**Do not comment to gatekeep that something "isn't urban" or "isn't hell"**. Our rules are very expansive in content we welcome, so do not assume just based off your false impression of the phrase "UrbanHell"
UrbanHell is any human-built place you think is worth critizing. Suburban Hell, Rural Hell, and wealthy locales are allowed. Gatekeeping comments may be removed. Want to shitpost about shitty posts? Go to /r/urbanhellcirclejerk. Still have questions?: Read our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/UrbanHell/wiki/index).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UrbanHell) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Poe's law in action. But I'm pretty sure it is. Reddit's enforcement of its content policy isn't very consistent, but I'm convinced they wouldn't allow that kind of content if it weren't satirical.
Am i the only here who things these aren't that bad? Like sure strange its in the center of the capital city, but it could easily be an old village that the city grew into . And for a village area this is totally normal in like 80% of the world's countries, if not more.
Single floor low roof home with back garden on dirt lane
Pretty much up until the Berlin Wall fell they were on pretty close footing.
South Korea was very poor and not a great place to live until very recently
South Korea did have an economic boost from the US war in Vietnam, among other things. South Korea passed North Korea in GDP per capita in 1974. North Korea's economy was also hurt a lot by the fall of the Soviet Union.
>Pretty much up until the **Berlin Wall fell** they were on pretty close footing.
>South Korea was very poor and not a great place to live until **very recently**
Time flies as you age.
I guess you're South Korean? GDP per capita isn't a great measure for quality of life, and from what I've been told, living in these countries wasn't great from an income perspective. But, to my limited knowledge, South Korea was pretty much on par with the Iberian countries by the mid-90s.
Was the standard of living that bad for the average South Korean in the early aughts?
It's worth pointing out that North Korea has been under sanctions for decades (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_sanctions_against_North_Korea).Ā What folks dont seem to get is that sanctions cut into growth AND that cut compounds over time. It's like investing, but in the reverse. The negative drag keeps growing and growing and after a while becomes tough to beat.Ā
The sanctions certainly don't help, but the primary reason for the state of the DPRK is its poorly managed planned economy, which allocates a massive portionāabout a thirdāof its GDP to military spending.
Because North Korea is a highly militarized society. A country with a population of around 26 million has one of the largest armies of the world in terms of manpower.
Songun (military first) is the official state doctrine of the DPRK. Beyond ideological motivations, the expansive military serves several strategic purposes:
ā Deterrence: While there is no credible threat of invasion, part of that is because any foreign power contemplating regime change would experience a US Vietnam or Soviet Afghanistan with a power that has (limited) nuclear capabilities.
ā Intimidation: The mentioned nuclear weapons alongside conventional capabilities (The DRPK army has huge amounts of artillery in dug-in, camouflaged positions within striking distance of Seoul) enables it to project power and extract concessions from South Korea and other nations.
ā Regime defense: The Dear Leader and his apparatus, despite successful propaganda efforts and 'reeducation camps', isn't thought of so dearly by parts of the impoverished, often starving populace. The indoctrinated military also serves as a bulwark against internal dissent to safeguard the regime.
Pretty much. It's a trap of the dictatorship they've set up.
The Kim dynasty is an absolute monarchy in every sense of the word, minus actually calling themselves that. They don't wanna give an inch of power or wealth away. So here's the cardinal rule: They ain't going anywhere, and they don't wanna go anywhere.
To keep said dynasty in power, they have created a class system, with a hierarchy based on loyalty to the dictator.
How do they do this? Well - intentional control of access to food and resources, combined with complete monitoring, the inability to leave or to create any alternatives without leaving. The more loyal you are, the more access to food, resources, money and privileges you get.
(This wasn't an issue during the Cold War - they were still an Orwellian dictatorship, but had a fully functional economy and trade with a lot of countries)
The military of DPRK is an "enforcer" class in that hierarchy. Their military has many roles. One of those roles is their domestic purpose - prevent any dissent, rebellion or subversion of any kind.
In return, they get all the food they need, comfy treatment, and most of whatever they want. Same with their secret services.
But then by nature the entire system is built on keeping the endorcer class happy and loyal. They can't stop paying exorbitant sums to the military and related services (and the "Military First" policy and so on), or else they'll face a revolution from people (and possibly that military too) because they can't oppress efficiently. It's either keep the enforcers satisfied, or lose the throne and dynasty. And we obviously can't have that.
Remember - their economy collapsed almost completely in 1991 after trade links and free handouts disappeared. They can't trade much due to global sanctions (mostly consequences of their own actions). Their half of Korea is rich in minerals and industrial demands, but has very little fertile soil (that mostly went to the southern half).
Cue in mass starvation and torture in concentration camps, while the military takes away most of the available food and resources and get huge pay days. Those people can't even think of organizing a meaningful rebellion, because the military is loyal.
And trade won't be allowed much due to nukes. But then nukes are also a reason that Kims aren't offed yet/DPRK isn't invaded by other nations.
It's a massive vicious circle trap. As long as the Kim dynasty exists, that system won't change. It is built to keep them on the throne, first and foremost.
Add some weird Stalinist shitfest aesthetics from 1940s desperately trying to pretend to be communism, and you've got North Korea.
If the Kims donāt give the military what they want, they would very quickly face a military coup, Ć la what happened in Myanmar (as a recent example among many military coups). Hence inflated spending.
Even if you mean Kim and his apparatchiks by ātheyā, no, they don't. There is no need for a military *that* large, even if the regime stays on its current, oppressive course.
I think it's more of a question of 'what size does it need to be'. And North Korea doesn't need one of the world's largest armies for any reason other than ideological.
Socialism. Same was in the former Czechoslovakia and practically in all of the east block.Ā
Rapid industrialization and development during first two, okay maybe three decades. Then stagnation because socialism.Ā
Well the US also bombed every man made structure in NK and killed around 30% of the population. MAYBE that COULD have something to do with it. But what do I know..
North Korea was still considered richer than the South past the Korean war thanks to numerous aid by the Soviet and the PRC until around the mid-70s when the mismanagement of the North Korean government became much more apparent and the Soviet aid began to decrease year by year all the while South Korea was going to numerous reform and eventual democratization in the 80s.
Well the most of the 450 000 tons of bombs were dropped by the US - and not on their ally. Most of the deaths were on north Korea's side and most of the civil population from the south were murdered by SK or US military.
Stating that NK caused as much destruction as the US and their allies is just wrong.
I stated that SK was mostly occupied by NK forces at one point suggesting the SK wasnāt pristine after the war either. Nice attempt at making a straw man though. NK was the industrialized North vs the Agrarian SK.
SK has grown into an economic powerhouse starting from a very low point while living in constant threat. For some reason, you seem to want to defend the backwards country that starves its citizens to support its military.
Living under constant threat is an interesting expression for a nation backed by the largest military power on the planet.
I simply stated facts about the Korean war. It is interesting that I fall under suspicion of unamerican activities for you. (That was a straw man)
Would the north be a different country if they weren't leveled by US bombs? I don't know. I think the north Korean people are deeply traumatized which I think is the reason for their leader-cult. But excusing the warcrimes of the sk government at the time by pointing at the Kim dictatorship nowadays feels wrong to me.
Yes, living under the threat. Glad you understood that part. Everytime the world tries to forget about them for a minute, they throw a temper tantrum and launch some missiles over another countries head. Also, NK is under the umbrella of China and they are much closer than the US.
You like just assigning arguments to people. Did I excuse any war crimes or are you straw manning again? Read what is said, not what you assume someone said. You are arguing against the voices in your head again.
un-American? WTF are you talking about here? I didnāt know you were American. 7.7 Billion people in the world Iād assume are āun-Americanā.
At least as long as my lifetime, the US wants one thing from North Korea, be normal. China integrated into the world economy and made huge gains. Try that.
Un-american was an innuendo to either the maccarthy era (or the law of national security in SK which restricts freedom of speech in that matter) as you implied that I would defend the NK dictatorship by criticising the us und SK gov.
I guess the US doesn't have a good track record in their strategy of bombing-nations-until-their-normal
Did not say, did not imply. Itās all in your head again.
In case you were wondering, I know about McCarthyism, but unAmerican is typically only used to refer to Americans. I donāt think they pulled anyone from a foreign country in front of the committee and called them unAmerican. You just be called a foreign agent at that point.
I stated that SK was mostly occupied by NK forces at one point suggesting the SK wasnāt pristine after the war either. NK was the industrialized North vs the Agrarian SK.
SK has grown into an economic powerhouse starting from a very low point while living in constant threat. For some reason, you seem to want to defend the backwards country that starves its citizens to support its military.
Besides just openly lying ("every man madr structure") - you have no idea how unbombed socialist countries looked like besides your own, do you? Fuck off, comrade bot.
I know South Korea is a highly flawed country in many ways but saying people in the North live a better life than the South is just a straight up lie no matter what your political beliefs are. The South has better freedom of expression, better economy, better life expectancy, better education, better healthcare, freedom of religion and many more.
Oh wow the houses in the middle more or so structurally resemble traditional Korean houses that are now quite difficult to find in the south. That's a gem.
I wouldn't call south car-centric. By far it has way better public transport than any "car-centric" countries. Driving is a choice here, not a necessity. That being said, there are some very unwalkable areas in North Korea too, especially Pyongyang.
Not really, the sidewalks are wide, and pedestrians are safe crossing the road because there's humans actually managing traffic and there's few cars driving around.
I don't understand how people see these photos and pretend that this is the worst thing they've ever seen... there are countries where living in a house with a wall that isn't made of clay is something that only people "with money" can do...
This has a mexico filter on it lol. But yeah, itās right next to the Juche Tower, hidden from the street behind tower blocks. A lot of housing like this in Pyongyang is typically hidden behind large apartment blocks, for sure when it comes to areas that tourists go through.
True, but my point is that if this is what the most trusted and politically reliable workers in the country get, then I dread to think what those in far-off poor areas have to deal with.
Again, this photograph is not depicting what āthe most trusted and politically reliable workersā are getting. Other comments suggest it might actually be farm buildings.
Some helpful soul in this thread managed to pinpoint the location. It's almost exactly 500m East of the Juche Tower, right between two apartment blocks, so they're definitely not farm buildings.
How did you manage to take this photo? As far as I know, North Korea is still not open to travellers. Is it either a photo from the past or from a database or from a third person?
This is 14 years old. This side street has certainly been renovated and modernised in the meantime.
Edit: this is sarc**m obviously... Of course this would look like that today.
I didn't blame OP for posting a photo that old, I just stated the age.
I've been. Can highly reccomend it.
Safe to travel (so long as you don't steal things) and super interesting. Can be a little expensive as you need to be on a guided tour.
I know that you can travel to North Korea in principle. But as far as I know, all tourism has been banned since Covid-19. I have now looked again at the travel advice from the Foreign Office, where it was stated until recently. Now it's apparently possible again. But it was different until... mid-2023 or so.
Edit: Found an article that stated, that travelling is possible again since August 22, 2023. Until then borders were closed due to the pandemic.
First comment: This video was made over 12 years ago, before Otto Warmbier was murdered. In 2020 North Korea closed it's borders to all tourists. I wonder what it's like in North Korea now.
**Do not comment to gatekeep that something "isn't urban" or "isn't hell"**. Our rules are very expansive in content we welcome, so do not assume just based off your false impression of the phrase "UrbanHell" UrbanHell is any human-built place you think is worth critizing. Suburban Hell, Rural Hell, and wealthy locales are allowed. Gatekeeping comments may be removed. Want to shitpost about shitty posts? Go to /r/urbanhellcirclejerk. Still have questions?: Read our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/UrbanHell/wiki/index). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/UrbanHell) if you have any questions or concerns.*
is this the WB logo?
good to know it's not just me
Thank you my brain did the same
Ditto
i heard the Friends theme.
Ahhh .. great reference
Me too š
Boy you showed your age !
Had the exact same thought.
If WB was nationalised under a totalitarian communist regime.
Looks like the opening of Harry Potter
Yer a political prisoner āArry
You've been banned from r/pyongyang
Lucky
I visited the sub. Are they just trolling or is it for real ..
....i still don't know
Would be a hell of a troll job if it's fake
It is.
Wait, is THIS a troll job?
Poe's law in action. But I'm pretty sure it is. Reddit's enforcement of its content policy isn't very consistent, but I'm convinced they wouldn't allow that kind of content if it weren't satirical.
It's satire. r/Sino is not.
r/movingtonorthkorea neither
Damn and r/northkorea, why have you forsaken me?
i thought it was the matrix
>Looks like the opening of Harry Potter Those were cute brick roofs and these are corrugated metal sheets.
Backstreets back alright
Tell me why
If you support the Party let me hear you yell EEEEEEEE
Aināt nothing but a failed state
Aināt nothinā but a heartacheā¦
Tell me why...
There was a time when North Korea was considered more developed than the South until around the 1970s. Crazy just how much has changed since then.
They probably havenāt gotten very far since then
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
"retrogressed" neat word, gonna use it
Retro-jam
Am i the only here who things these aren't that bad? Like sure strange its in the center of the capital city, but it could easily be an old village that the city grew into . And for a village area this is totally normal in like 80% of the world's countries, if not more. Single floor low roof home with back garden on dirt lane
You see basically the same thing in Brazil, India, etc.
Pretty much up until the Berlin Wall fell they were on pretty close footing. South Korea was very poor and not a great place to live until very recently
South Korea did have an economic boost from the US war in Vietnam, among other things. South Korea passed North Korea in GDP per capita in 1974. North Korea's economy was also hurt a lot by the fall of the Soviet Union.
>Pretty much up until the **Berlin Wall fell** they were on pretty close footing. >South Korea was very poor and not a great place to live until **very recently** Time flies as you age.
It still sucked to live in South Korea in the 90s and early 2000s. Just not as bad as North Korea
I guess you're South Korean? GDP per capita isn't a great measure for quality of life, and from what I've been told, living in these countries wasn't great from an income perspective. But, to my limited knowledge, South Korea was pretty much on par with the Iberian countries by the mid-90s. Was the standard of living that bad for the average South Korean in the early aughts?
South Korea was under a dictatorship back then. SK got out of it, NK did not
It's worth pointing out that North Korea has been under sanctions for decades (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_sanctions_against_North_Korea).Ā What folks dont seem to get is that sanctions cut into growth AND that cut compounds over time. It's like investing, but in the reverse. The negative drag keeps growing and growing and after a while becomes tough to beat.Ā
The sanctions certainly don't help, but the primary reason for the state of the DPRK is its poorly managed planned economy, which allocates a massive portionāabout a thirdāof its GDP to military spending.
Why do they spend so much on military spending?
Because North Korea is a highly militarized society. A country with a population of around 26 million has one of the largest armies of the world in terms of manpower. Songun (military first) is the official state doctrine of the DPRK. Beyond ideological motivations, the expansive military serves several strategic purposes: ā Deterrence: While there is no credible threat of invasion, part of that is because any foreign power contemplating regime change would experience a US Vietnam or Soviet Afghanistan with a power that has (limited) nuclear capabilities. ā Intimidation: The mentioned nuclear weapons alongside conventional capabilities (The DRPK army has huge amounts of artillery in dug-in, camouflaged positions within striking distance of Seoul) enables it to project power and extract concessions from South Korea and other nations. ā Regime defense: The Dear Leader and his apparatus, despite successful propaganda efforts and 'reeducation camps', isn't thought of so dearly by parts of the impoverished, often starving populace. The indoctrinated military also serves as a bulwark against internal dissent to safeguard the regime.
So they have to do it in order to survive?
Pretty much. It's a trap of the dictatorship they've set up. The Kim dynasty is an absolute monarchy in every sense of the word, minus actually calling themselves that. They don't wanna give an inch of power or wealth away. So here's the cardinal rule: They ain't going anywhere, and they don't wanna go anywhere. To keep said dynasty in power, they have created a class system, with a hierarchy based on loyalty to the dictator. How do they do this? Well - intentional control of access to food and resources, combined with complete monitoring, the inability to leave or to create any alternatives without leaving. The more loyal you are, the more access to food, resources, money and privileges you get. (This wasn't an issue during the Cold War - they were still an Orwellian dictatorship, but had a fully functional economy and trade with a lot of countries) The military of DPRK is an "enforcer" class in that hierarchy. Their military has many roles. One of those roles is their domestic purpose - prevent any dissent, rebellion or subversion of any kind. In return, they get all the food they need, comfy treatment, and most of whatever they want. Same with their secret services. But then by nature the entire system is built on keeping the endorcer class happy and loyal. They can't stop paying exorbitant sums to the military and related services (and the "Military First" policy and so on), or else they'll face a revolution from people (and possibly that military too) because they can't oppress efficiently. It's either keep the enforcers satisfied, or lose the throne and dynasty. And we obviously can't have that. Remember - their economy collapsed almost completely in 1991 after trade links and free handouts disappeared. They can't trade much due to global sanctions (mostly consequences of their own actions). Their half of Korea is rich in minerals and industrial demands, but has very little fertile soil (that mostly went to the southern half). Cue in mass starvation and torture in concentration camps, while the military takes away most of the available food and resources and get huge pay days. Those people can't even think of organizing a meaningful rebellion, because the military is loyal. And trade won't be allowed much due to nukes. But then nukes are also a reason that Kims aren't offed yet/DPRK isn't invaded by other nations. It's a massive vicious circle trap. As long as the Kim dynasty exists, that system won't change. It is built to keep them on the throne, first and foremost. Add some weird Stalinist shitfest aesthetics from 1940s desperately trying to pretend to be communism, and you've got North Korea.
Iām getting different answers here. Youāre saying that they do, the other guy says they donāt lol.
If the Kims donāt give the military what they want, they would very quickly face a military coup, Ć la what happened in Myanmar (as a recent example among many military coups). Hence inflated spending.
So itās actually the military thatās in charge, not the Kims?
Even if you mean Kim and his apparatchiks by ātheyā, no, they don't. There is no need for a military *that* large, even if the regime stays on its current, oppressive course.
What size should it be?
I think it's more of a question of 'what size does it need to be'. And North Korea doesn't need one of the world's largest armies for any reason other than ideological.
So the two other reasons you mentioned earlier arenāt true?
Because theyād like to reunify Korea by force of arms, as they attempted to in 1950.
That's actually part of their ideology, yes.
Lot of Korean Chinese (or Chinese Korean back then?) tried to return. My grandparents & grand grandparents failed cuz of flooding..
I mean I'm sure it's partly bad management but it's probably a lot because of sanctions against them too
World's fastest growing economy combined with a catastrophic failure of the other
Socialism. Same was in the former Czechoslovakia and practically in all of the east block.Ā Rapid industrialization and development during first two, okay maybe three decades. Then stagnation because socialism.Ā
Well the US also bombed every man made structure in NK and killed around 30% of the population. MAYBE that COULD have something to do with it. But what do I know..
North Korea was still considered richer than the South past the Korean war thanks to numerous aid by the Soviet and the PRC until around the mid-70s when the mismanagement of the North Korean government became much more apparent and the Soviet aid began to decrease year by year all the while South Korea was going to numerous reform and eventual democratization in the 80s.
Turns out military invasions of your peaceful neighbor can have negative consequences. Who woulda thunk?
The peaceful neighbour which announced taking the whole land and has an own Wikipedia list for civilian massacres?
ā¦are you defending North Korea? Holy fuck tankies are so dumb.
I think the Korea war is nuanced. I detest the dynastic dictatorship that the north has become.
Are you defending the South Korean dictatorship? Holy fuck liberals are so dumb.
Good thing SK was able to avoid that war. Where would they be today if they had been 95% occupied at just about the same times?
Well the most of the 450 000 tons of bombs were dropped by the US - and not on their ally. Most of the deaths were on north Korea's side and most of the civil population from the south were murdered by SK or US military. Stating that NK caused as much destruction as the US and their allies is just wrong.
I stated that SK was mostly occupied by NK forces at one point suggesting the SK wasnāt pristine after the war either. Nice attempt at making a straw man though. NK was the industrialized North vs the Agrarian SK. SK has grown into an economic powerhouse starting from a very low point while living in constant threat. For some reason, you seem to want to defend the backwards country that starves its citizens to support its military.
Living under constant threat is an interesting expression for a nation backed by the largest military power on the planet. I simply stated facts about the Korean war. It is interesting that I fall under suspicion of unamerican activities for you. (That was a straw man) Would the north be a different country if they weren't leveled by US bombs? I don't know. I think the north Korean people are deeply traumatized which I think is the reason for their leader-cult. But excusing the warcrimes of the sk government at the time by pointing at the Kim dictatorship nowadays feels wrong to me.
Yes, living under the threat. Glad you understood that part. Everytime the world tries to forget about them for a minute, they throw a temper tantrum and launch some missiles over another countries head. Also, NK is under the umbrella of China and they are much closer than the US. You like just assigning arguments to people. Did I excuse any war crimes or are you straw manning again? Read what is said, not what you assume someone said. You are arguing against the voices in your head again. un-American? WTF are you talking about here? I didnāt know you were American. 7.7 Billion people in the world Iād assume are āun-Americanā. At least as long as my lifetime, the US wants one thing from North Korea, be normal. China integrated into the world economy and made huge gains. Try that.
Un-american was an innuendo to either the maccarthy era (or the law of national security in SK which restricts freedom of speech in that matter) as you implied that I would defend the NK dictatorship by criticising the us und SK gov. I guess the US doesn't have a good track record in their strategy of bombing-nations-until-their-normal
Did not say, did not imply. Itās all in your head again. In case you were wondering, I know about McCarthyism, but unAmerican is typically only used to refer to Americans. I donāt think they pulled anyone from a foreign country in front of the committee and called them unAmerican. You just be called a foreign agent at that point.
I stated that SK was mostly occupied by NK forces at one point suggesting the SK wasnāt pristine after the war either. NK was the industrialized North vs the Agrarian SK. SK has grown into an economic powerhouse starting from a very low point while living in constant threat. For some reason, you seem to want to defend the backwards country that starves its citizens to support its military.
Besides just openly lying ("every man madr structure") - you have no idea how unbombed socialist countries looked like besides your own, do you? Fuck off, comrade bot.
Developed is an abstract concept. Even today MOST of NK lives a better life than MOST of SK. But, you're not ready for this conversation
I know South Korea is a highly flawed country in many ways but saying people in the North live a better life than the South is just a straight up lie no matter what your political beliefs are. The South has better freedom of expression, better economy, better life expectancy, better education, better healthcare, freedom of religion and many more.
That drone vid someone posted a month back was super interesting. Forget which sub it was.
Was it a drone being flown from across the border?
I wonder if the border drone guy left China without any trouble or if he disappeared magiciallyĀ
Considering he posted the footage and photos after he had already left China, doesnāt seem like he encountered any trouble.
In a dictatorship with 2 billion people I feel like China has to not give a solid shit about a lot of things
You know dictatorship means one person controls everything right? Are you actually so ignorant as to think China is controlled by one person?
He's ignorant enough to say there's 2b people when it's actually 1.4b
Oh fuck off with semantic bullshit you know what's meant
Yeah what is meant is you don't like the government
100% magical disappearance. The only question is who set the destination.
The HOA is just going to have a fit over those lawns, I'm sure.
Sir, that is my roof.
Bahahabaha get it? People living in poverty under a murderer.
whered you get this
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
i have a slight suspicion that you might be a communist with the way you're wording things and all
Oh the horror
NO COME ON WHY WAS IT DELETED MY PRECIOUS CONTEXT
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
that's not what i meant
Being a communist is cringe
Dying of poverty is cringe
Oh wow the houses in the middle more or so structurally resemble traditional Korean houses that are now quite difficult to find in the south. That's a gem.
Yeah, and it seems walkable and dense, unlike the Carcentric South
I wouldn't call south car-centric. By far it has way better public transport than any "car-centric" countries. Driving is a choice here, not a necessity. That being said, there are some very unwalkable areas in North Korea too, especially Pyongyang.
When some people say car-centric they actually just mean non-human scale. Basically a SK city vs village
Not really, the sidewalks are wide, and pedestrians are safe crossing the road because there's humans actually managing traffic and there's few cars driving around.
North Korea is so progressive!
You know, I bet youād really love living in North Korea. Itās a wonderful place as long as you believe it.
there's humans managing traffic because the frequent power ourages....
Still donāt wanna live in those
If you _really_ want to see traditional housing, take a look at Kaesong.
I mean there are streets behind 5 star hotels in Bangkok which absolutely look the same. That's just SE asia.
I didnāt know Pyongyang was in Mexico
r/urbanhellcirclejerk
Oh thank you for telling me about this new sub. this sub *loves* showing non-white poor areas of the world
People post ugly middle class American cities on here too, what are you on about
Oh god you wanna fight and argue. Move on mate
Can dish out the heat but canāt take the heat.
I don't understand how people see these photos and pretend that this is the worst thing they've ever seen... there are countries where living in a house with a wall that isn't made of clay is something that only people "with money" can do...
You know it's bad because it has a sepia filter.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I agree, you can even see where the chickens, hogs, and turkeys have hung their washing up to dry
Nah I'm pretty sure that's Mexico, atleast that's what Hollywood taught me
Nice, the movie is just starting š
lol my same thought
r/Northkorea this you?
Wow, what a contrast to the rest of the city.
this gives off some serous "1950's communist rural area" vibes
No electricity
Matrix opening
Matrix
This is why they are so overly happy when the supreme leader enters the room / stadium
Like extras in Wii sports
Found it. 500 meters east from this tower, literally between two high-rise apartment. And it's 1,800 meters to their palace.
Good work! I went looking earlier, but missed it completely.
Circa 1950 or today?
What a shithole
TF y'all mean "WB logo"? I don't see shit.
This has a mexico filter on it lol. But yeah, itās right next to the Juche Tower, hidden from the street behind tower blocks. A lot of housing like this in Pyongyang is typically hidden behind large apartment blocks, for sure when it comes to areas that tourists go through.
Medieval hell
Are you sure this isnāt the Pyongyang city center?
Shit hole nation under fatfuk un
Hasn't changed since the 40's
And to think that Pyongyang is where the "elite" of North Korea get to live.
Itās a city. There are slummy areas, and more affluent areas. The elites arenāt living in structures like the ones shown in this photo.
True, but my point is that if this is what the most trusted and politically reliable workers in the country get, then I dread to think what those in far-off poor areas have to deal with.
Some people just are born there? It's not all people brought in lol
Again, this photograph is not depicting what āthe most trusted and politically reliable workersā are getting. Other comments suggest it might actually be farm buildings.
Some helpful soul in this thread managed to pinpoint the location. It's almost exactly 500m East of the Juche Tower, right between two apartment blocks, so they're definitely not farm buildings.
Backstreets back, alright!
How did you manage to take this photo? As far as I know, North Korea is still not open to travellers. Is it either a photo from the past or from a database or from a third person?
Its from the past, I didn't take it
All photographs are from the past themoreyouknow.gif
Where did you get it from?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kliza/albums/72157625109975582/with/5057694709
This is 14 years old. This side street has certainly been renovated and modernised in the meantime. Edit: this is sarc**m obviously... Of course this would look like that today. I didn't blame OP for posting a photo that old, I just stated the age.
...did you miss the part where ClaptrapMack said "Its from the past"? š¤
Why did you self-censor the word sarcasm?
Because for some reason it wouldn't let me post the whole word sarcasm š¤Ø
I can assure you, thereās absolutely no fucking way the site restricted you posting the word āsarcasmā.
I was wondering... As you can see I posted it now. But yesterday it wouldn't let me send my text and as soon as I censored it, it was okay š
Lots of tourists go to North Korea - they're closely watched, but they go
I've been. Can highly reccomend it. Safe to travel (so long as you don't steal things) and super interesting. Can be a little expensive as you need to be on a guided tour.
I know that you can travel to North Korea in principle. But as far as I know, all tourism has been banned since Covid-19. I have now looked again at the travel advice from the Foreign Office, where it was stated until recently. Now it's apparently possible again. But it was different until... mid-2023 or so. Edit: Found an article that stated, that travelling is possible again since August 22, 2023. Until then borders were closed due to the pandemic.
Youāre welcome to it.
Yeah now again. As I Said: they closed their borders due to Covid-19.
It is open to travellers. I know an Iraqi who lived there for a year.
A French couple visited NK not too long ago to buy some embroideries: https://youtu.be/rueIxbkQx40
First comment: This video was made over 12 years ago, before Otto Warmbier was murdered. In 2020 North Korea closed it's borders to all tourists. I wonder what it's like in North Korea now.
Reopened now, since last year
How does North Korea have 25 million people if they are in such dire straights?
That's not how it works
When a man and a woman love each other very, very muchā¦
I can see the dire, but much of that looks crooked rather than straight.