Ask A North Korean
Your chance to ask questions to North Koreans about life growing up in the DPRK
Ask a North Korean: How does North Korea fight forest fires?
A defector writes about being mobilized to create firebreaks and how a lack of resources stifles fire response
Ask a North Korean: How did you celebrate Mother’s Day?
The relatively new holiday is now a popular occasion to give gifts, while promoting the regime’s ideal of family life
Ask a North Korean: What was it like to watch military parades in North Korea?
Defector shares why soldiers want to participate in these events and how outsiders should interpret the spectacle
Ask a North Korean: What was your first experience of democratic elections like?
A defector writes about the right to criticize leaders, voting for the first time and what he’s learned about democracy
Ask A North Korean: What is the function of the state run daily Rodong Sinmun?
A defector describes what he learned from reading the newspaper every day and how it differs from South Korean dailies
Ask A North Korean: What is the role of ‘People’s Units’ in North Korea
Rose shares her experience dealing with ‘inminban’ and the role they play in the lives of everyday North Koreans
Ask a North Korean: What stereotypes are there for different DPRK regions?
From ‘Water Province’ to ‘Robber Province,’ a defector explains nickname origins and why Pyongyang is like a movie set
Ask a North Korean: What’s the biggest falsehood you’ve heard about the DPRK?
A defector writes about claims of underground North Korean churches and what faith is really like under Kim family rule
Ask a North Korean: What is one item you wished you could have brought with you?
A defector writes about her memories of loved ones and what she regrets leaving behind that still impacts her today
Ask A North Korean: How do North Koreans manage their time?
Rose writes about how ‘unimportant’ the concept of time is to citizens and why punctuality is not a thing in North Korea
