Adventure

20 Interesting Facts About North Korea (Insanely Weird!)

Posted on July 20, 2019

Want to know more about North Korea? These are 20 Interesting Facts that you probably didn’t know about the country! I want to challenge you as well.. How many of these 20 facts did you know BEFORE reading this? Count them and let me know!

1: It’s Year 107, Not 2019

The year isn’t 2019. The North Korean or Juche calendar was adopted in 1997 and begins with the year of Kim Il-sung’s date of birth (1912 – or Juche I to North Koreans.)

2: The Country Holds “Elections” Every 5 Years

Always with a lot of excitement, North Korea hands out ballots with only one option on them, so votes swing, you guessed it, 100% for the Leader.

3: There Are Few Working Traffic Lights

There are not many traffic lights in North Korea and they have been working off and on for at least seven years. The traffic girls are occasionally sidelined when the traffic lights are working.

4: No North Korea Stamp In Foreign Passports

In North Korea you don’t get a stamp in your passport and it actually makes it a lot easier in any Airport immigration afterwards! You get a separate visa that you have to deliver back when you exit the country.

5: North Korea’s Has The Only One-Star Airline In The World

North Korea has ‘The World’s Only One-Star Airline’, Air Koryo, run by the North Korean Government. See for yourself what it’s like to fly on Air Koryo — the worst airline in the world.

6: World’s Largest Stadium

The Rungnado May Day stadium in North Korea has more than 150,000 seats. To comparison Barcelona’s Camp Nou has a seating capacity of 99,354 and is the largest football stadium in Europe. Wow, just wow!

7: Kim Il-Sung is seen as the ‘Eternal Leader’

Kim Il-Sung will always be considered North Korea’s Eternal Leader, even though Kim Jong-Un is the Supreme Leader of North Korea now. Kim Il-Sung’s statue is raising the hand in the sky to the left.

8: Pyongyang Is Only For The Elite

Life in Pyongyang, North Korea (@gustavrosted)

The capital Pyongyang, one of North Korea’s only big cities, is home to around three million people, but only the elite. Only trustworthy, healthy, and loyal citizens can live there.

9: Kim Il-Sung Scammed Sweden For 1000 Cars

Kim Il-Sung scammed Sweden out of 1,000 Volvo 144 sedans in 1974, and to this date North Korea has never made the payment. Now I understand why he had this million dollar smile!

10: One Of The Largest Armies in the World

North Korea has one of the largest armies in the world. It is estimated by the U.S. State Department that they have an active-duty military force of up to 1.2 million personnel.

11: ‘Three Generations of Punishment Policy’

There is a ‘three generations of punishment policy’ in North Korea. The offender, along with his next two generations, has to bear the consequences of the offense.

12: North Korea has no taxes.

North Korea is one of the few countries in the world whose residents don’t pay any taxes. Taxation was abolished in 1974 as part of the “old world.” Only organizations and individuals who are making money outside the country are not released from it. However, everything might change soon: it is rumored that the government is planning to reintroduce income tax in the near future.

13: Kim Jong-un Is Unique

In North Korea, it’s officially forbidden to give children the name borne by their Leader. If a child had been named like this before his accession, the parents must urgently change the name!

14: They Have Their Own ‘Intranet’

In Kaesong in the southern part of North Korea. No cars, like walking back in time!

North Korea has their own intranet – “Kwangmyong.” It opened in 2000 and includes a browser, email, news and search capabilities. No open internet as it exists in other parts of the world.

15: North Koreans Are Convinced Korea Is One Country

If you take a political map of the world made in any other country, you’ll see both North and South Korea on it. However, North Koreans are certain that there is only one Korea: any school map shows a united country with the capital of Pyongyang.

16: They Only Have Three TV Channels

There are only 3 TV Channels in North Korea. Which leaves me wondering how many families might be in prison for illegally watching soap operas from South Korea..

17: North Korea Has Death Penalty

Death given are sentenced for distributing pornography, watching movies not approved by the governments and possessing Bibles.

North Korea one of the last six countries to still perform public executions after Saudi Arabia, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen.

18: Bill Gates Net Worth Is Three Times Larger Than NK

Bill Gates’ net worth is more than three times larger than North Korea’s annual GDP, as of 2017.

19: Almost Impossible To Walk Freely In North Korea

You need a guide to walk around North Korea as a tourist. I was extremely lucky to go during a special time, so I could walk around freely on several occasions. Watch this video on how it was possible for me.

20: Tourism Is A Very Small Part Of The Country’s Economy

Tourism is a very small part of the country’s economy. Due to government restrictions, only around 5,000 Western travelers per year make the trip. To compare London attracted 20.42 million international visitors in 2018. Big difference? Indeed so!

Goodbye North Korea and feel free to check out ‘The 8 Things You Should NEVER Do In North Korea.’