Ask a North Korean: What’s different about food in North and South Korea? | NK News
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September 22, 2026Sep 22, 2026

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Ask A North Korean

Ask a North Korean: What’s different about food in North and South Korea?

Most in DPRK worry about whether they can eat rather than what, but some dishes still elicit nostalgia for defectors

“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 asks what are the differences between the foods in North and South Korea and what foods from the North you miss the most.

Jin — who was born and raised in North Korea and lived there until she defected in 2014 — writes about food scarcity, the dishes that North