Ask A North Korean
Your chance to ask questions to North Koreans about life growing up in the DPRK
Ask a North Korean: How do North Koreans deal with trash and recycling?
A defector writes about differences between rural and urban waste management and how some trash is treated as precious
Fear from a vibrating cellphone: A North Korean defector’s tale of grief
Because of my mother’s earlier defection, my social status in North Korea was forever tainted
Ask a North Korean: What do North Koreans do on the weekend?
A defector writes about spending Saturdays at self-criticism sessions and the boredom of rest days
Ask a North Korean: Why North Koreans don’t trust state weather forecasts
A defector writes about the costs of inaccurate info and how the country’s citizens respond to yellow dust storms
Ask a North Korean: What do you make of the rise of Kim Jong Un’s daughter?
A defector says many North Koreans likely see her as a symbol of nepotism who has stolen the ‘parent of the people’
Ask a North Korean: What happens when you get injured and can’t work?
A defector recalls the challenges he faced after a bike accident, including demands that he pay to take time off
Ask a North Korean: How did you learn about major events like Party Congresses?
While a lucky few get the honor of attending, everyone else faces the unenviable task of memorizing new policies
Ask a North Korean: What are school vacations like in the DPRK?
Students get time off in summer and winter, but requirements to collect scraps and even feces means they can’t relax
Ask a North Korean: What is it like to work on a construction site in the DPRK?
A former construction worker shares a day in the life, from long commutes and abusive bosses to workplace hazards
Ask a North Korean: How did North Koreans react to Kim Jong Il’s death?
While Kim Il Sung’s death triggered shock and sorrow, citizens could muster little more than crocodile tears for his son
