresnok, an American soldier who defected to the DPRK in 1962, lives in Pyongyang today.
Despite the terrible living conditions, many North Koreans truly love their country and their leader. The thing is, they just don't know that it's possible to live any other way. State propaganda tells them day after day that North Korea is the most developed country in the world. So if you ever feel sad, just think about North Korea and be glad you don't live there.
