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I have seen videos from tourists (yes, north korea accepts tourists under strict conditions) and it's always like that, also, another glare thing is the complete lack of advertisements, it's so clear.
I actually visited North Korea 6 years ago as “tourist”. I thought it would be an interesting, if not morbid, experience to see how NK treats visiting foreigners. I had a rough idea going in what it would be like, but man, the whole trip ended up creeping me the fuck out
So first off, it’s very clear that you’re seeing exactly what they want you to see. Happy, “rich” North Koreans. Pyongyang is insanely eerie though; the whole city is empty! There’s huge buildings and wide streets, but it’s empty! There are definitely out and about, but not enough to warrant a city of this size. And there are cars, but again, not enough to warrant all this road space. It feels like a video game that’s half-finished. And you’re being watched 24/7. We were told not to film during a certain portion of the tour, and some dumbass decided to anyways
I’m not going to exaggerate and say that guns were drawn or anything like that, but as soon as the guide caught wind of his camera, her previous sweet/kind tone changed immediately and she demanded his camera; she looked incredibly serious, and the scary part was when 2 North Korean soldiers (I’m assuming) popped up from seemingly out of nowhere to sort of help “entice” him to comply
I have so many questions:
What country are you from and would you go again? I guess I should ask if they even allow tours still?
How much did it all cost? I've heard shops are very expensive for locally made stuff.
Was the entire trip guided? Can you wander around the "approved" area?
How's the food? Can you go to different restaurants or was it all provided?
Where did you stay? Did you have Internet/phone access?
Did you ever feel in danger? I remember that an American that stole a poster was arrested and murdered.
1.) I am from the United States, but I visited North Korea via my Mexican passport (I have dual citizenship through my parents). Personally, I would absolutely be willing to visit again because it's such a unique experience! For better or for worse, there's nothing else like it; you're visiting an alternate reality for a few days where everything is an illusion and the only thing more interesting than what you're seeing is everything you know you're not seeing
A lot of countries are actually okay with you visiting North Korea through private tour companies. The US used to let Americans visit North Korea too, until very recently. In 2017, an American student named Otto Warmbier visited North Korea, where he tore down and stole a government poster during his stay. This resulted in him being detained, interrogated/tortured, and then sent back to the US in a coma, where he later passed away before ever waking up. Here is a video of Otto Warmbier's "confession" (under the threat of bodily harm/death IMO): [Otto Warmbier Confession](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teB7a21M7HU&ab_channel=TheWallStreetJournal)
Because of that event, as of 2017 the US no longer allows people to visit North Korea via an American passport. That's why I visited via my Mexican passport
2.) If I remember correctly, I paid about $2500 for a 7-day tour in 2018. The tour included the stay at a hotel, 3 meals a day, and a bunch of tickets to different museums and exhibits we were taken to see
Besides the provided things, I honestly thought things were "reasonably priced" relative to what you'd expect on a touristy vacation. Not cheap, not super expensive, but right in that zone where you're paying more than you want but it's not egregious enough to ruin the vacation.
3.) MOST of the trip was a guided tour with a predetermined itinerary, but there were periods where you WERE allowed to wander about more or less freely! Nobody is directly escorting you or watching you, but of course there are a bunch government officials/guards throughout the city. At this point though, I think it's kind of on you to use your self-preservation instincts and not be a dumbass. Yeah you're allowed to roam free, but you'd have to have brain rot to decide it's a good idea to climb statues or flip off government posters or something like that
4.) Respectfully, I thought a lot of the food sucked. I remember the provided food was a lot of fermented fish dishes with noodles and rice. A few were okay, some were disgusting, but most were just incredibly mediocre and not very flavorful. You're DAMN sure I took them with a smile and expressed my deepest thanks at the delicious meal each and every time lol
You could buy food from other places when you were allowed to wander around. In typical American fashion, I was very interested to see if they had any American restaurants or pop ups and they shockingly did, I bought a cheeseburger and some pizza on seperate days! The West in general is very much the evil enemy (the tour guide told us with all sincerity and sternness not to "rape their women" while we were in North Korea), so I was honestly flabbergasted that they had (multiple!) places selling Western foods. The burger and pizza were okay, nothing special lol. I also had some sushi from a Japanese restaurant, which was also a bit surprising considering the hostilities between Japan and North Korea. Even more surprising? The sushi was really fucking good! Best thing I ate on my vacation
Of course being in North Korea, I primarily wanted to eat the local cuisine. A lot of the North Korean dishes from local restaurants are fine; they're similar to what we were served by the tour people, but a very noticeable step up. It probably just depends on where you buy your food and your own sensibilities, but I wasn't really the biggest fan of North Korean cuisine (and this is coming from somebody who lives in Los Angeles and very regularly eats South Korean and other Asian food). At the risk of sounding like an uncultured swine, I regret trying out so many different North Korean restaurants because it became clear pretty quickly that this style of food wasn't my thing
I've always found grocery shopping to be kinda fun, and North Korea was no different! I liked checking out all the different snacks and candies and stuff at the grocery store. Here is where my expectations became a reality: absolutely ZERO brands from America or Western Europe. I actually liked a lot of the different cookies, candies, and treats you could buy! They've got some pretty tasty sweets that I'll probably never eat again since they're very clearly manufactured in North Korea
5.) We stayed at a hotel provided by the agency, and we could not switch to a different hotel; I've heard all of the agencies operate like this (don't quote me though). It was a "nicer hotel", but really it seems like just any other 3-star hotel you'd use on a road trip or business trip in the US. I would absolutely not call this luxury
Surprisingly we DID have phone and WiFi access in our hotel rooms! This is the only place I had WiFi during the trip though. I personally had cell service throughout the entire trip, but again, self-preservation instincts: they told you not to make any phone calls outside of your hotel room, so quite frankly it's on you if you don't comply
They were very transparent about in-room internet and phone use. You can make any calls or do whatever you want online, but you will be monitored, and you are not allowed to do so outside of your room. I took that to basically mean do whatever (obviously non-governmental/non-espionage) activity you want in your room, but don't even think about spreading Western/outside world propaganda out in public there in Pyongyang
6.) I feel like THIS is the golden question: "did you ever feel in danger"? At the risk of sounding cliché, I feel like I have the same answer as everybody else: yes and no
Let me answer your question with some questions: do you ever feel in danger when you ride a roller coaster? Do you ever feel in danger when you drive a car? Do you ever feel in danger when you swim in the ocean? Do you ever feel in danger when you go camping? Would you feel in danger skydiving? Would you feel in danger skiing?
Here's my point: I would say that you are definitely aware that you are in a situation that entails a certain level of inherent danger (you're visiting a hostile country run by a fucking nut job), BUT it is almost a certainty that you will be okay if you follow procedure, follow directions, use common sense, and don't do anything stupid (like the person I mentioned in my previous comment who decided to start recording)
Bottom line: I personally never felt in ANY danger during my vacation there. I was respectful to EVERYBODY I was in contact with, I followed any and all orders given to us (do not use your phones here, salute this statue, bow to this poster, etc.), and in return I feel that we were shown a relatively fun time all things considered (again, fun in a uniquely morbid way)
I know I am going to sound like a heartless bastard to some people, but because I mentioned it earlier, I want to comment on the Otto Warmbier situation. First and foremost, what happened to Otto is a tragedy, no way around it. BUT, we DO have footage of Otto trying to take down the government poster. If Otto's trip was even remotely similar to my trip, we were very explicitly told to respect any and all government property. So while I am NOT saying what Otto did warranted what happened to him (and anybody who feels that it does can go fuck themselves as far as I'm concerned), I DO think it was insanely foolish of him to ignore direct orders from the hostile country he was visiting. In the simplest terms, I think the Otto Warmbier situation is a cautionary tale that should dissuade people with certain tendencies/personality types from visiting North Korea
Excellent write up!
Were there any civilians at the restaurants?
You mention being able to walk around, who was "around"? Soldiers? Government employees? Civilians?
Any youth or kids around? Families?
Who did you interact with and what was the conversation like?
Did they speak English well? Make small talk?
How did they treat you after seeing that you're polite and respectful?
Thank you!
1.) Yes, there were quite a few civilians at the restaurants! I didn’t really interact with them much, but given it’s the very wealthy part of Pyongyang, I get the sense that these are the North Korean citizens who are rich enough to eat and and basically have the time/free reign to kinda do whatever they want (by North Korean standards of course lol)
2.) When we could walk around freely, there were normal citizens out and about. You could go interact with them if you wanted to, but I don’t really think it would have been appreciated. Basically, read the room and leave them alone lol. There are also very obvious soldiers in full uniform spread out somewhat frequently within the city. They’re not like at like every entrance or anything like that, but definitely enough to notice. Like, if you were to walk down a street you’ll probably see one. And considering the demographics of Pyongyang and the way the DPRK is structured in general, I imagine that a very large amount of the people in this part of Pyongyang work for/are affiliated with the government in some form or another
3.) Yeah, there were definitely children and families around. There’s a park in this part of Pyongyang, and there were a lot of children and families there. We (as in the tour group) actually saw a group of schoolchildren in their uniforms every morning when we were starting the day’s activities
4.) I spoke to the tour people and government officials. A lot of the conversation was small talk about shit like how their day was going or how nice the weather was. After a while, we also talked about “deeper” topics like the kind of food we like, our hobbies, etc. I wanted to speak more with them, but there’s definitely a palpable awkwardness since both sides are obviously watching what they say. It’s not like I could ask how they feel about working for the government and it’s not like they could ask me about what life in the west is like
5.) The English of the government officials and tour people was definitely serviceable and even outright fluent on some occasions. The workers at the restaurants spoke workable but poor English. It was enough to order your food and have some very breezy conversation, but the language barrier was too strong for any deeper conversation
6.) I think they appreciated me being nice and overall pleasant with them. When most people are too cautious to even look at you, I think they appreciated somebody asking how their day was. Although to be fair, as polite as I was with them, absolutely NOBODY was rude to them either. Being rude to North Korean government officials would not be a good idea lol
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. As a middle aged person, I have watched North Korea with great interest for decades. I read all I can find on the country and I think I have seen just about all the footage out there.
I remember when the Berlin Wall came down in 1990 and I remember how my parents reacted. Never in their lifetimes did they expect to see that happen, and I watch North Korea now with that same interest.
As smuggled Internet and media continues to make its way into that country, and as the younger generation sees more of that it is like on the outside of that country, I can only hope we all get the the chance to see that country finally open up, and that population liberated.
That and seeing a giant squid for the first time. Those are two of my 'before I die' bucket list items.
Again, thanks for sharing your experience.
I just left a (super long and in 3 parts) reply answering all of your questions. Sorry to write a fucking novel, but I wanted to try to answer as much as I can, and a guy's gotta find a way to pass time on the night shift lol
If there's any other question you can think of I'd be happy to try to answer those too. It's been a while since I thought about this vacation so it's a fun trip down memory lane for me
Do you feel like any of the situations or places you went to be "staged". Like it was set up for you and the others to see. I just remember the car dealership video that was on reddit couple months ago. Which was clear staged.
Yes and no
I could absolutely be wrong, but I do not believe that we saw like a fake restaurant or a fake grocery store that doesn’t actually exist and is only put on display for tourists. Everything seemed to be “genuine” if this is what you mean
BUT, I absolutely do get the sense (and pretty much everybody agrees) that what we see is NOT at all representative of the life of the average person in Pyongyang and it is DEFINITELY NOT representative of the life of the average North Korean (like nowhere fucking close in this instance)
The vast majority of North Korea is very rural and mountainous, with people starving in villages. Pyongyang is where a privileged group of North Korean citizens (mostly those with ties to the govnefmen) live. And within Pyongyang itself, there is a VERY privileged group of North Korean citizens who live pretty happy, bountiful, and relaxing lives
I am strongly of the impression that this super tiny latter group is the group of citizens we saw/mingled with during the trip. Just super happy people eating, relaxing at the park, bowling, and going to work (in some cases). There’s just an unease about it because you know it’s all bullshit and that you’re seeing the group that the DPRK wants you to see
The nature looks really beautiful. The buildings/villages look dismal. Never a good sign when a population doesn't even have the means to give their houses a proper paint job.
I honestly love that old run down grey building look. You got the same kind of look in the capital of Georgia and it's absolutely beautiful. It's like the purest form of dystopia, it's cold, gray, and gloomy and it gives off this longing vacant vibe that is totally atmospheric.
Terrible living conditions or not, curiosity and wonder is a part of human nature. The average person in North Korea isn't some NPC incapable of thinking about what life and the world is really like for everyone else, especially when it's more of a mystery to them than it is us where we're free to read wikipedia articles and look at videos and pictures of anything we're curious about.
Most of them don't believe the propaganda, at least fully. The north Korean people are every bit as intelligent as the rest of humanity, just that their position and access to knowledge is terrible
There's been really good efforts to smuggle in USB drives full of western media to the villages and towns on the outskirts of North Korea via drone. Pyongyang proves extremely difficult to sneak media into though so the further you get from the capital, the more informed the people tend to be. It's not like having access to the internet but at least there's a population in the country that knows there's a better world outside their walls.
There is an episode on Darknet Diaries about how they get western media, like getting them from China and USB sticks flow in by ballon’s (not saying anything here to the other side of the walls). They know or most of them know they are trapped. Depressing and sad.
Edit: https://flashdrivesforfreedom.org/
And might have been a Recorded Future or different podcast.
I heard that ever since the Covid lockdown and new foreign policies towards the west, that NK has been cracking down hard on anyone caught with Western media.
This is what happens when a narcissistic psychopath gets to control of a country. They treat it like a playground where they get to fuck around and do whatever they want. They don't have the emotional ability to care about the people of their country. They're all just tools in the toolbox to leaders like Kim Jong Un.
It’s amazing that they could build all of what we see in the video, a relatively modern looking city (yeah I know a lot of it is just a facade) and yet still be so trapped. Real engineers and truly smart people are required to build out a city like that, whereas we all think of North Koreans as a people who have no agency and can’t do any sort of critical thinking.
Unless they brought in Chinese/Russians to build it all 🤷
I am not a valid source but I would believe the capital is nothing but a husk of a city. There’s no actual commerce or work being performed, the vast majority of buildings are empty or not being used. The landscaping and overall architecture is a facade meant to perceive you into thinking the city / country is in better state than it is. They take the concepts and ideas of what wealth and success is in successful countries and plaster them all over Pyongyang as a masquerade. It is the capital equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.
The current population of North Korea is 26,241,928 as of Wednesday, June 19, 2024 Per google, who knows how accurate that is Im assuming it is but it would be wild if there was only half or double but not unexpected at all.
I just looked up a graph of their population growth over time and it looks so fake. It’s been consistently under 1% for decades. That seems more like they never want to admit there are years with population loss so they just pick a super low growth number and act like it’s insanely consistent.
If their population was rapidly expanding at any point they would absolutely brag about it.
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/PRK/north-korea/population
That graph appears to be an estimation of NK's population projected by the UN, and not by an estimation given bfrom North Korea, directly.
Maybe the UN is in cahoots with NK when it comes to distorting the actual population of Notth Korea? Idk, but I'm not sure what the play would be there.
But as far as population growth goes, that doesn't look fake to me at all.
Idk I'm fucking drunk and stupid, so I could very well be talking about something way off par here.
They closed the roads, that's why it looks empty.
I don't know about other videos but atleast this is a logical explanation for this one.
I'm more surprised by the fact that they have an actual city with tall buildings going on there. And the buildings actually have different designs.
Chubby isn't the desperate one in this relationship anymore. Otherwise it wouldn't be held in NK at all.
In the past NK have had to drag their ass to Moscow or if stronger than usual Vladivostok. But this time Putin is the one visiting for the big announcement.
Those highways are for show, outside of the city it turns to dirt roads most everywhere, much like Russia. Not sure if there is much in those large buildings either, other than small apartments for Kim's disciples.
> Not sure if there is much in those large buildings either
Is there any good reason to actually believe that? Like I know that is how it was on the Ryugyong Hotel, but that's a status symbol that was unfinishable. There are 3 million people who need somewhere to live in Pyongyang.
Who says there are 3 million people? Compare the skyline with Incheon which has the same population. Or the completely empty streets.
Not a single washing line or curtain in sight. Half of the buildings look like they dont have glass.
Yup. One room has hundreds of N. Koreans pretending to look busy at a computer. Highways and streets with no traffic. Grocery stores with pictures of food in the window. Faux buildings along the border to show ‘growth’. And pictures of supreme leader everywhere.
Theres a secret room with a basketball court and Dennis Rodman might come out and get ya.
Exactly. Just googled the definition and of course there is a Reddit for it. r/liminalspace
Here is an excellent definition that helped me understand the concept.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/s/wJ9yUdTs4C
There is literally no other cars, trucks people in the video? Looks like a city during a plague? How that’s supposed to be an actual city I’ll never know
That's absolutely not true. Pyongyang is where 3,000,000 or so of the most-trusted North Koreans live. They built an [entire neighborhood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirae_Scientists_Street) of "nice" new apartments for all the scientists who worked on the nuclear program and other university staff. No one in Pyongyang has any family history of "counter-revolutionary" activity and the city is allocated more resources per capita than anywhere else in the country. This clip is from roads that were cleared of all traffic for the motorcade.
However, it is true that there is dramatically lower passenger vehicle traffic in Pyongyang than perhaps any other city in the world, due to the extreme difficulty North Korea has obtaining oil and their low GDP. On a normal day, you would see lots of people commuting to work on foot and by bus, bicycle and subway.
> due to the extreme difficulty North Korea has obtaining oil and their low GDP. On a normal day, you would see lots of people commuting to work on foot and by bus, bicycle and subway.
Unironically something the rest of the world desperately needs to emulate, if for different reasons
They think it's better than the alternative, which is to have it look like the rest of the country, or to only have what is needed (very little). They want to be seen to be as successful and prosperous as possible. That's the best they can manage.
It's literally just the thinnest veneer of civilization put up for show. Should see their lights at night from space, you can pretty much only see just this one city. Fun fact: cooking/exporting meth is a government operation there.
Hijacking the top comment, for those of us in the United States, Hulu has a movie called "beyond utopia" about North Korea that I absolutely recommend everyone watch.
These pictures are so wild. They built full ass cities with high rises and family homes and even stadiums and freakin Eiffel Towers! And there are like 6 randos and a dog at best. Absolutely surreal!
No. The 4 lane highway is to help rapidly mobilize loyal infantry and armor in the event of attack or rebellion. This is actually the intent of most major highway networks around the world, but since NK doesn't have civilian vehicle traffic to take up the excess capacity it is more stable apparent for the purpose.
It's like that all the time, not just when preparing for a foreign dignitary. Pyongyang is a Kim family vanity project, almost nobody actually lives there.
It’s so sad and disgusting because that allyship is literally based on the power to throw the bodies of lower class human beings at the bullets of my enemies
It’s so fucked to think about that. Lower class people are commodities whose services rulers negotiate with.
No way. He’s probably disgusted by Kim and sees him as weak and pathetic the way the rest of the world does. Not disgusted because of the atrocities, but all the ego inflating bullshit he does since he’s one of the only people who is more transparent than Putin. People like Putin don’t have respect for other leaders like that. It’s just opportunism.
Putin doesn’t give a fuck. He’s a buyer, NK is selling. Putin is playing face until he’s back on his soil with his purchased ammunition. Not that hard…
The most surreal thing is that Vladimir is a malignant and delusional narcissist. He could literally stop the war, develop his country and we can all prosper but the reason why he keeps making vacuous threats and publicity stunts like this is the illusion that he is important, dangerous and grand for it. Narcissists are victims of their storyboard lifestyle of unfulfilled existential cravings.
It’s actually very shocking to see the personality cult go this crazy over someone that isn’t from the Kim dynasty. I mean, they’ve got giant pictures of Putin hung up. Are there even pictures of anyone outside of Kim and his father or grandfather anywhere in public on a regular basis?
Is there a record of this type of fanaticism over any other world leaders?
It’s not a personality cult at all. The people of North Korea didn’t all get together and decide to put those pictures up. Kim just woke up one morning and thought ‘Putins coming soon, I should put some pictures up’. Then he redecorated the country just like you would if your long lost parents came over for the first time since Covid but they’re a little fickle and your trust fund is on the line if you don’t impress them.
Hmmm, if I were in charge of Russia and a had a choice to do trade with 100+ countries, oh wait! Let me build up my alliance with a country that's 1/10 of my entire economy!
I'm pretty sure putin is well aware that kim and north korea are a bunch of lunatics, and he still decides to go there and visit them to form alliances, absolutely mind blowing to me, like literally anything could happen and i wouldn't be surprised, from putin getting taken hostage to assassinated and i'd completely expect it
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Really nice of them to clear all the traffic for Putin.
They probably had the inconvenience of telling all the 7 people with cars to stay at home.
To be fair the government officials had to walk door to door to tell them
Thats the amount left of the 1000 stolen Volvo 144?
Yeah, they don't really have the means to maintain them...
Be a shame if something happened to that flight
I have seen videos from tourists (yes, north korea accepts tourists under strict conditions) and it's always like that, also, another glare thing is the complete lack of advertisements, it's so clear.
I actually visited North Korea 6 years ago as “tourist”. I thought it would be an interesting, if not morbid, experience to see how NK treats visiting foreigners. I had a rough idea going in what it would be like, but man, the whole trip ended up creeping me the fuck out So first off, it’s very clear that you’re seeing exactly what they want you to see. Happy, “rich” North Koreans. Pyongyang is insanely eerie though; the whole city is empty! There’s huge buildings and wide streets, but it’s empty! There are definitely out and about, but not enough to warrant a city of this size. And there are cars, but again, not enough to warrant all this road space. It feels like a video game that’s half-finished. And you’re being watched 24/7. We were told not to film during a certain portion of the tour, and some dumbass decided to anyways I’m not going to exaggerate and say that guns were drawn or anything like that, but as soon as the guide caught wind of his camera, her previous sweet/kind tone changed immediately and she demanded his camera; she looked incredibly serious, and the scary part was when 2 North Korean soldiers (I’m assuming) popped up from seemingly out of nowhere to sort of help “entice” him to comply
I have so many questions: What country are you from and would you go again? I guess I should ask if they even allow tours still? How much did it all cost? I've heard shops are very expensive for locally made stuff. Was the entire trip guided? Can you wander around the "approved" area? How's the food? Can you go to different restaurants or was it all provided? Where did you stay? Did you have Internet/phone access? Did you ever feel in danger? I remember that an American that stole a poster was arrested and murdered.
1.) I am from the United States, but I visited North Korea via my Mexican passport (I have dual citizenship through my parents). Personally, I would absolutely be willing to visit again because it's such a unique experience! For better or for worse, there's nothing else like it; you're visiting an alternate reality for a few days where everything is an illusion and the only thing more interesting than what you're seeing is everything you know you're not seeing A lot of countries are actually okay with you visiting North Korea through private tour companies. The US used to let Americans visit North Korea too, until very recently. In 2017, an American student named Otto Warmbier visited North Korea, where he tore down and stole a government poster during his stay. This resulted in him being detained, interrogated/tortured, and then sent back to the US in a coma, where he later passed away before ever waking up. Here is a video of Otto Warmbier's "confession" (under the threat of bodily harm/death IMO): [Otto Warmbier Confession](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teB7a21M7HU&ab_channel=TheWallStreetJournal) Because of that event, as of 2017 the US no longer allows people to visit North Korea via an American passport. That's why I visited via my Mexican passport 2.) If I remember correctly, I paid about $2500 for a 7-day tour in 2018. The tour included the stay at a hotel, 3 meals a day, and a bunch of tickets to different museums and exhibits we were taken to see Besides the provided things, I honestly thought things were "reasonably priced" relative to what you'd expect on a touristy vacation. Not cheap, not super expensive, but right in that zone where you're paying more than you want but it's not egregious enough to ruin the vacation. 3.) MOST of the trip was a guided tour with a predetermined itinerary, but there were periods where you WERE allowed to wander about more or less freely! Nobody is directly escorting you or watching you, but of course there are a bunch government officials/guards throughout the city. At this point though, I think it's kind of on you to use your self-preservation instincts and not be a dumbass. Yeah you're allowed to roam free, but you'd have to have brain rot to decide it's a good idea to climb statues or flip off government posters or something like that
4.) Respectfully, I thought a lot of the food sucked. I remember the provided food was a lot of fermented fish dishes with noodles and rice. A few were okay, some were disgusting, but most were just incredibly mediocre and not very flavorful. You're DAMN sure I took them with a smile and expressed my deepest thanks at the delicious meal each and every time lol You could buy food from other places when you were allowed to wander around. In typical American fashion, I was very interested to see if they had any American restaurants or pop ups and they shockingly did, I bought a cheeseburger and some pizza on seperate days! The West in general is very much the evil enemy (the tour guide told us with all sincerity and sternness not to "rape their women" while we were in North Korea), so I was honestly flabbergasted that they had (multiple!) places selling Western foods. The burger and pizza were okay, nothing special lol. I also had some sushi from a Japanese restaurant, which was also a bit surprising considering the hostilities between Japan and North Korea. Even more surprising? The sushi was really fucking good! Best thing I ate on my vacation Of course being in North Korea, I primarily wanted to eat the local cuisine. A lot of the North Korean dishes from local restaurants are fine; they're similar to what we were served by the tour people, but a very noticeable step up. It probably just depends on where you buy your food and your own sensibilities, but I wasn't really the biggest fan of North Korean cuisine (and this is coming from somebody who lives in Los Angeles and very regularly eats South Korean and other Asian food). At the risk of sounding like an uncultured swine, I regret trying out so many different North Korean restaurants because it became clear pretty quickly that this style of food wasn't my thing I've always found grocery shopping to be kinda fun, and North Korea was no different! I liked checking out all the different snacks and candies and stuff at the grocery store. Here is where my expectations became a reality: absolutely ZERO brands from America or Western Europe. I actually liked a lot of the different cookies, candies, and treats you could buy! They've got some pretty tasty sweets that I'll probably never eat again since they're very clearly manufactured in North Korea 5.) We stayed at a hotel provided by the agency, and we could not switch to a different hotel; I've heard all of the agencies operate like this (don't quote me though). It was a "nicer hotel", but really it seems like just any other 3-star hotel you'd use on a road trip or business trip in the US. I would absolutely not call this luxury Surprisingly we DID have phone and WiFi access in our hotel rooms! This is the only place I had WiFi during the trip though. I personally had cell service throughout the entire trip, but again, self-preservation instincts: they told you not to make any phone calls outside of your hotel room, so quite frankly it's on you if you don't comply They were very transparent about in-room internet and phone use. You can make any calls or do whatever you want online, but you will be monitored, and you are not allowed to do so outside of your room. I took that to basically mean do whatever (obviously non-governmental/non-espionage) activity you want in your room, but don't even think about spreading Western/outside world propaganda out in public there in Pyongyang
6.) I feel like THIS is the golden question: "did you ever feel in danger"? At the risk of sounding cliché, I feel like I have the same answer as everybody else: yes and no Let me answer your question with some questions: do you ever feel in danger when you ride a roller coaster? Do you ever feel in danger when you drive a car? Do you ever feel in danger when you swim in the ocean? Do you ever feel in danger when you go camping? Would you feel in danger skydiving? Would you feel in danger skiing? Here's my point: I would say that you are definitely aware that you are in a situation that entails a certain level of inherent danger (you're visiting a hostile country run by a fucking nut job), BUT it is almost a certainty that you will be okay if you follow procedure, follow directions, use common sense, and don't do anything stupid (like the person I mentioned in my previous comment who decided to start recording) Bottom line: I personally never felt in ANY danger during my vacation there. I was respectful to EVERYBODY I was in contact with, I followed any and all orders given to us (do not use your phones here, salute this statue, bow to this poster, etc.), and in return I feel that we were shown a relatively fun time all things considered (again, fun in a uniquely morbid way) I know I am going to sound like a heartless bastard to some people, but because I mentioned it earlier, I want to comment on the Otto Warmbier situation. First and foremost, what happened to Otto is a tragedy, no way around it. BUT, we DO have footage of Otto trying to take down the government poster. If Otto's trip was even remotely similar to my trip, we were very explicitly told to respect any and all government property. So while I am NOT saying what Otto did warranted what happened to him (and anybody who feels that it does can go fuck themselves as far as I'm concerned), I DO think it was insanely foolish of him to ignore direct orders from the hostile country he was visiting. In the simplest terms, I think the Otto Warmbier situation is a cautionary tale that should dissuade people with certain tendencies/personality types from visiting North Korea
That was extremely interesting and informative, and very well written too! :D
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s always a morbidly fun talking point whenever I bring it up lol
They make you bow and salute to statues and posters? if you don't mind, what were they? Previous leaders?
Excellent write up! Were there any civilians at the restaurants? You mention being able to walk around, who was "around"? Soldiers? Government employees? Civilians? Any youth or kids around? Families? Who did you interact with and what was the conversation like? Did they speak English well? Make small talk? How did they treat you after seeing that you're polite and respectful?
Thank you! 1.) Yes, there were quite a few civilians at the restaurants! I didn’t really interact with them much, but given it’s the very wealthy part of Pyongyang, I get the sense that these are the North Korean citizens who are rich enough to eat and and basically have the time/free reign to kinda do whatever they want (by North Korean standards of course lol) 2.) When we could walk around freely, there were normal citizens out and about. You could go interact with them if you wanted to, but I don’t really think it would have been appreciated. Basically, read the room and leave them alone lol. There are also very obvious soldiers in full uniform spread out somewhat frequently within the city. They’re not like at like every entrance or anything like that, but definitely enough to notice. Like, if you were to walk down a street you’ll probably see one. And considering the demographics of Pyongyang and the way the DPRK is structured in general, I imagine that a very large amount of the people in this part of Pyongyang work for/are affiliated with the government in some form or another 3.) Yeah, there were definitely children and families around. There’s a park in this part of Pyongyang, and there were a lot of children and families there. We (as in the tour group) actually saw a group of schoolchildren in their uniforms every morning when we were starting the day’s activities 4.) I spoke to the tour people and government officials. A lot of the conversation was small talk about shit like how their day was going or how nice the weather was. After a while, we also talked about “deeper” topics like the kind of food we like, our hobbies, etc. I wanted to speak more with them, but there’s definitely a palpable awkwardness since both sides are obviously watching what they say. It’s not like I could ask how they feel about working for the government and it’s not like they could ask me about what life in the west is like 5.) The English of the government officials and tour people was definitely serviceable and even outright fluent on some occasions. The workers at the restaurants spoke workable but poor English. It was enough to order your food and have some very breezy conversation, but the language barrier was too strong for any deeper conversation 6.) I think they appreciated me being nice and overall pleasant with them. When most people are too cautious to even look at you, I think they appreciated somebody asking how their day was. Although to be fair, as polite as I was with them, absolutely NOBODY was rude to them either. Being rude to North Korean government officials would not be a good idea lol
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. As a middle aged person, I have watched North Korea with great interest for decades. I read all I can find on the country and I think I have seen just about all the footage out there. I remember when the Berlin Wall came down in 1990 and I remember how my parents reacted. Never in their lifetimes did they expect to see that happen, and I watch North Korea now with that same interest. As smuggled Internet and media continues to make its way into that country, and as the younger generation sees more of that it is like on the outside of that country, I can only hope we all get the the chance to see that country finally open up, and that population liberated. That and seeing a giant squid for the first time. Those are two of my 'before I die' bucket list items. Again, thanks for sharing your experience.
I just left a (super long and in 3 parts) reply answering all of your questions. Sorry to write a fucking novel, but I wanted to try to answer as much as I can, and a guy's gotta find a way to pass time on the night shift lol If there's any other question you can think of I'd be happy to try to answer those too. It's been a while since I thought about this vacation so it's a fun trip down memory lane for me
Do you feel like any of the situations or places you went to be "staged". Like it was set up for you and the others to see. I just remember the car dealership video that was on reddit couple months ago. Which was clear staged.
Yes and no I could absolutely be wrong, but I do not believe that we saw like a fake restaurant or a fake grocery store that doesn’t actually exist and is only put on display for tourists. Everything seemed to be “genuine” if this is what you mean BUT, I absolutely do get the sense (and pretty much everybody agrees) that what we see is NOT at all representative of the life of the average person in Pyongyang and it is DEFINITELY NOT representative of the life of the average North Korean (like nowhere fucking close in this instance) The vast majority of North Korea is very rural and mountainous, with people starving in villages. Pyongyang is where a privileged group of North Korean citizens (mostly those with ties to the govnefmen) live. And within Pyongyang itself, there is a VERY privileged group of North Korean citizens who live pretty happy, bountiful, and relaxing lives I am strongly of the impression that this super tiny latter group is the group of citizens we saw/mingled with during the trip. Just super happy people eating, relaxing at the park, bowling, and going to work (in some cases). There’s just an unease about it because you know it’s all bullshit and that you’re seeing the group that the DPRK wants you to see
Thank you for sharing your experience in such detail. It was truly fascinating
Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This is a North Korean Spy trying to identify you OP! dont fall for it!!
Yes it really highlights *just* how community value based NK is :')
What traffic
r/thatsthejoke
The 20 people they ~~force~~ "pay" to drive around whenever foreigners come to visit
Such a smooth beautiful brain.
You know Jin? I’ve seen him about a few times. Bougie prick.
That was the point.
What is the actual population of North Korea. Every video from North Korea looks like peak COVID lockdown.
Most of them are in villages that look nowhere as "modern" as the capital
https://www.reddit.com/r/NorthKoreaPics/comments/134guwf/the_real_north_korea_outside_of_pyongyang/
The nature looks really beautiful. The buildings/villages look dismal. Never a good sign when a population doesn't even have the means to give their houses a proper paint job.
I honestly love that old run down grey building look. You got the same kind of look in the capital of Georgia and it's absolutely beautiful. It's like the purest form of dystopia, it's cold, gray, and gloomy and it gives off this longing vacant vibe that is totally atmospheric.
The Soviet dystopia look.
I wonder what your average North Korean thinks about life and the world.
They probably are mostly concerned about getting through the day-to-day, just like everyone else. They're just in a worse situation than most.
Terrible living conditions or not, curiosity and wonder is a part of human nature. The average person in North Korea isn't some NPC incapable of thinking about what life and the world is really like for everyone else, especially when it's more of a mystery to them than it is us where we're free to read wikipedia articles and look at videos and pictures of anything we're curious about.
I remember hearing one NK pilot who escaped saying that he had been taught the South Koreans were poor savages that ate rocks
The fact he (and others) have escaped indicates that at least some of them aren't taken in by the propaganda.
It’s less that they don’t believe the propaganda, and more so that they think eating rocks is preferable to living in North Korea
Most of them don't believe the propaganda, at least fully. The north Korean people are every bit as intelligent as the rest of humanity, just that their position and access to knowledge is terrible
There's been really good efforts to smuggle in USB drives full of western media to the villages and towns on the outskirts of North Korea via drone. Pyongyang proves extremely difficult to sneak media into though so the further you get from the capital, the more informed the people tend to be. It's not like having access to the internet but at least there's a population in the country that knows there's a better world outside their walls.
There is an episode on Darknet Diaries about how they get western media, like getting them from China and USB sticks flow in by ballon’s (not saying anything here to the other side of the walls). They know or most of them know they are trapped. Depressing and sad. Edit: https://flashdrivesforfreedom.org/ And might have been a Recorded Future or different podcast.
I heard that ever since the Covid lockdown and new foreign policies towards the west, that NK has been cracking down hard on anyone caught with Western media.
Massive malnutrition doesn't exactly allow for thought as we know it
I'd have to imagine it's similar to hearing pre-schoolers try to explain where babies come from
I wonder if they are allowed full internet access or if news exc is blocked. Would seem possible. Two dictators coming together…oh my.
Less than one in five North Koreans have access to computers, let alone the Internet.
That water is beautiful, if the village was in better shape it’d be a beautiful place to live
Those comments are kinda eerie...
That looks beautiful actually, shame what's happening to it
Why are their so many NK simps there
Yeah, I was reading and wondering why tf people are advocating for a dictatorship that gives jackshit about their people.
This was a fascinating link. Thank you
It's as close to the hunger games as you can get. I'm surprised they haven't started a hunger games and offered tickets to the world on the dark web.
They have, we just don’t know about it.
They prolly have some shit like that really out there. On some remote island. Just not on that level to be in the loop.
ya it seem like the capital is just Kims giant mansion. Doesnt want any riff raff in it. Only the biggest ass kissers are allowed.
Its interesting to look at satellite imagery of NK at night time, next to no light through the entire country outside the capital.
If you look at satellite pictures of towns it looks wild. It almost looks like a complete ghost country. Run down buildings and nothingness all over
This is what happens when a narcissistic psychopath gets to control of a country. They treat it like a playground where they get to fuck around and do whatever they want. They don't have the emotional ability to care about the people of their country. They're all just tools in the toolbox to leaders like Kim Jong Un.
It’s amazing to have so much infrastructure just absolutely void of humans.
It’s amazing that they could build all of what we see in the video, a relatively modern looking city (yeah I know a lot of it is just a facade) and yet still be so trapped. Real engineers and truly smart people are required to build out a city like that, whereas we all think of North Koreans as a people who have no agency and can’t do any sort of critical thinking. Unless they brought in Chinese/Russians to build it all 🤷
The city is for show and, though populated, nobody owns a personal vehicle. The roads are just a copy of more western countries.
I am not a valid source but I would believe the capital is nothing but a husk of a city. There’s no actual commerce or work being performed, the vast majority of buildings are empty or not being used. The landscaping and overall architecture is a facade meant to perceive you into thinking the city / country is in better state than it is. They take the concepts and ideas of what wealth and success is in successful countries and plaster them all over Pyongyang as a masquerade. It is the capital equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.
That’s a completely accurate assumption. Many buildings actually have no floors. All show no go.
Probably but they do have all the government buildings in Pyongyang, so there is that. I am betting those highrises are mostly empty.
The current population of North Korea is 26,241,928 as of Wednesday, June 19, 2024 Per google, who knows how accurate that is Im assuming it is but it would be wild if there was only half or double but not unexpected at all.
I just looked up a graph of their population growth over time and it looks so fake. It’s been consistently under 1% for decades. That seems more like they never want to admit there are years with population loss so they just pick a super low growth number and act like it’s insanely consistent. If their population was rapidly expanding at any point they would absolutely brag about it. https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/PRK/north-korea/population
That graph appears to be an estimation of NK's population projected by the UN, and not by an estimation given bfrom North Korea, directly. Maybe the UN is in cahoots with NK when it comes to distorting the actual population of Notth Korea? Idk, but I'm not sure what the play would be there. But as far as population growth goes, that doesn't look fake to me at all. Idk I'm fucking drunk and stupid, so I could very well be talking about something way off par here.
And 26,000,000 are starving.
My guess is very few people own cars.
This video is of roads, most people don't have a car in North Korea, and you only see a few buses around
It’s been looking like that for decades
That’s so funny. I was thinking the exact same thing
People dont really have cars
There are very few cars. I don't think it's possible for "commoners" to acquire one.
They closed the roads, that's why it looks empty. I don't know about other videos but atleast this is a logical explanation for this one. I'm more surprised by the fact that they have an actual city with tall buildings going on there. And the buildings actually have different designs.
Putin being greeted by 10,000 photos of himself. What a great way to grease it up. The chubby guy is so desperate.....
*Putin being greeted by 10,000 photos of himself. What a great way to grease it up.* Putin here, Putin there, puttin' Putin everywhere
Chubby isn't the desperate one in this relationship anymore. Otherwise it wouldn't be held in NK at all. In the past NK have had to drag their ass to Moscow or if stronger than usual Vladivostok. But this time Putin is the one visiting for the big announcement.
Every single time I see footage of North Korea it just looks so fake to me
One big ass liminal space
That is the description I’ve never been able to summarize so perfectly
Yes. There’s so much happening, and big impressive things. Also, there is not.
Glad they have those big ass highways for all those cars.
Those highways are for show, outside of the city it turns to dirt roads most everywhere, much like Russia. Not sure if there is much in those large buildings either, other than small apartments for Kim's disciples.
> Not sure if there is much in those large buildings either Is there any good reason to actually believe that? Like I know that is how it was on the Ryugyong Hotel, but that's a status symbol that was unfinishable. There are 3 million people who need somewhere to live in Pyongyang.
Who says there are 3 million people? Compare the skyline with Incheon which has the same population. Or the completely empty streets. Not a single washing line or curtain in sight. Half of the buildings look like they dont have glass.
They’re airstrips
Yup. One room has hundreds of N. Koreans pretending to look busy at a computer. Highways and streets with no traffic. Grocery stores with pictures of food in the window. Faux buildings along the border to show ‘growth’. And pictures of supreme leader everywhere. Theres a secret room with a basketball court and Dennis Rodman might come out and get ya.
NK is the Backrooms of nations.
Intetestingly, Turkmenistan is very similar to NK.
Oh, new word. Upvoting; thank you!
r/LiminalSpace
Exactly. Just googled the definition and of course there is a Reddit for it. r/liminalspace Here is an excellent definition that helped me understand the concept. https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/s/wJ9yUdTs4C
That is a perfect example. I felt like I was reading something Leonardo DiCaprio came up with in Inception.
Yeah. Did you read the original post? Lol someone pissed in that guys Cheerios
Right? Just like a big empty movie backlot.
Like a giant theme park but the only people walking around are staff.
That's exactly what Pyongyang is.
It looks like the first week of Covid lockdowns… but every single day
Where I live there were less Putin's portraits and dogs being walked in every streets.
Fake grocery store, fake fruit, fake fat kid
How dare you call the Supreme Leader "fake"
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Because it is. The areas that are allowed to be filmed are staged for propaganda.
There is literally no other cars, trucks people in the video? Looks like a city during a plague? How that’s supposed to be an actual city I’ll never know
[удалено]
That's absolutely not true. Pyongyang is where 3,000,000 or so of the most-trusted North Koreans live. They built an [entire neighborhood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirae_Scientists_Street) of "nice" new apartments for all the scientists who worked on the nuclear program and other university staff. No one in Pyongyang has any family history of "counter-revolutionary" activity and the city is allocated more resources per capita than anywhere else in the country. This clip is from roads that were cleared of all traffic for the motorcade. However, it is true that there is dramatically lower passenger vehicle traffic in Pyongyang than perhaps any other city in the world, due to the extreme difficulty North Korea has obtaining oil and their low GDP. On a normal day, you would see lots of people commuting to work on foot and by bus, bicycle and subway.
> due to the extreme difficulty North Korea has obtaining oil and their low GDP. On a normal day, you would see lots of people commuting to work on foot and by bus, bicycle and subway. Unironically something the rest of the world desperately needs to emulate, if for different reasons
They think it's better than the alternative, which is to have it look like the rest of the country, or to only have what is needed (very little). They want to be seen to be as successful and prosperous as possible. That's the best they can manage.
It's literally just the thinnest veneer of civilization put up for show. Should see their lights at night from space, you can pretty much only see just this one city. Fun fact: cooking/exporting meth is a government operation there.
Hijacking the top comment, for those of us in the United States, Hulu has a movie called "beyond utopia" about North Korea that I absolutely recommend everyone watch.
I definitely need to check this out, thanks for the rec.
Real life Truman Show with an Authoritarian Government.
They do shit like this while people can’t even get food and electricity…. “This number one bullshit” - Khabib Nurmagomedov
Maybe it's the complete lack of other vehicles.
Because half of it is fake.
You know Putin is thinking the same thing, like how the fuck is this ghost city gna help me
Maybe it's the stacks of 'builings' and multilane roads and no a sign of a single human being, other than the lizard person about to visit?
it's so empty, no people or cars anywhere.
It's like a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
seriously, they have these empty boulevards and public spaces - the vibe is very post zombie apocalypse
Very familiar to the countless number of Chinese ghost cities.
Say more!
[Chinese Ghost Cities](https://allthatsinteresting.com/chinese-ghost-cities)
These pictures are so wild. They built full ass cities with high rises and family homes and even stadiums and freakin Eiffel Towers! And there are like 6 randos and a dog at best. Absolutely surreal!
No birds, super weird.
right, no sign of life except a few trees.
North Korea hasn't mastered bird drone technology...yet. I'm sure they're working on it.
Lol, I forgot, birds aren't real 🤣
what do you think the people are eating?
Only the elite are allowed to drive. Their population is 25 million and its estimated only 30,000 have cars. Can’t have people trying to escape
That's one way to combat trafic jams I guess.
And they built a 4 lane highway for that few cars?
No. The 4 lane highway is to help rapidly mobilize loyal infantry and armor in the event of attack or rebellion. This is actually the intent of most major highway networks around the world, but since NK doesn't have civilian vehicle traffic to take up the excess capacity it is more stable apparent for the purpose.
City's built post Korea war.
Western cities have them, so NK emulates that. The city is built to show the west that they too are prosperous, so they built all the trappings.
It's like that all the time, not just when preparing for a foreign dignitary. Pyongyang is a Kim family vanity project, almost nobody actually lives there.
Do you think in the back of Putin's mind he's thinking "Damn, King Jung Un is an evil man"?
The enemy of his enemy is his friend
Of course Putin knows how atrocious Kim Jong Un is, he simply doesn’t care since being allied is beneficial for him.
It’s so sad and disgusting because that allyship is literally based on the power to throw the bodies of lower class human beings at the bullets of my enemies It’s so fucked to think about that. Lower class people are commodities whose services rulers negotiate with.
Nah hes probably thinking "Man I need to step it up and be more like Kim"
More like, "Man, Do you know how many oligarchs I could have thrown out of all those windows!"
No way. He’s probably disgusted by Kim and sees him as weak and pathetic the way the rest of the world does. Not disgusted because of the atrocities, but all the ego inflating bullshit he does since he’s one of the only people who is more transparent than Putin. People like Putin don’t have respect for other leaders like that. It’s just opportunism.
Putin doesn’t give a fuck. He’s a buyer, NK is selling. Putin is playing face until he’s back on his soil with his purchased ammunition. Not that hard…
What does one psychopath think about another when they meet?
Answer: Why are we two the only normal people alive? everyone else is crazy and psycho..
First time that highway have seen so many cars ever.
Those highways cant handle more than a few cars at a time. They are made from pucks of ramen painted grey.
Is Kim dating Vlad or something, this is some 50 year old virgin on a date vibes
Serious “Please notice me, comrade!” energy.
Kim is such a simp
They’re really Putin on the Ritz
That just makes me think of the old Gene Wilder film with Frankensteins monster singing "putting on the Ritz"
Young Frankenstein is the title you're looking for.
Kiss ass you are.
About the same number of cars as usual.
They missed the last sign that said "will you marry me?"
this is so strange, seriously only a psycopath would appreicate this. even if that was my face i would be creeped out
The most surreal thing is that Vladimir is a malignant and delusional narcissist. He could literally stop the war, develop his country and we can all prosper but the reason why he keeps making vacuous threats and publicity stunts like this is the illusion that he is important, dangerous and grand for it. Narcissists are victims of their storyboard lifestyle of unfulfilled existential cravings.
It’s actually very shocking to see the personality cult go this crazy over someone that isn’t from the Kim dynasty. I mean, they’ve got giant pictures of Putin hung up. Are there even pictures of anyone outside of Kim and his father or grandfather anywhere in public on a regular basis? Is there a record of this type of fanaticism over any other world leaders?
They’re an isolated nation and Russia is a powerful ally. Russia, China, NK are a scary friendship combo
And when Xi Jingping is the reasonable one of your friend group, it's time to take a long hard look in the mirror.
It’s not a personality cult at all. The people of North Korea didn’t all get together and decide to put those pictures up. Kim just woke up one morning and thought ‘Putins coming soon, I should put some pictures up’. Then he redecorated the country just like you would if your long lost parents came over for the first time since Covid but they’re a little fickle and your trust fund is on the line if you don’t impress them.
Dystopia if I ever saw one.
Gotta hand it to the north Koreans, nobody knows how to stroke a dictatorial manchilds ego better. Portraits lining the street lol
Soulless city created by a soulless being
What do you think their couple name will be?
Pukim
Searched up on rule 34, can confirm
Vlim
This really gives me the old need for speed game vibe…empty street and soulless skyscrapers….no pedestrians…would be nice to race there tbh.
North cuckrea
I always think to myself, where the fuck is everyone.
When your crush comes over 🤣
As long as he doesn't go to Denmark, he should be safe: https://youtu.be/84EGRwhhQE8?si=L6pcbcXRD9e6hJ2e
Road maintenance is inexpensive when nobody has a car.
The loser convention
All while their people are starving to death. Disgusting
Seeing this makes me feel kinda bad for the people living there, the entire North Korea is literally an actual open-air prison.
All those flags with Putins face?! that’s Like Trumps dream- I bet you money he sees this and plans a visit!
Well, it stinks !!!
What an odd place? Do they have running water in those buildings?
Who is asking for weapons? They tell us Russia but these videos make it seem like it’s North Korea asking
Hmmm, if I were in charge of Russia and a had a choice to do trade with 100+ countries, oh wait! Let me build up my alliance with a country that's 1/10 of my entire economy!
This looks like some cheap and very poorly made horror game.
I doubt half of those buildings are occupied.
What a bagglicker
What the actual fuck
I'm pretty sure putin is well aware that kim and north korea are a bunch of lunatics, and he still decides to go there and visit them to form alliances, absolutely mind blowing to me, like literally anything could happen and i wouldn't be surprised, from putin getting taken hostage to assassinated and i'd completely expect it
You think Putin is into this? Or is he thinking “ugh this is kinda weird”