Every week we ask a North Korean your questions, giving you the chance to learn more about the country we know so little about.

This week Lachlan in Australia asks:

Where do North Koreans normally buy things from? Where do they get electrical appliances, for example? Are there shops near most towns or do some have to go looking for things?

It is often said that the North Korean economy is a catastrophe and that as long as the Kims are in power, things will never improve. But if that’s true, why has the North Korean regime never collapsed, even despite