Icy streets and cold noodles: North Korea's brutal winters — in photos



Photos Icy streets and cold noodles: North Korea’s brutal winters — in photos Heavy snow transforms the country into a scenic winter wonderland, but freezing temperatures also bring new hardships NK News December 25, 2021 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON NK News (Jan. 29, 2017) \| A school and the immediate village around it is covered in snow in Jaggang province. The sign reads, “Long live our country’s socialism." Winters in North Korea are long and bitterly cold. Average temperatures range from -13 C to -3 C (9 to 27 F) during the chilliest months, and snow often blankets the ground. State media reported that temperatures on Christmas morning would drop to as low as -18 C in Pyongyang, -26 C in Rason and -40 C on Mount Paektu. Covered in soft white snow, the villages, towns and mountainous landscapes of the country are indeed postcard picturesque, but such conditions can also be unsympathetically inhospitable. Daily life is often brutally harsh, as many have to do laundry in frozen rivers and suffer from shortages of electricity and gasoline. Despite this, the cold also brings opportunities for people to get together for winter activities like skiing and ice skating. The photos in this gallery show various aspects of daily life in North Korea — from icy streets, drafty apartments and winter celebrations, to frozen rivers that hold out the promise of freedom. People fill up pails and cans with water in a village by the Yalu River, which separates Jilin province in China and Ryanngang province in the DPRK. Few homes in either cities or rural areas have a direct supply of potable water, and while villages do have wells, the water freezes during the winter. \| Image: NK News (Jan. 29, 2017) Two women, wrapped in what are likely the warmest clothes they own, do laundry during a snowstorm by the Yalu River that borders Jilin Province in China. Villages that border the Yalu River tend to do laundry by the river year-round. \| Image: NK News (Jan. 29, 2017) A man digs a hole through a frozen river, possibly to draw fresh water or to fish, near Hyesan in Ryanngang province. \| Image: NK News (Feb. 3, 2017) Soldiers use a cart to transport wood near Chukchon village in Ryanggang province. As the country suffers from dire gasoline shortages, transporting goods in automobiles is often not possible, hence much of the labor is still manual. \| Image: NK News (Feb. 3, 2017) Boats that patrol the Yalu River separating China from the DPRK come to a standstill when the river freezes in winter \| Image: NK News (Feb. 2, 2017) But for some, a frozen surface means it is time to play. A boy slides around a frozen stream near Wonsan on a homemade sled. \| Image: NK News (Jan. 9, 2018) Wrapped in their warmest clothes, people walk on an icy sidewalk in Pyongyang as snow falls. Away from rural areas, the severe cold does not spare even richer cities with relatively better infrastructure. \| Image: NK News (Jan. 9, 2018) A woman pushes a cart of snow through the streets of Pyongyang. Transportation in North Korea can be slow and inefficient at the best of times, and it only gets worse in winter. Workers must shovel ice from roads and sidewalks regularly as it can snow for days. \| Image: NK News (Nov. 24, 2018) Patches of ice coat the Pyongyang-Kaesong Motorway, also knows as the Reunification Highway, that connects Pyongyang with the Joint Security Area in the DMZ on the border with South Korea \| Image: NK News (Jan. 12, 2018) Men take a break from shoveling snow on a road in Samjiyon \| Image: Eric Lafforgue (May 3, 2010) An apartment building in Pyongyang, where residents have insulated some windows with simple plastic sheets to keep polar winds out. The apartments do have ondol, or traditional Korean floor heating, but acute electricity shortages means these are frequently useless. \| Image: NK News (Feb. 3, 2017) A guide warms his hand over a heater at a homestay near Mt. Chilbo in North Hamgyong province \| Image: Eric Lafforgue (May 7, 2010) Women make shoes at the Ryuwon Footwear Factory in Pyongyang. Although the room is equipped with central heating, it appears that it may not be working as the women are still wearing their thick, warm winter coats. \| Image: NK News (Nov. 25, 2019) A military guide at the top of Mount Paektu. As winter approaches, the uniforms of military personnel and law enforcement also change. The DPRK government provides them with high-quality thick fur jackets and fur caps styled like Russian ushanka hats. \| Image: Eric Lafforgue (Sep. 18, 2011) A fresco at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang. Even propaganda is not devoid of winter scenes, be it the renowned Mass Games or works of art. Here, former President Kim Il Sung wears a winter jacket with fur collars and an ushanka hat, while soldiers respectfully look up to him. \| Image: Eric Lafforgue (Sep. 7, 2008) Naengmyeon, a soup made with buckwheat noodles, radish, cucumber and boiled eggs and topped with mustard and vinegar, is now consumed in both Koreas, but the dish is said to have originated in the north. Koreans now eat the dish even in summer to beat the heat, but originally it was a winter food because it had to be consumed chilled and there was no refrigeration or ice in the old days. North Korean refugees and defectors who have escaped to the South are passionately nostalgic about this unique dish, and many claim the best renditions are still found north of the DMZ. \| Image: NK News (Oct. 29, 2019) Two girls enjoy a tender moment ice skating in Sariwon. Winter in the DPRK is not only harsh and brutal. There is also time for respite, camaraderie and recreation. \| Image: NK News (Jan. 12, 2018) Two men, one smoking a cigarette, ice skate in Sariwon \| Image: NK News (Jan. 12, 2018) Men sit on wooden stools as they ice fish on the Taedong River in Pyongyang \| Image: NK News (Dec. 29, 2017) Students and those who can afford it can enjoy skiing and ice skating at Masikryong Ski Resort near Wonsan in the DPRK. Built under current leader Kim Jong Un, it has various ski runs, an ice-skating rink, skiing school, spas, karaoke rooms and accommodation. NK News analysis of satellite imagery showed that the resort was prepping to receive tourists this year despite the pandemic. \| Image: NK News (Jan. 13, 2018) North Koreans gather around an ice sculpture at Kim Il Square in Pyongyang \| Image: NK News (Jan. 1, 2017) Residents of Pyongyang gather at Kim Il Sung Square to watch a fireworks display over the Juche Tower across the Taedong River in Pyongyang, as the country rings in the new year \| Image: NK News (Dec. 21, 2021) Winter is not just about survival within the country. For some who wish to escape the brutal regime, it is a time of hope. As the Yalu River freezes, it becomes easier for would-be defectors to cross over into China. In the last two years, however, the DPRK has tightened border controls in response to the pandemic, making it all but impossible for people to escape. \| Image: NK News (Jan. 23, 2017) Culture Defector Issues Human Security / Human Rights Winters in North Korea are long and bitterly cold. Average temperatures range from -13 C to -3 C (9 to 27 F) during the chilliest months, and snow often blankets the ground. State media reported that temperatures on Christmas morning would drop to as low as -18 C in Pyongyang, -26 C in Rason and -40 C on Mount Paektu. Covered in soft white snow, the villages, towns and mountainous landscapes of the country are indeed postcard picturesque, but such conditions can also be unsympathetically inhospitable. Daily life is often brutally harsh, as many have to do laundry in frozen rivers and suffer from shortages of electricity and gasoline. Despite this, the cold also brings opportunities for people to get together for winter activities like skiing and ice skating. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Photos

Icy streets and cold noodles: North Korea’s brutal winters — in photos

Heavy snow transforms the country into a scenic winter wonderland, but freezing temperatures also bring new hardships

NK News December 25, 2021

Icy streets and cold noodles: North Korea’s brutal winters — in photos

NK News (Jan. 29, 2017) | A school and the immediate village around it is covered in snow in Jaggang province. The sign reads, “Long live our country’s socialism."

Winters in North Korea are long and bitterly cold. Average temperatures range from -13 C to -3 C (9 to 27 F) during the chilliest months, and snow often blankets the ground. State media reported that temperatures on Christmas morning would drop to as low as -18 C in Pyongyang, -26 C in Rason and -40 C on Mount Paektu.

Covered in soft white snow, the villages, towns and mountainous landscapes of the country are indeed postcard picturesque, but such conditions can also be unsympathetically inhospitable. Daily life is often brutally harsh, as many have to do laundry in frozen rivers and suffer from shortages of electricity and gasoline. Despite this, the cold also brings opportunities for people to get together for winter activities like skiing and ice skating.

The photos in this gallery show various aspects of daily life in North Korea — from icy streets, drafty apartments and winter celebrations, to frozen rivers that hold out the promise of freedom.