Yeah, yeah. We joke about Soviet Russia and North Korea all the time. People even make memes out of them.
Based on that, if I were to tell you that I’ve been to North Korea, none of you would believe me, right?
Well, I have.
As an explanation, I will offer you the information that there are actually areas in North Korea open to the rest of the world (except South Korea at the moment, although there are probably more countries on the no-no list). There are currently 13 tourism sites open. The place I visited, Gumgang Mountain, was closed to public in 2008 after a shooting incident.
As a child, I had no idea that there was anything different about visiting North Korea. I thought it was just another vacation, but even for tourists, there were strict rules.
- Everyone had to have their visa around their necks (like in my pictures below). This visa wasn’t to be dirtied or misplaced. (But I accidentally got mine dirty and was yelled at at the border back to South Korea. I was a young child, okay?)
- There was a strictly enforced curfew.
- There were designated areas where tourists were allowed to go. (A week after my visit, a woman was shot at the very mountain that I was at for going into a forbidden area).
- Pictures weren’t to be taken at official sites (aka all the pictures below, shhh).
The Divide Timeline
1910 – Japan annexes the entire Korean peninsula; the Northern people seek aid with the China and Russia while the Southern look to USA
1945 – the end of World War II brings an end to the Japanese annexation after 36 years; USA and Soviet Russia agree to divide Korea on the 38 parallel, installing communist Kim Il Sung and anti-communist Syngman Lee as leaders of North and South Korea respectively
1948 – Syngman Lee installs Seoul as the capital of the Republic of Korea (the entire Korea); as a result, Kim Il Sung responds by installing Pyongyang as the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the entire Korea, also)
June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953 – Korean War; the opposing leaders go to war to control the entire peninsula
Today – the 38th parallel is one of the world’s most heavily fortified border; ROK is one of the most successful democratic country in Asia while North Korea is focused on military development
Because the conflicts seem to start with Japan’s occupation of Korea, many Koreans have strong opinions about Japan. However the future for both Korea is looking bright, since Kim Jong Un publically announced that he is willing to discuss reunification.
Weird Facts about North Korea
- Kim Il Sung, the founder of North Korea, is still considered to be the eternal leader of North Korea even after his death. Even the North Korean calendar is based on Kim Il Sung’s birthdate (April 15, 1912) which means North Korea is in year 102 at the moment.
- Every five years, North Korea holds “elections” in which each citizen is given a ballot paper with only one option on it.
- The world’s largest stadium is located in North Korea; the Rungnado May Day stadium holds more than 150,000 seats.
- Punishments in North Korea apply to three generations of the family. Violators are sent to working camps with their parents, grandparents and their children.
- There is a fake propaganda city near the 38th parallel to intimidate the South Koreans. It’s named Kijong-dong (Peace Village).
- The North Korean constitution is available for anyone to read. (It also names freedom of expression, democratic voting, and the freedom of religion. Oh, the irony).
- Kim Jong Il kidnapped a director and forced him to create movies specifically for North Korea. (He escaped successfully years later).
- North Korean TV has 3 channels: 2 of them are only available on weekends and the other is only available on evenings. (This is why South Korean dramas are often smuggled).
- Marijuana is legal in North Korea.
- North Korea claims to have 99% literacy.
- North Korea developed faster than South Korea after the Korean War, but with the fall of the USSR and North Korea’s direction towards nuclear weapon development, they are what they are now.
- Kim Jong Un and Kim Jong Il tried to look like Kim Il Sung. Both have the iconic hairstyle and are overweight. Additionally, Kim Jong Un had plastic surgery done to look more like the eternal leader.
- Kim Jong Un went to school in Switzerland. (He was also impressed by skiing as a sport and attempted to import ski lifts into North Korea, but the international community ruled against it because they thought Kim Jong Un might use them as weapons).
Next time you want to complain about an annoying schoolmate, think about the kids who went to school with Kim Jong Un. (Just kidding).
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