The following article is the thirteenth in a multipart series by Taylor Darby, a pseudonym for a foreign diplomat that worked in Pyongyang for an extended period of time before being forced to leave in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Views expressed in columns are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

Among my circle, it was common practice in Pyongyang’s foreigner community for those about to leave the country to share three good and three bad things about their time in North Korea, whether over drinks or in casual conversation. 

The things that