Ask A North Korean | NK News
NK News Logo
December 09, 2024

Ask A North Korean

Your chance to ask questions to North Koreans about life growing up in the DPRK

Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans get tattoos?

Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans get tattoos?

Ink is common among older generations, but usually as a way to show loyalty rather than as a form of self-expression

Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans get tattoos?
Joshua Kim January 2, 2024
Ask a North Korean: Can children in the DPRK express their creativity?

Ask a North Korean: Can children in the DPRK express their creativity?

David, who defected in 2012, writes about discovering the joys of self-expression through his work as a YouTuber

Ask a North Korean: Can children in the DPRK express their creativity?
David December 25, 2023
Ask a North Korean: What I learned from visiting a DPRK restaurant abroad

Ask a North Korean: What I learned from visiting a DPRK restaurant abroad

A defector writes about his surreal meal at a North Korean restaurant in Laos and how it led him to reflect on his life

Ask a North Korean: What I learned from visiting a DPRK restaurant abroad
Joshua Kim December 15, 2023
Ask A North Korean: Are there private academies and tutors in the DPRK?

Ask A North Korean: Are there private academies and tutors in the DPRK?

North Koreans are passionate about education, and like in South Korea, a fever for private instruction has taken hold

Ask A North Korean: Are there private academies and tutors in the DPRK?
Jin December 8, 2023
Settling in Seoul: What do you think about critics of North Korean defectors?

Settling in Seoul: What do you think about critics of North Korean defectors?

A DPRK escapee talks about encountering people who question his testimony and how he learned to embrace his past

Settling in Seoul: What do you think about critics of North Korean defectors?
David November 21, 2023
Ask a North Korean: What are ideological study sessions like?

Ask a North Korean: What are ideological study sessions like?

A defector writes about taking notes for hours to prove her loyalty, memorizing the leader’s speeches and more

Ask a North Korean: What are ideological study sessions like?
Rose November 10, 2023
Ask a North Korean: How do North Koreans think about sexual and gender identity?

Ask a North Korean: How do North Koreans think about sexual and gender identity?

The regime does not acknowledge gay and transgender people, but that does not mean they don’t exist in the DPRK

Ask a North Korean: How do North Koreans think about sexual and gender identity?
Joshua Kim November 2, 2023
Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans believe in God?

Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans believe in God?

A DPRK escapee writes about the fatal consequences citizens face if they are found to worship the wrong religion

Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans believe in God?
Rose October 17, 2023
Ask a North Korean: What did you think when you saw Kim Jong Un’s daughter?

Ask a North Korean: What did you think when you saw Kim Jong Un’s daughter?

The young girl has joined her father at multiple events, and it’s clear that she’s far from a normal North Korean child

Ask a North Korean: What did you think when you saw Kim Jong Un’s daughter?
Jin October 5, 2023
Ask a North Korean: What is it like to serve in North Korea’s army reserves?

Ask a North Korean: What is it like to serve in North Korea’s army reserves?

All men must enlist in local forces in case of the outbreak of war, and training is often brutal and unpredictable

Ask a North Korean: What is it like to serve in North Korea’s army reserves?
Joshua Kim September 29, 2023
1 2 3 4 5 6 31