前不久去因为工作的原因，去朝鲜玩呆了一个多月，想通过这篇文章分享一些我在朝鲜了解到的情况，希望能让你了解到一个最真实的朝鲜！
1. At present, the main travel to North Korea is to enter the country with a group, generally from Dandong to Pyongyang by train, the whole journey is about three days, live in the special foreign guest reception hotel in North Korea, eat North Korean specialties - cold noodles, ginseng chicken soup, etc., and visit North Korea's famous mountains and Pyongyang Square. Compared to other neighboring countries, traveling to North Korea is definitely a different experience.
2. In North Korea, there are indeed some incomprehensible positions with higher wages, such as assembly line workers. In some special economic zones in North Korea, the monthly salary of factory workers is generally between 400 and 600 yuan, which is relatively high compared to the average monthly salary of two or three hundred yuan in North Korea. In particular, North Korean workers in Korean-funded enterprises in the Kaesong Industrial Zone earn about 700-800 yuan per month. Some people may say that such a monthly salary income level is too low, but this is the truth, North Korea's monthly salary of seven or eight hundred is equivalent to seven or eight thousand or even higher in China, and of course it is matched by North Korea's ultra-low prices.
3. In addition to workers, the highest income in North Korea is none other than some athletes or literary and artistic workers who have won glory for the country, these people not only have high incomes, but also are deeply respected by the people in North Korea and enjoy some privileges. For example, some athletes can own private cars, some cast members can stay in five-star hotels, and so on. Their annual income level is much higher than that of ordinary people, and some of them who contribute more to the country have an annual salary plus allowances as high as tens of thousands of yuan.
4. As we all know, the DPRK currently implements a rationing system, and grain is distributed according to needs, but for many urban families, these rations are far from enough, and many workers' families will entrust people to go to the countryside to purchase staple grains such as rice and corn. Therefore, it is a well-known secret for North Korean farmers that the rest of the grain will be sold on the black market, except for the public grain handed over to the state, and the money exchanged for these grains is the most important additional income for an ordinary peasant family. However, due to the low income and low prices of rice and corn in the DPRK, the surplus grain of an ordinary peasant family is sold for about 600 yuan in a year, and the grain price can even reach about 800 yuan when the harvest is good.
5. The price of goods in North Korea is very cheap, taking fruits and vegetables as an example, according to the renminbi, a pound of potatoes is about 5 cents, a pound of high-quality apples is about 1 yuan, corn is even cheaper, 1 yuan can buy three catties, and pork is only three or four yuan a catty. In terms of snacks, a pack of French fries costs about 1 yuan, a bottle of Coke costs less than 2 yuan, and as for peanuts and melon seeds, the price may be less than one-sixth of that in China. If you say that 100 yuan is not enough to invite guests to eat in China, but in North Korea, the cost of a meal is about 10-15 yuan to invite three or four friends to the restaurant, and a bottle of Datongjiang beer, the most famous beer in North Korea, is about 1.5 yuan.
6. For North Koreans, the car is a tall existence. In North Korea, ordinary people are not allowed to buy small cars, and even if they can, very few people can afford them. The people who drive cars in North Korea are generally public servants or athletes or literary and artistic workers who have contributed to the country, followed by foreigners in North Korea, and taxis. As a result, there are almost no traffic jams on the streets of North Korea, and there are more buses than cars. Therefore, our daily commute by car or self-drive is absolutely unthinkable for North Koreans.
7. In the Sinuiju Development Zone on the opposite side of the Yalu River, it is a special economic zone in North Korea, which has many Chinese-funded enterprises, in the recruitment information of these enterprises, we can probably estimate that the salary level of an ordinary factory assembly line employee is basically between 300-450 yuan, and the salary is relatively fixed. The higher salaries are for technicians or managers in factories, with salaries ranging from 800 to 1,500 RMB, and there are few jobs that exceed 2,000 RMB.
8. The Kaesong Industrial Zone near the 38th parallel is an industrial zone established by North Korea in imitation of China's Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, and the enterprises in it are mainly South Korean enterprises, and the income of employees here is generally much higher than that of other industrial zones. Generally, assembly line employees are about 600-800 yuan, technicians are paid between 1500-2500 yuan, and a large part of the management is Korean, so it is not surprising that the salary level is 3-50,000 yuan. Overall, the average income of workers in the Kaesong Industrial Zone is relatively high, but only a small fraction of the income exceeds 2,000 yuan.
9. There are many restrictions on traveling to North Korea with a group, such as not being able to take pictures in front of the leader's statue, mobile phones can not access the Internet, etc., although the tour brochure indicates that you cannot communicate with the local people, but if you play in the square in Pyongyang, there will still be many North Koreans who come to talk to you, for them, it is a relatively rare thing to meet foreigners. Due to the fact that North Korea prohibits people from traveling abroad, and because of the blockage of television and newspaper information, many people are still interested in the outside world.
10. In my conversations with several young people in the local area, they are most interested in the income of Chinese work. In North Korea, workers generally earn about 300 to 400 yuan a month, and when I told them that China's wages are 3,000 or 4,000 yuan, they expressed envy. There was even a young man who asked if we could watch movies on our mobile phones, whether everyone in China had a car, etc., these seemingly childish questions actually reflected the North Korean people's yearning for the outside world.
11. In fact, in the process of communicating with the people of North Korea, you will find that apart from movies and music, North Koreans know very little about the mainland. In addition, the GDP of the mainland, the high-speed rail of the mainland, and the cities of the mainland, they are not very clear, but these people are happy to listen to me share with them about China. They only know that China is a big country and friends who have fought side by side with each other. In North Korea's primary school textbooks, China is referred to as "our glorious neighbor."
12. At present, you can only go to North Korea with a group, and individuals are not allowed to travel to North Korea without permission, even after traveling to Pyongyang with a group, some actions must be under the command of the tour guide. Do not leave your hotel or group without permission, and do not come into contact with ordinary North Koreans. I want to explain here that the consequences of leaving the group without permission are more serious, even if you lose it with the group, it is more troublesome, unless you know Korean, because in North Korea you use a local area network, your mobile phone has no signal, and it is very troublesome to get lost.
13. Remember not to bring American and Korean items when traveling to North Korea. The United States and South Korea do not mean that the goods produced in these two countries must not be used, but that the symbols of these two countries, such as magazines and audio-visual products, cannot appear. Anyway, it is best not to carry electronic products from these two countries, especially when entering the border inspection, your iPhone may be asked to be opened, and the border guards will go through the contents. One thing to note is that in North Korea, you can't call South Korea directly, but "South Korea," which is probably the most taboo point for North Koreans.
14. North Korea is a typical agricultural production country, similar to the southern part of the mainland, and the main food crop is rice. But much of North Korea's land is not suitable for growing food, and mountainous areas make up about 80 percent of the country's land area. In addition to rice, corn is the most important food crop in the country, and if you take a train from Dandong to Pyongyang, you will find endless corn all the way, which is spectacular! In North Korea, corn is as important as rice and pork, because it is easy to grow, in the countryside here, corn is favored by many farmers, whether it is in the mountains and fields, everywhere corn fields, which is also the most important source of income for North Korean farmers.
15. Since 1953, the DPRK has implemented free medical care. In other words, ordinary people do not have to spend a penny to go to the hospital to see a doctor, which is by no means a slogan, but a real existence. Whether it is a small cold or fever or a major surgery, as long as you are a North Korean resident, you can enjoy free medical care, and even dental visits are free. Some netizens once joked that the North Korean people never know how much medicine and surgery costs when they see a doctor. Due to the implementation of free medical care for all in North Korea, it is understood that the average life expectancy in North Korea is 73 years for men and 77 years for women, which is higher than the current average life expectancy of Chinese people of 72 years.
16. North Korea implements free education, from primary school to university, tuition and miscellaneous fees are free, and after graduating from university, the state will arrange jobs, so there is no need to worry about finding a job. Such an education system allows North Koreans to enjoy the advantages of higher education, while also training a large number of professionals for the country. North Koreans have a clear plan and expectations for their future, and they believe that with the guidance and support of the state, they can achieve their ideals and goals.
17. Bicycles can be found everywhere in the streets and alleys of the capital, Pyongyang, and almost every North Korean family owns a bicycle. This is because the North Korean government attaches great importance to transportation and environmental protection, and they believe that bicycles are an energy-saving, environmentally friendly, healthy and economical means of transportation. North Koreans like to go out on bicycles for travel, shopping and entertainment, and they feel that this way they can enjoy the scenery and atmosphere of the city, and they can also exercise and enhance friendship. North Koreans have a deep love and respect for bicycles, and they see them as a culture and art.
18. In North Korea, the accordion is not only an art, but also a culture, containing the history and traditions of the Korean people. North Koreans see accordion learning as a big deal, and for them, it not only improves their aesthetic ability and creativity, but also strengthens their physical and mental health and social skills. In North Korea, whether it is a school teacher or an employee, one of the favorite things to do in their spare time is to learn the accordion, and it is enviable to be able to play the accordion beautifully. Koreans have a deep affection and respect for the accordion, which they consider to be a sacred and precious gift that can only be possessed after rigorous training and examination. As a result, North Koreans have high expectations for learning the accordion, and they want to show their talent and style through the accordion.
19. Smartphones are very popular in North Korea. On the streets of Pyongyang, there are more and more "low-headed people", especially young North Koreans, and owning a smartphone is an enviable thing. North Korea's smartphones are all domestically made "Arirang" mobile phones, which are also Android systems, and their functions are not much different from the mobile phones we use.
20. The most concerning thing is the housing in North Korea, where both men and women can apply for housing free of charge from the state as long as they get married, generally in buildings of about 80-150 square meters, and rural residents will be built by the state for free. It is also worth mentioning that the housing allocated by the state for free is not a rough house, but a renovated house that is directly moved in, which even has furniture and household appliances, and is free for life, and even water, electricity and gas are supplied uniformly, without additional costs. Of course, there is also a more humane point, that is, when transferring jobs, the original allocated housing will be repossessed by the state, and after the new workplace, the state will allocate new housing.