Ask A North Korean
Your chance to ask questions to North Koreans about life growing up in the DPRK
Ask a North Korean: What do North Koreans know about medieval Korean history?
“North Korea draws parallels between the kings of the past and the Kims of the present.”
Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans think their country is the world’s best?
“Nobody honestly thinks North Korea is the best country in the world. If you live in poverty, how could you?”
Ask a North Korean: Why do some North Koreans defect via Russia and not China?
“North Korean workers are eager to go to Russia. In North Korea, they’d be working all year long for meager wages.”
Ask a North Korean: What do North Koreans know about Muslims, mosques or Islam?
“Let alone mosques, there aren’t really any churches, monasteries or temples in North Korea.”
Ask a North Korean: Are North Koreans good swimmers?
“Smugglers from Hyesan are so good at swimming that they could probably win gold in the Olympics”
Ask a North Korean: Do North Koreans use dating apps like Tinder or OKCupid?
"Even holding hands in public — let alone anything like Tinder — is frowned upon as anti-socialist behavior"
Ask a North Korean: Do rich and poor North Koreans hate each other?
"Those with money view those without it as non-human ... They work those beneath them like slaves."
Ask a North Korean: How popular is soccer in North Korea?
"The World Cup and the Olympics are far beyond the daily concerns of many because they live such harsh lives"
Ask a North Korean: How restricted is movement in North Korea?
"Regardless of where they're from, people can only move around the country if they possess the relevant documentation"
Ask a North Korean: how do defectors keep contact with relatives in the North?
"North Korea is sealed off from the rest of the world, but defectors are able to make contact"
