North Korea has been a topic of discussion in the world media day in and day out lately.
Threats to use its nuclear weapons, which the Koreans have recently acquired, have puzzled not only their nearest neighbours, but also the whole world.
The DPRK leader is actively playing with his muscles. He organises military parades and demonstrates his military potential to everyone. Some people are frightened by this, while others simply laugh. It is easy to get confused in this mess of news about Korea. Which of these are true and which are misconceptions?
In the following selection of facts, we’ll help you make sense of it all and take a closer look at this extraordinary country.
- The North Korean government has legislated against any attempt to take pictures of the poor. It is afraid to spread the word that most of the population lives on the edge of poverty.
2- Have you ever thought about being banned from buying a car? Only the military and government officials have them here.
- Are the experiments of British scientists funny to you? Not really. Compared to their North Korean counterparts, they are really on the case. These scientists claim to have found an ancient unicorn lair. They claim it was ridden by an ancient Korean king a couple of thousand years ago.
- But North Korea has the world’s biggest stadium. Its name is Rangrado, named after the 1st of May. It is located in Pyongyang and seats about 1.5 million people.
- Kyong-dong is a city built for refugees from South Korea. There are still no refugees, and none are coming.
- You’ve probably heard of NASA. Koreans, on the other hand, only know NADA, the North Korean space agency. Amazing similarity in names.
- Religion and pornography are outlawed in North Korea. Both are considered offences punishable by firing squad.
- Kim Jong-un remained the only member of his family name after he shot his uncle and his family.
- North Korea has a piracy business. In 1968, the Koreans captured the American spy ship Pueblo. It’s still in Pyongyang harbour.
- Dreaming of legalising marijuana like in the Netherlands? Go to North Korea! It is quite legal here.
- Can’t live without football? Koreans can. The 2014 FIFA World Cup matches were broadcast on a 24-hour delay. They were checked to see if they could be aired.
- What’s the most popular destination for tourism here? During the 60 years of hostility after Korea’s division, some 23,000 people escaped to the South. Only two to the North.
13.Did you want a hairstyle like your favourite actor? Koreans are only allowed 18 types of women’s haircuts and 10 types of men’s haircuts.
- Official Pyongyang says the DPRK is not communist. They are building the country according to the teachings of Juche, which was developed by Kim Il-sung.
- Do you like jeans? Your parents probably remember jeans. But Koreans don’t. They’re banned as a symbol of capitalist America.
- The border between North and South Korea is 238 kilometres long. It is the most protected area in the world.
- About one in a hundred Koreans work in a labour camp for the benefit of the state. About 200,000 of them. Did your grandfather ever tell you about his holidays in the gulag?
What do you think of North Korea? Maybe you’d like to go there for a day or two? Write your thoughts below and tell your friends about this wonderful country.
