“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 about what it was like to watch military parades while living in North Korea.

Seonghyeon — who was born and raised in North Korea and lived there until he defected in 2019, previously using the pen name Joshua— writes about how everyday citizens perceive the military spectacle, why