Did you know that North Korea is a peculiar country with its military presence everywhere and does not allow any tourists to take photos? However, there are still many fascinating aspects of this country that you may not be aware of.
How Do North Koreans Travel Abroad?
An article published in the New York Times recounted the story of a North Korean woman trying to contact her father, Ju Chan-yang, who had fled to South Korea. Through a Chinese intermediary, who was sent by her father, and a set of pre-established signals, she received the news and traveled to the border region near China to call her father.
In the summer of 2010, her father asked her to come to the border, where she was met by a North Korean soldier involved in smuggling. This soldier secretly helped her swim across the river that separates China and North Korea. After reaching the other side, a Chinese individual picked her up and assisted Mr. Ju Chan-yang in paying the soldier. By 2011, she had successfully reached South Korea.
She also shared with the New York Times that the North Korean soldier who helped her swim across the river used a sealed plastic bag to hold his mobile phone and kept it in his mouth.
This is how a North Korean once managed to “travel” abroad.
The North Korea-China border in Dandong (Liaoning – China)
However, this secret bridge is increasingly being tightly controlled by the authorities under Kim Jong-un. In 2014, Kim Jong-un ordered stricter controls to minimize foreign information flow, prohibiting North Koreans from contacting the outside world, especially increasing border security with China, disrupting phone signals, or tracking the identities of phone users. The number of people successfully escaping to South Korea was 2,914 in 2009, dropping to 1,276 in 2015.
North Koreans are genuinely eager to know about the outside world. They want to learn how defectors to South Korea live, how much money South Koreans earn monthly, and whether it is true that many South Korean women have so many clothes they cannot wear them all.
North Korea has its own mobile network but does not permit international calls. Most ordinary citizens can only communicate domestically.
Internet access is restricted to high-ranking officials and foreign guests. North Koreans are also prohibited from contacting South Koreans in any form.
The Only Country to Capture a U.S. Naval Ship
In early January 1968, the U.S. Navy intelligence ship USS Pueblo, carrying communication equipment and 80 crew members, departed from its base in Japan to conduct interception and decryption missions against North Korean military communications. At that time, the ship was operating in international waters, so the crew did not anticipate the possibility of being attacked.
The USS Pueblo
On January 23, 1968, while operating in international waters and far from the major North Korean port of Wonsan, the USS Pueblo was approached by a local patrol boat, and North Korean soldiers demanded to board the American ship for inspection. When the American sailors refused, the North Korean ship opened fire. According to Captain Skip Schumacher, a 24-year-old sailor on the USS Pueblo, although the captain ordered the ship to head out to sea, the maximum speed of the USS Pueblo was only 24 km/h, which could not compete with the speed of the North Korean fleet. Furthermore, the U.S. Navy had no weapons to defend themselves and decided to destroy all sensitive and classified documents on board by burning them (at that time, modern shredders were not available). As if anticipating their intentions, the North Korean soldiers continued to fire upon seeing smoke rising.
Officials in Washington under President Lyndon B. Johnson were shocked to learn that the USS Pueblo had been captured by North Korea. An international law expert at the time commented on the USS Pueblo incident as “the most embarrassing event for a Navy with a 150-year tradition of not losing a ship”, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The U.S. Navy captured by North Korean forces
Negotiations between the two sides lasted for 11 months. Ultimately, after an official apology from the USS Pueblo crew, a statement confirming their espionage activities, and a concession that the U.S. would not engage in such spying activities again, Pyongyang agreed to release the 82 surviving crew members.
Currently, North Korea still holds the USS Pueblo and has converted it into a tourist attraction. The ship is docked on the Botong River in Pyongyang and is considered a symbol of North Korea’s triumph over the United States. Over the years, the U.S. has continued to negotiate with North Korean officials to reclaim the ship.
What Other “Strange” Things Exist in North Korea?
North Korean leader Kim Il-sung.
1. The use of cannabis is completely legal in North Korea. However, distributing pornographic images, possessing a Bible, or watching South Korean films can result in the death penalty.
2. In 1962, an American soldier fled to the North Korean border but was captured and ended up living in North Korea for the rest of his life, unable to return home.
3. The Juche ideology is the official doctrine of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and is the intellectual product of the late leader Kim Il-sung. This doctrine posits that humans are the central subjects and determine everything in life. Applying this idea to the context of the North Korean revolution means that North Koreans are the subjects of that revolution.
North Koreans dancing
4. The May Day Stadium, with a capacity of 150,000 seats, is located in the capital, Pyongyang, and is the largest stadium in the world. Built in 1989 and fully renovated in 2014, May Day Stadium is a source of pride for North Koreans as it is frequently chosen to host significant national events.
5. The Ryugyong Hotel is a 105-story pyramid-shaped building in Pyongyang, which was the tallest hotel in the world for about 20 years. The name Ryugyong means “Capital of Willows” because this tree species is closely associated with Korean culture and history. The Ryugyong Hotel has multiple purposes, including restaurants, conference rooms, and hotel accommodations, with a total of up to 7,665 rooms. The building features three wings extending outward, each 100m long, 18m wide, and angled at 75 degrees, converging at the peak of the tower. The top is truncated and replaced with an eight-story rotating structure.
The Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea
6. North Korea classifies its citizens into 51 different social classes, using this classification system as a tool for social and political discrimination since birth. According to a 131-page report by the North Korean Human Rights Commission, all North Koreans are categorized based on criteria such as “loyal,” “wavering,” or “hostile” from the moment they are born, depending on their perceived loyalty to the regime. Among the 51 classes, there are poor farmers and “patriotic families” considered loyal components. Conversely, those identified as hostile include supporters of the United States, government officials, and Muslims. This policy allows the Kim regime to prioritize or deprioritize social welfare, employment, housing programs, and food supplies according to an individual’s assigned status.
7. In the 1950s, after the Korean War, North Korea constructed Kijong-Dong (Peace Village), a city visible from the border, aiming to attract South Koreans. This city is regularly cleaned and maintained to appear pristine and new, yet no one is allowed to live there. It is often referred to as a “ghost town.”
Kijong-Dong Village
8. North Korea is the only country that standardizes hairstyles for its citizens, with 28 styles. Among these, there are 18 hairstyles for women and 10 for men. North Korean men are required to adhere to a long list of regulations regarding their hair. Specifically, men’s hair should not exceed 5 cm in length, and they must get a haircut every 15 days. Older men in North Korea may keep their hair slightly longer but not exceeding 7 cm.
9. The late leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kim Il-sung, was born on the day the Titanic sank (April 15, 1912).
10. In 1970, North Korea agreed to purchase 1,000 Volvo 144s from Sweden, a neutral country. Many rumors suggest that Pyongyang did not pay for this shipment. These Volvos are now used as taxis for a select few wealthy individuals in the city.
11. In many locations across North Korea, matches from the 2014 World Cup were shown to the public, albeit 24 to 36 hours after the actual games took place.
North Koreans watching the 2014 World Cup with a delay of over an hour
12. Computers in North Korea use a proprietary operating system called Red Star OS, developed by the Korea Computer Center based in the capital, Pyongyang, and based on the open-source Linux operating system. Red Star uses a browser named Naenara, a modified version of Firefox, along with other customizations like Wine that allows users to run Windows 3.1 applications.
Red Star OS interface in North Korea
13. In North Korea, only military personnel and government officials are allowed to own private cars.
14. The National Aerospace Development Administration of North Korea is known as NADA, which means “nothing” in Spanish.
15. The late Chairman Kim Il-sung once declared: “Pants are a garment for men.” To honor their leader, North Korean women are loyal to dresses, ranging from modern skirts to traditional outfits with long, flowing skirts. A law banning women from wearing pants has existed since the 1970s, and North Korean leadership has approved a decree stating: “It is strictly forbidden for women to wear pants in public or in the workplace,” particularly jeans, which are associated with American culture.
North Koreans are prohibited from wearing jeans
16. North Korean parliamentary elections are held every 5 years. The North Korean parliament convenes 1-2 times a year to approve budgets proposed by the government or to review important policies. Each electoral district in North Korea has only one candidate selected by the state, and voters are only allowed to mark “agree” on the ballot.
17. North Korea rents out labor forces to work in Siberia in an effort to earn foreign currency, and the military also uses numerous goods and equipment from the Soviet era.
18. North Koreans do not celebrate birthdays on July 8 and December 17 as these are the two days on which Chairman Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il respectively passed away.
19. North Korea has the largest army in the world (including active, reserve, and paramilitary forces) with a total of 7.7 million personnel. The United States has about 1.5 million active-duty soldiers.
20. The North Korean calendar is based on the birth date of the late leader Kim Il-sung, April 15, 1912. According to this calendar, this year in North Korea is year 108, not 2020.
21. Throughout the 1990s, all teachers were required to learn to play the accordion.
An accordion class in Pyongyang, North Korea.
22. North Korea has three television channels, of which only two broadcast on weekends, while the third is only available in the afternoon.
23. Tourists are not allowed to use won. While most countries prefer tourists to use their local currency for expenses, North Korea is an exception. Although won is the local currency, foreign visitors must use one of three currencies: euro, USD, or Chinese yuan, with a preference for euros. Notably, taking won out of North Korea is illegal.
24. You can only enter North Korea from two countries. Tourists wishing to enter North Korea can only travel from Russia or China, where they can obtain a North Korean visa. Some cities in China have flights to North Korea, but the quickest route is from Beijing. In Russia, tourists can only fly from Vladivostok, a rather isolated city. Additionally, for scenic views along the way, tourists can opt to take a train from Beijing.
25. A unique time zone. As of August 15, North Korea has its own time zone named after the capital, Pyongyang Time, which is 30 minutes behind Japan Time, or GMT+08:30.
26. Exit visas: North Korea and Israel are two countries that do not stamp visitors’ passports, instead issuing a separate paper visa. The visa process for Mar Pages and their companions is conducted through a travel company in Beijing. After the trip, you will find no stamp indicating entry into North Korea in your passport.
27. Making international phone calls is prohibited: Mobile phones are not particularly rare in North Korea. However, local citizens are not allowed to make calls outside the country or even to foreigners within North Korea. All local SIM cards only permit domestic calls.
28. Hot water bathing at home is not possible: There is no hot water supply in North Korean households, so residents often visit public bathhouses. Additionally, there is no central heating system for homes in winter, and residents must use wood stoves to stay warm.
29. Foreigners are not allowed to take photos or even speak with locals without permission: A local citizen will not be imprisoned or executed for conversing with a foreigner. However, if you attempt to talk to someone or take photos of locals, they may flee. Tourists are also prohibited from photographing anything in the vicinity. Accompanying tour guides will prevent you from taking pictures, especially of military-related subjects.
