Frozen fingers and toxic fumes: How North Koreans endure the brutal winter cold



Analysis Frozen fingers and toxic fumes: How North Koreans endure the brutal winter cold Efforts to stay warm run up against fuel scarcity, while traditional coal briquettes can lead to poisoning deaths James Fretwell February 8, 2023 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Eric Lafforgue (May 3, 2010) The Korean Peninsula was battered by a wave of freezing weather this winter. But while most South Koreans kept toasty in modern apartments and office buildings, many North Koreans are forced to rely on poor heating methods in a potentially deadly struggle against the cold. North Korea’s central radio broadcaster issued extreme cold weather warnings for the entire country in late January. Pyongyang reportedly dropped to -2 F (-19 C), while the northern regions were forecast to plunge to below -20 degrees F (-30 C). The Korean Peninsula was battered by a wave of freezing weather this winter. But while most South Koreans kept toasty in modern apartments and office buildings, many North Koreans are forced to rely on poor heating methods in a potentially deadly struggle against the cold. North Korea’s central radio broadcaster issued extreme cold weather warnings for the entire country in late January. Pyongyang reportedly dropped to -2 F (-19 C), while the northern regions were forecast to plunge to below -20 degrees F (-30 C). 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

Analysis

Frozen fingers and toxic fumes: How North Koreans endure the brutal winter cold

Efforts to stay warm run up against fuel scarcity, while traditional coal briquettes can lead to poisoning deaths

James Fretwell February 8, 2023

Frozen fingers and toxic fumes: How North Koreans endure the brutal winter cold

Eric Lafforgue (May 3, 2010)

The Korean Peninsula was battered by a wave of freezing weather this winter. But while most South Koreans kept toasty in modern apartments and office buildings, many North Koreans are forced to rely on poor heating methods in a potentially deadly struggle against the cold.

North Korea’s central radio broadcaster issued extreme cold weather warnings for the entire country in late January. Pyongyang reportedly dropped to -2 F (-19 C), while the northern regions were forecast to plunge to below -20 degrees F (-30 C).

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Frozen fingers and toxic fumes: How North Koreans endure the brutal winter cold

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