Life in North Korea is heavily controlled and restricted, with most citizens living in poverty. Here are some key aspects of life in North Korea:
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Capital City: For citizens in the capital city of Pyongyang, life is generally better than in the countryside. However, North Koreans need permission to live in the capital, and the city is generally made up of people loyal to the party and those who have a higher position in society.
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Work: Most North Koreans dont have a say in their professions and are assigned a job. The North Korean government routinely and systematically requires forced, uncompensated labor from most of its population to control its people and sustain its economy. Women bring in more than 70% of household income because of their dominance in the unofficial market economy.
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Family Life: North Koreans typically marry between 27 and 30 and have several children. These days it is usually the father who takes care of the children while the mother works all day in a market or the private sector. Family and lineage are important to North Koreans, many of whom have family in South Korea that they can only see on limited occasions.
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Ideology: North Koreans are taught from a young age to worship leaders like Kim Jong Un as powerful gods. Ordinary citizens have no access to North Korea’s laws, which are vaguely worded and lack definitions. Law enforcement agencies and courts are controlled by the Workers’ Party of Korea, and connections and money are important determinants of whether one is detained or receives better treatment or shorter sentences.
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Leisure: People in North Korea do rest, spending their free time with their friends and relatives. North Koreans like cinema, especially Soviet films, although films made in the DPRK have a reputation for being dull. North Koreans also like visiting each other, dancing – often in the open air – and strolling.
