Ask A North Korean
Your chance to ask questions to North Koreans about life growing up in the DPRK
Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans get tattoos?
Ink is common among older generations, but usually as a way to show loyalty rather than as a form of self-expression
Ask a North Korean: Can children in the DPRK express their creativity?
David, who defected in 2012, writes about discovering the joys of self-expression through his work as a YouTuber
Ask a North Korean: What I learned from visiting a DPRK restaurant abroad
A defector writes about his surreal meal at a North Korean restaurant in Laos and how it led him to reflect on his life
Ask A North Korean: Are there private academies and tutors in the DPRK?
North Koreans are passionate about education, and like in South Korea, a fever for private instruction has taken hold
Settling in Seoul: What do you think about critics of North Korean defectors?
A DPRK escapee talks about encountering people who question his testimony and how he learned to embrace his past
Ask a North Korean: What are ideological study sessions like?
A defector writes about taking notes for hours to prove her loyalty, memorizing the leader’s speeches and more
Ask a North Korean: How do North Koreans think about sexual and gender identity?
The regime does not acknowledge gay and transgender people, but that does not mean they don’t exist in the DPRK
Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans believe in God?
A DPRK escapee writes about the fatal consequences citizens face if they are found to worship the wrong religion
Ask a North Korean: What did you think when you saw Kim Jong Un’s daughter?
The young girl has joined her father at multiple events, and it’s clear that she’s far from a normal North Korean child
Ask a North Korean: What is it like to serve in North Korea’s army reserves?
All men must enlist in local forces in case of the outbreak of war, and training is often brutal and unpredictable
