How big is Seoul compared to Pyongyang? What is the size of average salaries in these two countries? And why people in North Korea cannot buy cars?
People who study Korean culture seem to believe that “everyone likes talking about North Korea because you can say anything about it.”
However, news like Kim Jong-un using a flamethrower to burn one of his ministers or the announcement about the successful landing on the Sun can’t be proved.
Let’s shed some light on the life of ordinary people from North Korea in comparison to South Korea. The division of Korea has had a huge impact on life in both countries for sure. At the end of this video, there is a little bonus waiting for you explaining why marijuana is legal in North Korea.
– The territory of Pyongyang is 1233 square miles, and the area of Seoul is 233 square miles. The population of the first is 3.2 million people, while the population of the latter is 9.86 million.
– Two cities share a common panorama on the Han River, and the views from the opposite riverbanks are pretty much the same. Although suicide rates are quite high in South Korea, and bridge jumping is not uncommon.
– Did you know that North Korea has the largest stadium in the world? It has 150,000 seats and is used for different kinds of sports. Also, it owns the world’s largest flagpole, which, of course, holds the North Korean flag.
– It is interesting to know that people in North Korea do not pay housing and communal services bills: apartments are given to them for free after their marriage registration.
– As for fashion, there are many false myths about it in North Korea: for example, a woman can’t wear pants, or there’s only a certain number of approved haircuts. Fairly fashionable clothes can be bought in the international supermarkets (for the rich people) or from sellers in China.
– Education in North Korea is based on one year of preparatory school and ten years of compulsory studying. After that, young geniuses and rich kids enter universities, and the rest of the students start looking for a job.
– As you can see, 70 years can’t erase old habits. What is the average salary that North Koreans make? You’ll be surprised, but it’s about $3 a day with tickets for food. Hmm, not much actually. The average salary in the south is about 1,000 times more. That is much better!
– The bright and energetic K-pop shocked defectors from the north as well as the rest of the world. K-pop, also known as Korean pop, is a music genre with many audiovisual elements. It is a mix of all world popular music genres with traditional Korean music roots on the top.
– There is no famine in North Korea, but a shortage of fruits and vegetables is obvious, which is why apples and cabbages are very popular. Obviously, not good news for those who can’t live without fruits. The lack of protein-rich foods influences the average person’s height in comparison to South Koreans what we have already spoken about.
– North Korea may be called the most closed and secretive country in the world, but you don’t have to believe every myth about it. We have all seen a photograph of the Korean Peninsula from space, where North Korea is a completely dark spot. However, if you have a closer look, you’ll see Vladivostok (the Eastern Russian city) and several cities in China seem to be deleted, too.
