Life in North Korea: Truth and Fiction. Household life in the DPRK: how I dated and drank in North Korea

About a year ago, we were the Perm traveler Elnara Mansurov, who has been traveling to different parts of the world for several years. Now his notes have grown into a full-fledged travel project mishka.travel. Today FURFUR publishes a report on a trip to North Korea, in which Elnar told how he went to the mausoleum of Kim Il Sung, met Korean girls and was almost mistaken for a spy.

We flew on the plane with Dennis Rodman, who, having stayed with Kim Jong-un, decided to lead the DPRK national basketball team. Some kind of surrealism: I'm flying in a new AN-124 to Pyongyang, a stewardess brings a burger for lunch, and not far from me sits a big black guy, whom I remember from playing the NBA on the Sega console.

Much that is written in the media about North Korea is not true. Even the information that goes to television and the leading media in Russia is greatly distorted. For example, according to some of them, on Independence Day on September 9, a military parade was held in Pyongyang, which was personally led by Kim Jong-un. In fact, there were no military equipment in the city that day, there are many holidays in this small country, and any military parade is a costly event, therefore on September 9 we had a labor army of the militia (this is something like an army in reserve) or a worker Peasant Red Guard of the DPRK. I felt myself in the chronicles of a war film, as if I was seeing off North Korean fighters to the war. Hundreds of ZILs with people in uniform, girls with Kalashnikovs, nurses, a military band and one long black limousine with a portrait of great leaders on the roof. Koreans cry, launch balloons into the sky and throw artificial flowers at the militia. There are no fresh flowers in this country, at the airport we also observed how loved ones were met with artificial flowers.

In reports on visiting the DPRK, one can read about the cult of personality, the prohibition of photographing from the windows of the bus and the complete absence of cars on the roads. Times change, most of the facts become myths, but the truth is that in Pyongyang we even stood in a small traffic jam. On the roads there are mainly Chinese cars, sometimes our UAZs and Priors. In the villages you can find legendary trucks with a gas generator, stoked with wood or coal. On the way to Wonsan, we met them many times, but Koreans react quite jealously when you start photographing them.

At the entrance, phones are no longer taken away - on the contrary, you can buy a SIM card from a local operator and call home, however, it is cheaper to call from a hotel.

It is still prohibited to photograph the military, military objects, working people, as well as those places that the guide tells about (for example, inside a mausoleum or some museum). You can take pictures of ordinary people, but the guides ask you not to frighten the North Koreans, but ask permission to photograph them. I travel around the world with the head of a bear, but I was forbidden to take photographs in it against the background of the monument to the two leaders. It is also forbidden to shoot sculptures, parodying the leaders, or cutting off parts of the bodies in the picture. They may be asked to remove. Photos with a bear's head were secretly taken.

In the DPRK, the transcendental collectivism and snitching, the system of denunciations works smoothly. Therefore, even if you run away from the hotel from the supervision of your guide, ordinary townspeople will immediately turn you in. In the afternoon near the restaurant I went to the tram stop, tried to get to know the locals, to communicate; the first thing they did was scatter. And the next day the guide asked: “Elnar, why did you try to communicate with the Koreans? Understand that they rarely see tourists. ” That is, information about this has already been reported to her, and a friendly explanatory conversation was held with me.

It is still impossible to photograph the military, military objects, working people,
as well as those places that the guide will tell you about (for example,
inside the mausoleum or
some museum).

Our bus driver was proud that he had not had a single accident in 25 years. Probably because there were practically no cars on the roads in the last 25 years, and the roads themselves are six- or eight-lane "concrete roads". Now on the streets of Pyongyang you can find taxis, and private owners on motorcycles are beginning to appear. It is quite possible that in ten years Pyongyang will not be a half-empty city, but will become an ordinary Asian noisy metropolis with all the exhaust gases and motorcycle taxi drivers shouting and arguing with each other over another client.

For me, the whole trip was a solid spy movie. And I must say, I was not disappointed. I sometimes write down travel notes in a voice recorder on my phone, but once the guide, after our conversation with her, saw the microphone icon on the phone and suspected me of recording all our conversations. I expected the special services to be of particular interest to me when I left the country, so I hid the memory cards with photographs. But nothing happened.

But Igor, a representative of the then unknown Ukrainian party "Blow", was less fortunate. He liked to joke about signs and slogans, jokingly translating them in his own manner; Koreans did not appreciate humor and suspected him of knowing the Korean language. During a visit to the mausoleum, the "Chekists" caught Igor and interrogated him about "the real purpose of his visit to the DPRK."

We were fascinated by one Korean girl, her name was Un Ha, she was a tour guide in another tour group. They asked our guide to organize a date with my single friend, joke with jokes, but we managed to crank up the meeting. True, there were four of us on a date: in addition to the two of them, there were me and our guide. On another it is impossible. A friend took a French wine (I think you can imagine how much it costs in a closed country), I took a beer to watch with pleasure. The Korean women drank only water, the embarrassment grew, we discussed general topics about whether they are on the Internet, whether they are going to visit Russia again, whether we come across harmful tourists from our country. Everything looked like a pioneer camp and an acquaintance with another detachment. After 20 minutes of boring monotonous conversation, our guide became ill and she went to the room, followed by Un Ha.

That evening, we invited our guide Zou to celebrate our departure, who in his age most resembled a representative of the special services, since our guide, Comrade Pak, was, by all accounts, really a guide, which was confirmed by her appearance in other reports. Our third guide, a trainee Kim, was very young, the knowledge of his language was noticeably worse, so Dzo (we called him Joe or Choi) in our eyes was from the organs. That evening our "spy games" continued. After we decided that we were all brothers and went to our room for whiskey, the fun began. It is believed that every room in the hotel is bugged, Zou turned up the sound of the TV to communicate with us frankly. He asked who was “good” and who was “bad” in our group, and said that Igor was clearly not here by chance. They talked about forbidden books, about the real state of affairs in Russia, and not about what their propaganda says. We exchanged banknotes with him for memory, which, as it later turned out, went out of circulation.

We were fascinated by one Korean girl, her name was Un Ha, she was a tour guide in another tour group. We asked our guide to arrange a date with my single friend.

North Korea counters

The life of ordinary Koreans in the DPRK is protected from outsiders as a military secret. Journalists can only look at her from a safe distance - through the glass from the bus. And breaking through this glass is an incredibly difficult task. You cannot go to the city on your own: only with a guide, only by agreement, but there is no agreement. It took five days to persuade the escorts to ride to the center.

Taxis go to the center. Drivers are incredibly happy with passengers - almost no one uses their services at the hotel. It is impossible to order a taxi for a foreigner in the DPRK. They are being taken to a shopping center on Kwan Bo Avenue - something like Novy Arbat in Moscow. The store is special - there are two red signs above the entrance. Kim Jong Il was here twice and Kim Jong-un came once. The shopping center resembles a typical Soviet Central Department Store: a three-story concrete cube with tall windows.

Inside, the atmosphere is like in the main department store of a small Russian city. On the ground floor there is a supermarket. There is a queue at the checkout. There are many people, maybe even unnaturally many. Everyone is actively filling the large carts with food.

Researching prices: Pork 22,500 won, Chicken 17,500 won, Rice 6,700 won, Vodka 4,900 won. If we remove a couple of zeros, then prices in North Korea are almost the same as in Russia, only vodka is cheaper. There is a strange story with prices in the DPRK. The minimum wage for a worker is 1,500 won. And a pack of instant noodles costs 6,900 won.

How so? I ask the translator.

He is silent for a long time.

Consider so that we have simply forgotten about the two zeros. - Thinking, he answers.

Local money

And in terms of prices, the official life of the DPRK does not get along with the real one. The exchange rate for foreigners is 1 dollar - 100 won, and the real rate is 8,900 won per dollar. An example can be illustrated on a bottle of a North Korean energy drink - a still ginseng decoction. In the hotel and in the store, it costs completely different money.

Locals look at the prices in the store through the sight of the denomination. That is, two zeros are subtracted from the price tag. Or rather, adding two zeros to the salary. With this approach, the situation with wages and prices is more or less normalized. And either the noodles cost 6900 won instead of 6900. Or the minimum wage for a worker is not 1,500, but 150,000 won, about $ 17. The question remains: who buys food carts in the shopping center and for what. It looks like they are not workers and definitely not foreigners.

Foreigners in the DPRK do not use the local currency won. Although the prices in the hotel are indicated in won, you can pay in dollars, euros or yuan. Moreover, there may be such a situation that you pay in euros, and you receive change in Chinese money. North Korean money is banned. Old-style won of 1990 can be purchased in souvenir shops. It is difficult to find real won - but it is possible.

They differ only in the aged Kim Il Sung.

However, the real money of the DPRK is of little use to the foreigner - the sellers simply will not accept it. And it is forbidden to take national money out of the country.

On the second floor of the mall, they sell colorful dresses. On the third, parents lined up in a dense formation at the children's play corner. Kids ride down the slides and play with balls. Parents are filming them on their phones. Phones are different, a couple of times in the hands of quite expensive mobile phones of a famous Chinese brand. And once I notice a phone that looks like a South Korean flagship. However, the DPRK knows how to surprise and mislead, and sometimes strange things happen - on an excursion to the red corner of a cosmetology factory, a modest guide suddenly flashes in his hands, it seems, an apple phone of the latest model. But it is worth taking a closer look - no, it seemed like a Chinese device similar to it.

On the top floor there is a row of cafes typical for shopping malls: visitors eat burgers, potatoes, Chinese noodles, drink Taedongan light draft beer - one sort, no alternative. But they are not allowed to film it. After enjoying the abundance of the people, we go out into the street.

Pyongyang on style

A new Lada is parked on the sidewalk as if by chance. Domestic cars are rare for the DPRK. Is it a coincidence - or the car was put here especially for the guests.

People are walking along the street: many pioneers and pensioners. Passers-by are not afraid of filming. A man and a woman, apparently 40 years old, are holding a little girl. They say that they are walking with their daughter. Koreans marry late - not earlier than 25-30 years old.

A cyclist in black glasses and a khaki shirt passes by. Girls in long skirts are passing by. Girls in the DPRK are prohibited from miniskirts and revealing outfits. Pyongyang's streets are guarded by "trendy patrols". Elderly ladies have the right to catch violating fashionistas and turn them over to the police. The only truly striking detail in a Korean woman's wardrobe is the sun umbrella. They can even be flashy motley.

Korean women love makeup. But mostly it is not makeup, but skin care products. As elsewhere in Asia, face whitening is in vogue here. Cosmetics are made in Pyongyang. And the state is closely following it.

There is a secret shelf in the bowels of Pyongyang's main cosmetics factory. Hundreds of bottles and bottles: Italian shadows, Austrian shampoos, French creams and perfumes. "Forbidden", which cannot be bought in the country, is sent to the factory personally by Kim Jong-un. He demands that Korean beauticians and perfumers follow Western brands.

Men in Korea wear gray, black and khaki more often. Bright outfits are rare. In general, the fashion is of the same type. There are no those who clearly oppose themselves to those around them. Even jeans are illegal, only black or gray pants. Shorts on the street are also not welcome. And a man with piercings, tattoos, dyed or long hair is impossible in the DPRK. Decorations interfere with building a bright future.

Other children

North Korean children are a different matter. The small inhabitants of the DPRK do not look like boring adults. They wear outfits of all colors of the rainbow. The girls have pink dresses. The boys are wearing ripped jeans. Or a T-shirt, where not a portrait of Kim Jong Il is attached, but an American Batman badge. Children look like they've escaped from another world. They even talk about something else.

What is your favorite thing about the DPRK? - I ask the kid with Batman on the jacket. And I look forward to hearing the names of the leaders.

The boy looks at me shyly from under his brows, but suddenly smiles.

Toys and walk! he says, somewhat confused.

Koreans explain why kids look so bright and adults look so bland. There are no serious requirements for babies. Until school age, they can dress in anything. But from the first grade, children are taught to live the right way and explain how everything in the world works. The rules of conduct, the way of thinking and the adult dress code change their lives.

Street life

There is a stall near the shopping center. Koreans buy DVDs with films - the DPRK novelties are there. There is a story about partisans, and a drama about an innovator in production and a lyrical comedy about a girl who became a tour guide in the museum named after the great Kim Il Sung. DVD players are very popular in the DPRK.

But flash drives with films banned by the party - this is an article. The article covers, for example, South Korean TV series. Of course, ordinary Koreans find such films and watch them on the sly. But the state is fighting this. And it is gradually transferring local computers to the North Korean counterpart of the Linux operating system with its own code. This is to prevent third-party media from being played.

A nearby stall sells snacks.

These buns are bought by the workers during the break, - the saleswoman happily informs and holds out a bag of cakes, reminiscent of portions of shortbread cookies with jam.

Everything is local, ”she adds, and shows the barcode on the package“ 86 ”- made in the DPRK. On the counter is "pesot" - popular homemade pies, shaped like khinkali, but with cabbage inside.

A tram arrives at the stop. A crowd of passengers surrounds him. There is a bike rental behind the stop. It is somewhat similar to the Moscow one.

One minute - 20 won. You can take a bike using such a token, '' a pretty girl in the window explains the conditions to me.

Having said this, she takes out a thick notebook. And hands it to my translator. He makes a note in a notebook. Apparently, this is a catalog for registering foreigners. A cyclist in black glasses and a khaki shirt stands by the curb. And I understand that this is the same cyclist who passed me over an hour ago. He looks closely in my direction.

It's time for us to go to the hotel, says the translator.

Internet and cellular

The Internet that is shown to foreigners resembles the local area network that used to be popular in residential areas. She connected several quarters, and there they changed films and music. Koreans do not have access to the global Internet.

You can access the internal network from a smartphone - there is even a North Korean messenger. But there isn't much else. However, cellular communication has become available to residents of the country only ten years ago.

The DPRK's internal Internet is not a place for fun. There are websites of government agencies, universities and organizations. All resources are reviewed by the Ministry of State Security. The DPRK does not have its own bloggers or truth-tellers on the Internet.

Memasics, social networks, swearing in the comments are alien concepts of the capitalist world. I examined various computer labs. Some run on Windows, some on Linux. But you can't access the Net from any computer. Although there are well-known browsers, there is even a local DPRK browser. But search histories are not site names, but sets of IP addresses. Although the Internet for journalists is: global, fast and insanely expensive.

Dog dinner

Koreans eat dogs. South Koreans are a little ashamed of this. But in the north they are proud of it. In response to all outraged comments, they ask why eating a dog is worse than eating a beef cutlet, pork kebab or mutton soup. Goats, sheep and cows are cute pets too. So are the dogs.

For Koreans, dog meat is not only exotic, but also curative. By tradition, it was eaten in the heat, in the midst of field work "to expel heat from the body." Here, apparently, the principle of "knocking out a wedge by a wedge" works: the spicy and spicy stew of dog meat burned the body so much that it was followed by relief and it became easier to work.

Koreans don't eat all dogs - and pets don't go under the knife. Although on the streets of Pyongyang the dog (with or without the owner) could not be seen. Dogs are brought up to the table on special farms. And for foreigners served in a hotel cafe. They are not on the regular menu, but you can ask for them. The dish is called Tanogi. They bring dog broth, fried and spicy dog ​​meat, and a set of sauces. All this must be mixed and eaten with rice. You can drink hot tea. However, Koreans often wash down everything with rice vodka.

The taste of the dog, if you try to describe the dish, resembles spicy and unleavened lamb. The dish, to be honest, is insanely spicy, but very tasty - yes, especially scrupulous dog breeders will forgive me.

Souvenir, magnet, poster

A souvenir from the DPRK is a strange combination in itself. It seems that cute tourist joys cannot be brought from such a closed and regulated country. In fact, it is possible, but not much. First, fans of ginseng will feel at ease in the DPRK. Everything is made from it in the country: teas, vodka, medicines, cosmetics, spices.

Lovers of alcoholic beverages do not particularly roam. Strong alcohol - or specific, like rice vodka, giving, according to people in the know, a strong hangover. Or exotic, like snake or seal penis drinks. Beverages like beer are available in two or three varieties and differ little from the average Russian samples. Grape wine is not produced in the DPRK, there is plum wine.

There are catastrophically few types of magnets in the DPRK, or rather, one - with the national flag. No other pictures - not with leaders, not with landmarks - will decorate your refrigerator. But you can buy a statuette: the "monument to the Juche ideas" or the flying horse Chollima (accent on the last syllable) - this is a North Korean Pegasus carrying the idea of ​​Juche. There are also stamps and postcards - there you can find images of the leaders. The famous Kim pins are unfortunately not for sale. The national flag badge is the only prey of a foreigner. In general, that's all - the assortment is not great.

Lovers of exotic can buy a souvenir passport of the DPRK. This is certainly a nomination for the most original dual citizenship.

Bright tomorrow

It seems that now the DPRK is on the verge of great changes. What they will be is unknown. But it seems that with reluctance, a little scared, the country is opening slightly. The rhetoric and attitude towards the world around us are changing.

On the one hand, the DPRK authorities continue to build their inhabited island. A fortress-state, closed from all external forces. On the other hand, more and more people are talking not about the struggle to the victorious end and to the last soldier, but about the well-being of the people. And the people are drawn to this prosperity.

Three Koreans are sitting at a nearby cafe table and drinking. They are in nondescript gray trousers. In plain polo shirts. Above the heart, everyone has a scarlet icon with the leaders. And on the hand of the one who is closer, a Swiss watch is gilded. Not the most expensive ones - at a price of a couple of thousand euros.

But with an average salary in the DPRK, you will have to work on this accessory a couple of lives seven days a week. And only Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il live forever. However, the owner of the watch wears it calmly, perceiving it as something normal. For him, this is already a new, established reality of the Juche country.

Of course, in a society of exemplary universal equality, there are always those who are much more equal. But it seems that the country is facing a closed door to a new world. The inhabitants of the DPRK were frightened with this world for a long time, but in the near future they may have to open this door and face the new world one on one.

Of all the Koreas in the world, North Korea had the largest number of bloody dictators per capita. North Korea is a country of 25 million people who, by our standards, live a very strange and deprived of freedom life.
We wanted to know what life was really like for these people, so we sat down and spoke with an emigrant who had escaped from North Korea, an American journalist who spent a lot of time there researching Pyongyang, and the grandson of the Asian country's ambassador to the DPRK. They told us that ...

This is outright propaganda, and all people know about it.

North Korea is home to some of the funniest propaganda in the world, but when you live there, and all these bombastic messages in support of Kim Jong-un go along with you all your life, it doesn't seem so funny anymore. Mr. Lee (the refugee we spoke to) started out with the same thing every morning as a child: a loudspeaker rattled about the achievements of the Kim family and their regime.

Sun is up? "Kim Jong Il invented the hamburger!"
Sunset? "Kim Jong Il is the greatest golfer in the world!"

Combine that with a radio that never turns off and you've got a whole nation of reluctant listeners. And the next question that immediately comes to the mind of a Western man in the street: "Do people there really believe that Kim Jong-un has magical powers?" No, not all of them. For example, Mr. Li grew up with a great-aunt who suffered a lot of insults and humiliations from the government. When they turned on the loudspeaker, she said: "Oh, again they are for their own, they love to spread their lies." Mr. Li's family has never been one of those who supported the ruling party's course, so he realized as a teenager that his national government is lying to its people a lot. He knew that many of his countrymen believed in much of the propaganda. Although Michael Malice, an American journalist who spent some time in Pyongyang, has a slightly different opinion. He believes that most North Koreans know this propaganda is ridiculous, but they are too scared to say it out loud. “When you are in a public place, you better be like a true believer. After all, when an actor is completely immersed in his role, he copes with it better ”.

And this training starts very early. Overall, Mr. Li says that about 30 percent of his education was completely useless because it only concerned Kim's family. When he was younger, he had full lessons about the lives of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung. But as he got older, the teacher only spent 10 minutes talking about Kim (who ruled at the time) and his accomplishments, and then told many other stories about him during other lessons.

North Korean schools view world history as something secondary, in the same way that American schools view art lessons. He was told at school about the First and Second World War, about the Allied powers and the Nazis, but not about the Italian Renaissance. He knew about things like the satellite, but did not know that the American was the first person on the moon (he was aware that someone had landed on the moon, but the teachers never specified if it was Americans or Russians). And starting from the middle classes, he was also forced to participate in mass games and processions.

Have you ever wondered how these children can perform all joint movements so accurately? This is because they start preparing for them at a young age (including on weekends), and North Korean teachers do not hesitate to resort to corporal punishment if something happens.

And parents know that they also have a responsibility to contribute to the common cause. Another of our informants who had previously lived in North Korea for several years (namely the ambassador's grandson) told us this story:

“There are photographs of the Great Leader all over Pyongyang, lavishly decorated with flowers, and surrounded by regular groups of adoring citizens ... they go to these little stalls, buy flowers, and then arrange them around their 'shrine'. Later that day, other people come here with handcarts, collect all the flowers and return them to the kiosks to resell to even more people. "

“Once I saw a girl, maybe 4 or 5 years old, she brought here a rather large bouquet (almost the same size as herself), but she put it near the photo with one hand. Her parents started yelling at her ... dad hit her in the face. Is this a crime? Do not use two hands to place flowers near the peculiar place of worship. Then her parents bought her an even larger bouquet (this one was even larger than the girl herself), and she put it in the right place with both hands.

This is what happens when public punishment resembles a POW camp. For, you see what ...

There is almost no resistance, and the punishment for any offense is very cruel.

People in North Korea are taught from childhood to inform on those who even the slightest resemble a dissident. So forget about organizing a mass protest or sit-in here, because you cannot raise any objections even in private. As Mr. Li explained, “This is something you can never talk about in public unless you can carefully tell your closest friend that you are not happy with Kim’s regime, and then only after a beer or two. Even with your wife, you have to be careful. "

Before Mr. Li fled his country, he saw several of his neighbors deported to camps. They don't stand on ceremony here, and soldiers simply take entire families in full view of everyone. People are forced to watch as neighbors just doomed to deportation load their belongings into government vans.

Locals know that this practice is only used in their country. But what can you do about it? If you want to imagine yourself in the role of a Braveheart who will oppose an evil king, keep in mind that crimes such as "treason" and (as most often happens) "being like someone who is about to commit high treason" is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty ... of both the accused himself and three generations of his family. You are not just judged for any behavior or careless words, but even for a simple change in intonation during a conversation.

Our interlocutors from the [anonymous country] embassy recalled a time when a high-ranking North Korean officer once took him aside and - in English - began to voice his opinion, shockingly close to an outspoken criticism of the regime:

"He said, 'What is happening here is a shame ... but our leader is guiding us on the right path.' He paused in the middle of the sentence, and I think in the first part he sincerely shared his opinion with me, and in the second he said what he had to say ... I saw his assistant glance at him during the pause, and now I'm a little worried about him. I never saw this guy again. ”

The people here can only catch a glimpse of the outside world.

The strangest thing about North Korea, apart from all the other weird things we already know about it, is its position as an isolated country in the 21st century. At a time when Ukrainian protesters are commenting live on their revolution on Twitter, and half of us have many Internet friends living on the other side of the planet, it is very strange to think of people existing in complete isolation who are not aware of what is happening behind the border of their country.

Although, in truth, some news still reaches their ears. A North Korean, our diplomatic source of information, whom we met at Kim Il Sung University, told us about how they share their "smuggled" knowledge:

“One guy told me to read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I was surprised: "Is this book allowed? - No!" - He secretly carried it here. And he asked me if people were already building some underwater settlements. I told him that there are underwater hotels in the world, and a very satisfied smile appeared on his face. She looked like the one I see on my little brother's face at Christmas. "

But in general, provocative devices such as mobile phones, DVD players and modern films are not always available to locals. Possession of any of these things is punishable by death, which will be applied to you and all those who accidentally stood by when you were detained. You might assume that the citizens of North Korea can do without all of this. But if you think so, then you grossly underestimate the human need to watch the poorly dubbed illegal editions of the last part of Iron Man.

Mr. Li told us that foreign films and gadgets are regularly smuggled into North Korea, but this is of course not disclosed. Dealers look for potential buyers and approach them in the market. "They start with Chinese films, and then if they see that you are not at all opposed to such a product, they move on to American things." In other words, Hollywood films are like heroin on the North Korean black market (along with actual heroin, of course).

All of this suggests that the Kingdom of the Hermits is actually much less isolated than you might assume based solely on the news of his life. Mr. Lee was able to speak with his family members in South Korea, including his sister, who had fled several years before him. North Koreans fully understand that hunger is not a daily factor in America, or even South Korea. And instead of shooting everyone who realized this, the North Korean government should have started changing its propaganda.

Michael Malis, an unofficial biographer of Kim Jong Il and one of the few Americans who visited Pyongyang, explained: "Their propaganda previously said that" we have no envy of anyone. " Now, with the outside world slowly creeping into their country, they began to claim that they support the ideas of North Korea, while South Korea is completely destroyed by America. "

After Mr. Li's sister reached South Korea and confirmed that America's "annihilation" was more like a "lucrative friendship" between the countries, he began planning his escape from the DPRK.

Leaving the country is a long terrifying getaway

Any North Korean who decides to run away realizes that his entire family could end up in a labor camp if the government catches him. Mr. Li (who used a fake name and only spoke to us on Skype, hiding his face in the shadows) had to work out an intricate web of lies before he could leave the country. He said it was essentially the same as telling your parents that you would “stay the night with a friend” and go to the party yourself. Only here, instead of living in peace, your whole family runs the risk of ending up in a forced labor camp, where all its members will literally have to work to death if someone finds out about your trick.

Mr. Li made his escape two years ago. Fortunately, the illegal removal of refugees from the personal murderous Disney World created by the Kim family is not an accident at all, it is an established international mechanism. Lee's sister rescued him with the help of male smugglers and paid for all the services herself, because people who live in North Korea do not have enough money to pay for something like that. And if you think it just requires someone to smuggle you across the border into South Korea, think again. Even if you have a specific location, you will have to go a very long way to it, if you do not want to be shot several thousand times before you even see the fence itself at the border.

Mr. Li was taken out of the country through a network of undercover agents on a long train of walking, bus and car rides from North Korea to China, then to Vietnam and then to South Korea. Each part of the trip was in charge of a different middleman who specializes in smuggling North Koreans along one specific route. Mr. Li followed the instructions of each undercover agent and had to trust that none of them would send him back straight to the hands of the "thought police." At various points in his trip, he called home saying, "I am safe in Beijing" or "I am safe in Saigon." After his sister heard these words from him, she transferred another portion of cash to the intermediaries' account, and he could move on.

It is clear that the business of smuggling out North Koreans is illegal in North Korea, although it is also illegal in every single country. If you can get to South Korea, you will be safe, but such intermediary networks are also illegal there, so you cannot make any claims against them if, say, they sell you into slavery. As a sponsor from South Korea, you run the risk of paying them thousands and thousands of dollars for the privilege of having a loved one by your side, who will not one day be betrayed or killed.

But nothing of the kind happened in this case. Mr. Li was taken to a part of the world where soap operas are played instead of mass games, where Internet cafes are operating instead of labor camps, and where food-eating sports are regularly held instead of constant hunger.

For those who fled the DPRK, the outside world is a real shock

“It’s like you’re caught in a completely different reality,” said Mr. Li. North Korea teaches that countries with capitalism are overcrowded with people dying in the middle of the streets. Even if he was skeptical about it (he had seen many American cities on DVD, and during the many car chases depicted in the movies, piles of hungry vagrants were not visible), he still had the feeling that capitalism was “bad teaching. " He was shocked to see that South Koreans mostly live the way they please, and quickly adopted a new concept of work, that he was, in fact, paid for his work.

In addition, Mr. Li came here with a rather negative attitude towards South Korean women, after seeing them portrayed as sex-obsessed, goofy ladies for decades. He has always believed that South Korean women wear makeup that makes them look like "clowns or prostitutes" (mostly government propaganda convinced him that Seoul girls look exactly like the rich people in The Hunger Games).

He was also surprised to learn about human rights. In particular, the very notion that people have rights and that they can declare them to their government. The North Korean government has solved the "human rights" problem by simply not telling its people about their existence. After all, you cannot demand something that you do not even suspect exists.

Remember, Mr. Li grew up in a country where people are taught from childhood that even a simple curiosity about the lives of their leaders is immoral. This is why his arrival in South Korea also brought him a shocking realization of some facts about the Kim family. He did not believe in all the crazy propaganda about Kim Jong Il's achievements, but the real facts from the life of the glorious leader were very different from what he attributed to himself. "During the famine, state propaganda said that Kim Jong Il was suffering along with the people, eating only one bowl of rice a day." The reality is that it is now impossible to tell how much rice Kim ate during the famine, but we do know that he spent $ 600,000 a year to replenish his personal brandy supply.

If this were a movie, then an evil dictator with an iron fist would get what he deserves before the end credits. But in real life, the Kim family endlessly oppressed their starving little country for 65 damn years and got crazier every day.

Journalist Roman Super managed to meet and talk frankly with an old man who, fourteen years ago, was able to flee from Pyongyang to South Korea. Not everyone succeeds in learning about the reality of life and everyday life of ordinary North Koreans. For example, of the Russians, only one journalist succeeded, not counting Roman.

Defectors from North Korea, fearing to be calculated by the DPRK authorities, are in no hurry to communicate with journalists. And the stories of those defectors who agree to be interviewed by the Western media, as a rule, resemble propaganda tales, says the author himself. It took four years to find a refugee who could tell about the most closed country in the world without concealment.

The Survivor

Jong Hyun Moo (fictitious name), now 60 years old, lives in Seoul. In 2003, he miraculously managed to escape from the DPRK to neighboring South Korea. The man was born in the capital Pyongyang into a middle-class family. His parents are the most ordinary people, not belonging to the elite or having high ranks. The mother worked for the North Korean Women's Association for thirty years. My father worked at an art academy, then changed two more educational institutions. According to the hero's story, the family lived modestly, without frills. Like everyone else, they did not have the right to private property.

John agreed to be interviewed on the condition that he would not be filmed or photographed.
Photo: author of the article

"In the nineties, the situation began to change: four categories of people appeared who were allowed to own a private car: Japanese Koreans who returned to their homeland, employees of the diplomatic services, that is, who received a car as a gift from the country's leadership and children of high-ranking officials."

Residents of the capital could enjoy the benefits of civilization: refrigerator, TV set and other simple household appliances. Until the nineties, the old man says, there could be no transactions with the purchase, sale or exchange of housing. This was strictly prohibited by the party. However, in the 90s, a semblance of a black market for real estate began to form. The state knew about this, sometimes demonstratively punishing market participants. But the market was just developing. Under Kim Jong Il, outside Pyongyang, the sale and purchase of apartments has become a fairly common occurrence, the hero shares his memory. In the mid-nineties, problems with power outages began. At first, they began to turn off for an hour. Then for four hours. Then it could be dark for half a day. There are regular interruptions now.

Photo: kchetverg.ru

Who was it better with?

The journalist's questions also touched on political trends adjacent to the Soviet Union. For example, are terms like "thaw" or "freeze" appropriate in the DPRK?

“Such phenomena have also been observed in North Korea. We all felt it. I remember life under young Kim Il Sung. It was a very tough regime. As Kim Il Sung got older, in his late sixties, he began to soften. This is not obvious, but it did appear. But these changes cannot be compared with Russia anyway. In the DPRK, the picture of changes is completely different: there is no clear division into thaw and freeze. "

Jong Hyun Moo explains this by the fact that the political line of the party has always changed with the coming to power of the next leader. For example, during the reign of the already aged Kim Il Sung, there seemed to be a weakening in the country. However, as soon as Kim Jong Il came to power, such trends immediately disappeared, if not to say that it became even tougher than it was.

“Older North Koreans say that it was better under Kim Il Sung, that there was no such terrible repression. I don't think so myself. During the harsh period of Kim Il Sung's reign, I was a child and did not experience any repression. But I remember my environment, friends of my parents, acquaintances of people, many of whom suffered. Of the sixty-three people who studied with me at school, only thirteen remained. "

The hero does not see much difference in the regime of rule of two leaders. After all, one cannot compare the number of missing or liquidated people. At the same time, John cites a parallel between the USSR and the DPRK.

"Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were ten times harsher than Stalin."

Party with fig in his pocket

After university, John got a job as a cook in a hotel. Then, after three years of service in the army, he was able to become a member of the party. Party affiliation helped him get a job in the same hotel, but not as a cook, but as a manager. Talking to foreign guests was strictly forbidden. And in general, it is legally forbidden to get in touch with the outside world, to learn about what is happening outside the country. Even radio cannot be listened to without government approval. Otherwise, a prison.

Photo: tourweek.ru

However, closer to the 2000s, a lot of contraband from China appeared: discs with films, USB cards with South Korean TV series. It was a real underground cultural revolution.

"After being shown the same show for decades, a movie from Seoul is a celebration."

Then John begins to talk about the huge gap between the rich and the poor in the DPRK. There is such a spread in many countries of the world, but in contrast to them in North Korea, the rich are only one percent of the total population. Despite the fact that a huge number of the population understand this injustice, arguing it with memories of the nineties: there was a terrible famine in the country, but now it is not, so now it is better!

Card system

According to the stories of Jong Hyun Moo, there used to be two types of cards: grocery cards, for which food was purchased, and those for which clothes could be obtained. Each citizen had his own standards. The workers have seven hundred grams of rice, the students three hundred grams. To all according to your needs. The problem was that the norms were not respected. In Pyongyang, they monitored this and provided people with food as needed. In the provinces, they gave less than they should. With the ration cards, you could only get basic products: soybean paste, rice, sugar. And what was not included in the obligatory basket could be bought for money. But some minimal variety was only in Pyongyang.

Photo: repin.info

Clothes were rarely given out, for example, a set of underwear and socks could be received at a time for the whole family. Once a quarter. Shoes are less common. They also gave out the fabric. Everything was strictly fixed: such and such a person took so many cowards, so many meters of fabric in such and such a time. In the eighties, clothes were steadily given out. In the nineties, there were big interruptions in distribution, the hero says.

Private entrepreneurship began when the country began to run out of food and basic necessities. People went to the side of business solely because of the urgent need not to die of hunger, and not out of love for private entrepreneurship. In the nineties, when hunger raged, it already flourished with might and main.

“I would even say that in the nineties, North Korean citizens were more capitalists than southerners. Only in the DPRK the party did not recognize this. North Korea introduced a private business system modeled on the Soviet Union. Everyone is trying to sell something as much as possible, but officially this is not. The currency was banned, but it certainly is on the black market. In 2002, when the Kaesong industrial complex opened, the party acknowledged that a new business system had emerged in North Korea. "

All businessmen in North Korea are counted by the state, they know everything about everyone. In the DPRK, there is a clear rule in power: if a person, according to the state, has begun to earn too much, then sooner or later this businessman goes to jail .. Because, according to the logic of the state, a person cannot honestly earn a lot of money. This logic is a sufficient basis for a prison sentence. Or elimination.

John himself at one time traded in second-hand bicycles, backed up by discarded clothing. He managed to earn colossal sums: $ 87,000 and another 1,300,000 Japanese yen, with an average monthly salary of several dollars.

Everything is fine, but I want to live

With such an income, John had no idea of ​​fleeing the country where everything was going so well for him. But after a series of disappearances, and later the murders of his companions, the businessman decided to flee.

Photo: newsader.com

Realizing that the escape with the whole family (wife and two children) is an outright death, he decided to fake his own demise. He made false documents that he died in a car accident. This is the only safe option for them. If they knew that I was alive and fled, and did not tell the authorities about it, they could be severely punished. He never spoke to his family again.

“I can see my family if only the North Korean regime collapses. I think it will collapse. But this can take a long time. Most likely, I will not live, so I will not see my family. "

Escape from home

Pretending that he was going for another consignment of goods, he left for China. It took John 4 months to buy a fake South Korean passport. Rather, special people gemally pasted his photograph into a real foreign passport. After confessing to the South Korean embassy about his escape, he ended up in the Philippines. This is a common practice; defectors are almost always sent to South Korea through some other country, not directly. In the Philippines, he spent two hours at the airport, simply boarding a plane to Seoul.

This was followed by a series of checks by the South Koreans to determine whether he was a spy and whether he was indeed a refugee. After that, he was sent to a retraining college, where he is taught how to adapt to life in South Korea. To do this, first of all, you need to get rid of the old ideological attitudes. It is difficult for people who have lived all their lives in a socialist society to reorganize themselves into a capitalist regime of existence. This adaptation is a very difficult thing. In all senses. Everyday life is very different.

“The North at the party level tells you clearly all your life what you have to do, and you don’t make any decisions. The South forces you to make all decisions yourself. At first it is incredibly difficult to understand, accept and apply to life. "

New life

Photo: arhinovosti.ru

In Seoul, John tried to do jewelry, then got a job at a radio station in the department where they prepare programs for the DPRK. However, he is not sure that even in 2016 this radio can still be heard.

There are two reasons when defectors return to the DPRK: The first is family. People get in touch with loved ones, this is revealed very quickly, real threats begin to come to the family, then the refugees return to soften the state blow to their relatives. The second reason is the problems of northerners with the law in South Korea. Upon their return, someone is released, someone is imprisoned, someone is liquidated.

When asked what surprised John the most in South Korea, he says that in North Korea they have been told all their lives that South Korea is completely subordinate to the Americans. In geography lessons at school, they said that mountains are only in North Korea, but in South Korea they are not. I heard that the Internet exists, but I never even used a computer. Now he has his own mail and social networks, but he uses them very carefully, fearing that his wife and two children may be hurt.

“If the party finds out that I am alive, and even in South Korea, my relatives will have big problems. As long as I am "dead" they are alive. This is what I think about every day "

Dissidents

“In Pyongyang, dissident movements are simply impossible. The South, despite its harsh authoritarian past, had long been able to afford a court of law, could count on the attention of the world community, and could ensure the elementary rights of citizens with the help of institutions. Southerners did not send people to concentration camps without trial and investigation on such a scale. Southerners did not kill people because of the sick suspiciousness of the authorities. "

According to the former northerner, a coup from within is impossible. Now North Korea is already the third leader. And all this time, people's dissatisfaction has been accumulating. They accumulate, accumulate, accumulate, but this "gas" does not come out. He is afraid that this gas will be released only when someone outside brings a lighted match, for example, war. Then change will be inevitable, says John.

“People won't even fight for the divine Kim Il Sung. It's one thing to go with the flow silently when speaking is scary. Fighting is another matter. Nobody will fight. But, taking advantage of the military situation, discontent will come out. Words will start to come out too "

Photo: kchetverg.ru

As for the crowds of people sobbing in the square after the death of Kim Jong Il, John says they were different people. There were also the tears of careerists who tried to curry favor in this way. And those who are simply pathologically afraid not to show loyalty.

“I’ll tell you how the North Korean authorities bring up these tears and flowers. The first word that a child pronounces aloud in the DPRK is "mother". The second word is a word of praise for Kim Il Sung. This propaganda literally comes to a person with mother's milk and accompanies him all his life. This is religion. In religious families, children are brought up in a specific tradition. In North Korea, this religious tradition is called Juche. "

John himself does not miss his homeland at all. Even after 14 years of living in South Korea, the Juche continues to have nightmares.

When asked if he knows about Russia, John says that he doesn't care much. He thinks more about China, because, in his opinion, this is the only country that can really influence North Korea.

“Moscow has no serious ties with Pyongyang. Moscow cooperates much more with Seoul "

Refugee Talks

According to the hero, about 30 thousand refugees from the DPRK live in South Korea. Basically, they "clump" and stick together. But all people are different. Anyone who has lived well in North Korea lives well in South Korea. Those who lived poorly in North Korea live poorly even now. The social order, the system is very important. But the inner problems of a person are more important, John shares his observations.

Nine out of ten flee the country from poverty, in search of a better life.

Modern Pyongyang
Photo: reuters

Workers who live without breaking the law and do their job well receive up to 1,000 grams of rice, meat and eggs in return. On TV, they constantly report that people from other countries do not have all this and live much worse. An ordinary person cannot check this, since only trusted personalities are allowed to communicate with foreigners.

Life in North Korea is about complete obedience. If a person keeps a radio in his home, listens to the music of foreign performers or watches foreign TV channels (although this is almost impossible), he will be exiled to hard labor or prison. The situation is aggravated by the fact that repression is imposed not only on the guilty person, but also on his entire family. And the whole genus falls into the so-called black list. This is fraught with the fact that no one will be admitted to the university, there will be no work, the entrance to the capital is also prohibited. For especially grave crimes, a person is publicly executed.

These laws have one huge advantage: there is virtually no crime. The nation is growing healthy and strong, since from childhood everyone attends the sections, are regularly examined by doctors and do not eat much. No woman has the right to pick up a cigarette.

The birth rate of North Korea exceeds the birth rate of South Korea. But soon these numbers will equalize, as the government of the country is pursuing a policy to reduce the number of children in families.

Decreased life expectancy

As strange as it may sound, even though Koreans often do not have bad habits, their life expectancy is decreasing. He is now 66 years old. This figure is constantly falling due to the fact that women and children suffer from the general situation in the country.

An expert on US foreign affairs said that the amount of food that is allotted to one person is not enough to restore vital energy. Therefore, life expectancy in North Korea, especially for ordinary workers, is only falling.

The problem with this system is that some parts of the country simply do not receive it. All due to the fact that the state has a basic rule - to notify the government of intentions to visit any area.

Impact of the Korean War on the country's economic development

The war, or police operation, took place from 1950 to 1953. This confrontation is also called the "Forgotten War", as it was not mentioned in official publications for a long time.

In fact, this conflict was unleashed by bad relations between the United States and its allies and China. The northern coalition consisted of the DPRK, the army) and the USSR. The last two countries did not officially participate in the war, but they actively supplied weapons and financed. The southern coalition consisted of the Republic of Korea, England and the United States of America. In addition to the listed countries, the UN was on the side of the South.

The reason for the war was the desire of the president of both North and South Korea to unite the peninsula under his leadership. Such a warlike mood radically changed life in North Korea, photos of those times are indisputable proof. All men were liable for military service and had to serve for more than 10 years without fail.

While preparing for the confrontation, the government of the Soviet Union feared the outbreak of the Third World War, which justified the non-fulfillment of some requests from North Korea. However, this did not affect the supply of weapons and the military. The DPRK gradually increased the power of its army.

The war began with the occupation of Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. It ended with India making a proposal to create a peace treaty. But since the south refused to sign the document, Clark, the UN general, became its representative. A demilitarized zone was created. But an interesting fact remains that the treaty to end the war has not yet been signed.

Foreign policy

The DPRK leads a very aggressive, but at the same time reasonable Political scientists of other countries suspect that the leader of the state has experts who are able to suggest the right decisions and predict the consequences in a given situation. It is worth noting that North Korea is a nuclear state. On the one hand, this makes hostile countries reckon with it, on the other hand, it is quite costly to maintain such weapons, many European countries have long abandoned them.

Relationship with developed states and their influence on the development of the economy of North Korea

• Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, relations with the Russian Federation almost faded. It was only during the reign of Vladimir Putin that agreements on cooperation in many areas were signed. In addition, in 2014, all debts of the north to the Russian Federation were written off. This somehow made life a little easier for North Koreans.

• USA. Relations with the United States are still quite strained. America to this day stands on the side of South Korea and strongly supports it, which helps to significantly develop the economy. The same cannot be said about the northern part of the state. US representatives portray the DPRK as an aggressor and often accuse them of provoking their southern neighbor and Japan. Some serious publications conducted investigations and wrote that the northern government is trying to kill the President of South Korea, shooting down planes, sinking liners. This attitude of America does not contribute to the economic development of the country, and it does not improve life in North Korea for the common people.
• Japan. Relations with this country are completely severed and can turn into a full-fledged war at any time. Each state imposed sanctions on each other after the Korean War. And the DPRK openly declared in 2009 that if Japanese aircraft flew into Korea, they would open fire to kill.
• South Korea. Due to the strained relations and the desire to unite the peninsula under oneself, abductions, murders and attacks regularly occur. Skirmishes are often heard on the outskirts of countries, and they are also recorded on the land border. Several years ago, the DPRK announced its decision to launch a nuclear attack against Seoul. However, this event was prevented. This is one of the main reasons why life in North Korea is dangerous and leads to the fact that young people try to leave for permanent residence in other countries as soon as possible.

Military life of men

In 2006, the army of the People's Democratic Republic had more than 1 million people. There were over 7,500,000 in the reserve, and 6,500,000 people were members of the Red Guard. About 200,000 more work as security guards at military installations and in other similar positions. And this despite the fact that the country's population is no more than 23 million.

The contract with the ground forces is for 5-12 years. A man has the right to choose where he goes to serve: in the army, division, corps or brigade.

The time of service in the navy is slightly shorter: from 5 to 10 years. Due to the fact that the government does not spare funds for the development of its army, people are fully equipped with the necessary equipment, weapons and protective suits.

Unlike other countries, the state in question is investing in the development of intelligence, which significantly worsens the lives of people in North Korea.

Most of the military is concentrated in the area of ​​the demilitarized zone. The People's Army has more than 3,000 main and 500 light tanks, 2,000 armored personnel carriers, 3,000 artillery barrels, 7,000 mortars at its disposal; the ground forces also have about 11 thousand anti-aircraft installations. Such uniforms require an investment of large sums of money that could bring the country out of stagnation.

Life in North Korea (reviews of ordinary people confirm this) because of such a militant attitude has no progress, or rather, it just stands still. The indigenous people do not even know that they can exist somehow differently. No wonder the rulers of the country came up with a slogan, the essence of which is not to envy anyone and live only on their own. Such a policy helps in some way to maintain control over the common population.

What is life like in North Korea? Reviews of foreigners

Unfortunately, all people living in the country are forbidden to talk about how hard life is for them. However, tourists who have visited North Korea willingly share all their memories and impressions.

According to travelers' reviews, entry into the country is carried out only with the help of travel agencies. All the time a person or a group of people is under supervision and moves around the city or region only with a guide. Radios, telephones, and any other gadgets are not allowed to be imported. This is contrary to the government's beliefs. You can only take pictures that are allowed by the guide. In case of disobedience, the person is added to the blacklist and is prohibited from entering North Korea.

You can immediately see with the naked eye that people live in an average way. They are poorly dressed, the roads are empty. Cars appear very rarely, which is why many children play on the road.

There are many soldiers on the streets, who are also forbidden to take pictures, especially if they are resting.

People move on foot or by bicycle. Tourists are given a free ride near the hotel. By the way, the corridors in the building are reminiscent of horror films. There was no repair for a long time, people appear here extremely rarely. In addition to bicycles, residents use bulls.

Both women and children work in the fields. The abandoned territories that are located at military bases are rich in small trompe l'oeil, similar to tanks.

Some buildings have escalators, which have appeared quite recently. People are not yet used to them and are poorly guided in how to use them.

Homes are supplied with electricity for several hours. Trees and small monuments are whitewashed not with a brush, but with hands.

In spring, people eat ordinary grass added to their meals, which can be quickly and discreetly picked up on the neighboring lawn.

Economic spheres

The DPRK has an underdeveloped economy. Due to the fact that since 1960 the country has become closed and has ceased to publish production statistics, all conclusions are given by independent experts, they cannot be 100% reliable.

• Industry. North Korea (the everyday life of citizens depends on the level of development of the state in this area) is moving well in the direction of mining. In addition, there are oil refineries on the territory.
• Mechanical engineering. The country is engaged in the production of machine tools that the Russian Federation imports. However, the models are not modern; they were produced in the USSR several decades ago. It produces cars, SUVs, trucks.
• Electronic sphere. After the DPRK imported several million more smartphones and ordinary cell phones in 2014 than in 2013, everyday life in North Korea has improved. Over the past 5-7 years, companies have produced tablets, several smartphones and a special computer for work in factories.
• Agriculture. Due to the fact that the country lacks fertile land, agriculture is poorly developed. Mountains occupy a large area of ​​the country. Crops such as rice, soybeans, potatoes and corn are mainly planted. Unfortunately, there is little growing of greens and vegetables that can be eaten raw. This leads to poor health and, as a result, reduces the life expectancy of ordinary Koreans. Poultry and pig breeding predominate in animal husbandry. Due to the poor development of the country, the harvest is harvested by hand.

Comparison of living standards of people in North and South Korea

The most closed country is North Korea. The life of ordinary people here is not the best. You can only get around the city by bike. Cars are an unprecedented luxury that the average worker can hardly afford.

Anyone wishing to enter the capital must first obtain a pass. However, it's worth it. There are picturesque places, various monuments and monuments, and even the only metro in the whole country. Outside the city, you can drive up by hitchhiking. The military must always be brought up - as is customary by law.

Everyone living in the DPRK must wear badges with the leaders of the state. Also, citizens who have reached working age must get a job. But since there are often not enough places, the local authorities come up with new activities, such as bundling sheaves of hay or sawing old trees. Those who have retired also have to do something. As a rule, the parties allocate a small piece of land, which the elderly are obliged to look after.

It has long been known that North Korea, where the lives of ordinary people sometimes turn into hell, has cruel laws and follows in the footsteps of cruel communism. However, there is something that this country attracts and beckons to itself. These are parks, nature reserves and just very beautiful places that you can admire endlessly. Consider the "Dragon Mountain", which is located a 30-minute drive from Pyongyang.

The life of women in North Korea is very difficult. Mostly men are involved in the army, there is practically no benefit from them for the family, so the weaker sex has become more active and was able to prove that it can live in such conditions. Now the main breadwinners are women. It is they who work around the clock because of several inadequate laws of the DPRK, aimed only at protecting the state. If we compare modern life with any historical era, then we can confidently say that Korea lives in 1950. The photo below is proof of that.

South Korea is a country of cinema, music, prosperity. The main problem in the country is alcoholism. In terms of drunkenness, the state ranks 7th in the world, but this does not at all prevent it from advancing, expanding its sphere of influence and becoming a powerful power. The Government of the Republic conducts its foreign policy in such a way that it has good relations with many European countries.

The people living in the country are kind, helpful, they always bow and smile at passers-by. And this feature is especially evident in the service sector: in cafes, restaurants, cinemas. The buyer, or rather, the person who pays the money, is treated like God. In no case should he wait long for his turn. Due to these rules, the service in this country is distinguished by quality and speed.

Education is what makes South Korea different. It is at the highest level. Poor academic performance, which leads to college failure, means exclusion from society.

The army is not as well developed as in the north, but everyone is obliged to serve here - from workers to pop stars. The consequences that await after attempts to evade service are reminded by North Korean planes constantly cutting through the sky. The call of men is carried out closer to the age of 30. As a rule, Koreans marry very late, often after demobilization.

Their apartments look sparse. Only those who work tirelessly can afford houses. Citizens themselves laugh at apartments and other housing that is shown on TV and published in magazines, saying that this is just a game of fantasy.

North and South Korea, whose living standards are very different, unfortunately, do not even think to unite with the world. Conflicts and risks of a renewed war constantly arise, which severely hits the ordinary citizens of the north and forces them to migrate to other countries.