“Ask a North Korean” is an NK News series featuring interviews with and columns by North Korean defectors, most of whom left the DPRK within the last few years.

Readers may submit their questions for defectors by emailing [email protected] and including their first name and city of residence.

Today’s question is about North Koreans stay cool during the summer when few have air conditioners.

Joshua Kim (a pseudonym) — who was born and raised in North Korea and lived there until he defected in 2019 — writes about what people eat to beat the heat, working at night, fighting wildfires and more.

Got a question for Joshua? Email it to [email protected] with your name and city. We’ll be publishing the best ones.

In recent years, summer and winter have gotten longer on the Korean Peninsula, shortening spring and autumn and bringing more extreme temperatures. In 2018, for example, a heat wave across North Korea saw temperatures at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) for several days.

Air conditioners are not widespread in North Korea, and homes that have air conditioners cannot use them as they wish due to heavy restrictions and unstable electricity. Thus the most popular way to stay cool in North Korea is a solar-powered handheld fan — even if they blow (mostly) hot air.

Many North Koreans will seek relief from the heat by making lots of cold cucumber soup, a summer food that has been around for a long time. Cucumber is thought to cool the body and hydrate. Slicing cucumbers and adjusting the saltiness with soy sauce or salt is one method of replenishing moisture and salt lost through sweat. 

There is also another must-eat food for North Koreans who wish to pass the hottest summer days safely, which people in other countries might find difficult to understand — dog meat.

It is not difficult in North Korea to find a restaurant specializing in preparing and selling dog meat, and the delicacy is particularly popular in the summer. There is a saying: “If dog meat soup even just drips on the back of your foot you will be able to withstand the heat.” 

Usually, people living in rural areas and detached houses will have more than one dog on average. In the past, when raising dogs in rural houses, they would be raised without a leash, and natural breeding took place as dogs roamed around the village, but nowadays one cannot see dogs roaming around. Dogs became precious as they were recognized as the best food to relieve the heat in hungry times. 

Since North Korea has the largest number of active-duty soldiers compared to its population, I cannot help but touch upon the summer life of soldiers. When he led the country, Kim Jong Il ordered that the North Korean military feed its soldiers dog meat in commemoration of July 27, the end of the Korean War. 

Because of this, there is this conventional wisdom in the North today that dog meat must be eaten before July 27. Many larger dog breeds are popular throughout the country.

MIDDAY BREAK

North Korea will also adjust work schedules to beat the heat. On a scorching hot day, soldiers may retreat inside for a siesta, or at the very least do work and training in the shade. In addition, they might be required to conduct their daily routines of work or training by lamplight at night and sleep throughout the day. 

Since North Korea mostly operates under a collective labor system, the ruling Workers’ Party sometimes determines working hours based on daytime temperatures during a heat wave. When a heat warning is issued, North Koreans may also rest during the hottest hours of the day, but are expected to make up the hours when it’s cooler — usually in the early mornings or later evenings.

Wildfires are said to be directly related to climate change, but North Korea seems to be an exception. Although wildfires do often occur due to the climate, in my time there I did not see or hear of wildfires spreading so much that they became a problem. 

This is not because North Korea has good equipment for extinguishing wildfires, or because it has taken thorough precautions. Most of North Korea consists of bare mountains because people in rural areas and some in cities still use wood as fuel. 

Except for special areas in the DPRK, all places that people frequent are bare mountains. When a forest fire occurs on such a mountain, authorities mobilize all local residents and soldiers to extinguish the fire. 

Fortunately, the forests are not thick so people can extinguish them in this way. In addition, due to the nature of the North Korean system, it is possible to suspend the work of all residents in the region and recruit enough people to extinguish forest fires in a short period of time. Local residents, soldiers and even high school students are expected to help.

Edited by Arius Derr