Like many temporary visitors to the DPRK who had lived in South Korea for a long time, I immediately grasped the meaning of an old Korean saying: namnam puknyeo, “the most beautiful Korean women are from the North, the most beautiful Korean men are from the South.”

Indeed, in Pyongyang I found myself surrounded by rather mediocre men and exceptionally pretty women, though this rule was not without significant exceptions.

MEN OF KOREAS: THE HANDSOME AND NOT SO

In my view, an average North Korean man looks less impressive than his better-fed, better