Memories of Pyongyang: Citizens and expats reminisce about N. Korea life | NK News
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September 18, 2026Sep 18, 2026

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Memories of Pyongyang: Citizens and expats reminisce about N. Korea life

Expats and defectors share their most memorable experiences about life in Pyongyang

There’s not much of an expat scene in Pyongyang, and short of a small community of diplomats, aid workers and businessmen, not many foreigners to speak of at all.

Of course, North Korea is hardly a society open to outsiders, and it’s in the government’s interest that its people are kept shielded from foreigners and foreign ideas. Except for a select few, the overwhelming majority of citizens will never so much as see a non-North Korean their entire lives.

Despite this, like with everything in North Korea, things are changing, and an increasing number of non-citizens now live and work