Ask a North Korean Read online

  Jimin Kang:

  It is often said that the North Korean economy is a catastrophe and that as long as the Kims are in power, things will never improve. But if that’s true, why has the North Korean regime never collapsed, despite periods like the Great Famine, when hundreds of thousands of people died?

  While North Koreans once relied on the government for all food, consumer goods, appliances, and housing, you might be surprised to learn that it was actually the famine that would ultimately improve our livelihood and choices.

  I remember North Koreans who survived the Great Famine of the 1990s would often say things like: “The idiots have already gone. Only the survivors are left, the most strong-willed of all North Koreans who are capable of surviving famines again and again.”

  You see, it was the innocent people who were obedient to the government and did not try and figure things out for themselves who starved to death first during the Great Famine. Without a ready supply of food, the government was unable to protect common people, and as abject poverty built up, people started turning against even their cousins and relatives. Essentially, North Korean society became a cold, ruthless place, with no sympathy or compassion.

  During these difficult times, people had to figure out ways to survive by themselves. As a result, people naturally became attracted to capitalist ideas—values that they had never been taught about, but which could mean survival.

  Prior to the famine, North Korean markets were tiny places where farmers who worked on their collectively-owned farms sold vegetables, small animals, and seafood that they caught in rivers and ponds. People used to really view these places as basic farmers’ markets, primitive places with few goods available. But when the government cut off the public distribution system during the famine and people had to start fending for themselves, everyone rushed to the markets and began to trade their valuables to get food.

  At that time, I remember a North Korean TV broadcast showing old members of communist parties from Eastern Europe selling their party membership documents and medals in markets. The aim was to make enthusiastic North Korean party members angry or disgusted. But during that time the situation in North Korea was not very different from Eastern Europe, and as long as customers existed, people sold anything and everything they owned.

  Back then people were even happy to sell gifts given to them by people as senior as Kim Jong Il. As a result, even my father—a zealous party member—sold his television without hesitation, despite it being a direct gift from the government. Even watches and televisions with founding President Kim Il Sung’s name inscribed into them appeared in the markets, something that would have been unthinkable during the good times.

  It was in these circumstances that the capitalist market was truly born in North Korea, and quickly spread all over the country. As the markets grew, products and goods from China and Japan became dominant, as North Korean factories shut down as the economic situation progressively worsened.

  At one time it was easy to find toothpaste and brushes made in North Korea, but following the famine these items were hardly seen in the markets any more. And if they could be found, they were no longer much in demand by people, as they were now seen to be of low quality.

  In the past, people received goods on a ration basis. So, for example, when they were out of soap, toothpaste or toothbrushes, there was absolutely no way for them to find replacements until they were given. And if they received vegetables that had already gone bad, they had no way or right to put in a complaint about the problem. But when the markets came, North Korea dramatically changed: suddenly we had more choices with the little money we had.

  Surprisingly, life in North Korea was still difficult, but the quality of life got better and better following the famine. Electrical appliances, furniture and consumer goods were all increasingly available. Moreover, even in the center of Pyongyang—which was dubbed the heart of Socialist Chosun—a big market emerged and became a popular place for people to visit. And while the government later tried to shut down the market several times, it was so popular they failed each time. In the end, the government found its own way of making money from the market, by renting spots for vendors. I heard the revenue they earned was substantial.

  Looking back, it seems the influence and existence of markets was a lot more powerful than the government ever expected, directly helping to keep an increasingly large number of people alive. Thanks to the existence of such markets, a petit bourgeoisie began to emerge in Pyongyang. And as time went by, I remember the market becoming one of the most important places for people to go, regardless of whether they were rich or poor.

  While I admit that a ruthless, uncompassionate capitalist economy has its own problems and negative side effects, I truly hope that North Korea will become a country where people can make a living by freely competing with each other.

  How do North Korean women buy cosmetics?

  DT: Where there is even the slightest amount of disposable income in an economy, a beauty industry will spring up. The way it has developed in North Korea can tell us quite a lot about the informal nature of capitalism there, as well as social attitudes and women’s role in society.

  Je Son Lee:

  Women in South Korea and some other countries make sure they have perfect makeup on before they step out of their houses. Many times it seems to me that wearing perfect makeup is the top priority of many South Korean women.

  North Korean women do not put on makeup to that extent, but they do enjoy taking care of themselves, including putting on makeup to enhance their appearance, just like in other countries.

  Basically, there are two reasons why North Korean women would ever wear makeup. First, they may just want to look prettier, like most other women. Second, as it is a patriarchal society, it is thought by many that women should wear makeup out of consideration for others. Most women in North Korea start wearing makeup when they graduate from high school. However, during the time you’re in school, you’re never allowed to wear makeup.

  I remember when I was about 15 or 16, I put on makeup with my friends and went to school with it on. As we were going through the tumultuous time of adolescence, we feared almost nothing. We proudly strode into our classroom. But we were soon caught by our teacher, and as punishment we had to stay behind to clean up the classroom and were only allowed to go home after writing a letter of apology.

  I still remember very vividly what our teacher told us as we were on our way home: “After you graduate from high school, I will never care whether you put on makeup or not.”

  After that incident, we never wore makeup to school ever again. Well, of course I had my eyebrows waxed and put on some powder, but I never used eyeliner or mascara because I would’ve been caught right away.

  In South Korea, there are tons of cosmetics stores and almost every street has one. But in North Korea, street vendors sell cosmetics at the market. I don’t know how women bought them in the 1990s. But since the beginning of the 2000s, the market was the place where women got cosmetics—since markets in North Korea have almost everything that you can find in any other country. Without a doubt, cosmetics from South Korea were the most popular and expensive of all.

  In South Korea, people seem to buy anything imported and always want to buy things that are more expensive. It was exactly the same in North Korea. Some cosmetics were not of distinctively better quality than Chinese products, but they were still sold at a higher price, just because they were made in South Korea. They were so popular that I still remember the exact brand names. It was called “Man with Flowers” from VOV. When I came to South Korea, I was shocked to find out that it was the cheapest kind, because if you used this product in North Korea it meant that you were wealthy. Everyone wanted to have it.

  Because these South Korean cosmetics were smuggled through China, heavy government restrictions existed. Therefore, people hid them from the authorities and sold them on the black market and the price went through the roof. Though
they were very expensive, they sold out immediately, because every woman wanted to have them. At first, it was usually foundation and powders that were seen at the market. But with the increase in demand, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick could easily be found in North Korean markets. Because they were so expensive, only a few people could afford to own one of every kind.

  Still, even if you owned only one of these, people would still envy you for that. My mom almost always used VOV and I tried it for myself when Mom wasn’t home and was always pleased with the quality. When you put on Chinese or North Korean powder, it darkens your skin tone. But I liked VOV because it made my skin shine and look natural, as if I hadn’t put any makeup on. As long as you have money, you can get any kind of cosmetics you want.

  Most North Koreans traditionally used skin toner and lotion only. But from 2000 North Korea began to produce its own cosmetics line called “You and I” in its Hamhung factory. This cosmetics line was created to be supplied to high-ranking government officials, as well as to be exported. They added a line of nutrition cream to skin toner and lotion. As they were cosmetics made mostly of natural ingredients with hardly any chemicals, they were very expensive. At a time when you could buy other cosmetics for $5–10, these cost $250–300.

  But they were still so popular. Since my mom knew someone at the factory and could acquire the products quickly, I was lucky enough to try this popular line of cosmetics for myself. I was satisfied with the quality of these cosmetics and I loved using them. Now that I think about it, it isn’t surprising that my skin got better after using them. I used to only apply skin toner and lotion before then.

  But most people thought it was too much work to wear eyeliner, so many resorted to getting their eyeliner tattooed. It greatly reduced the time we would spend on getting our makeup done. In North Korea, everyone wanted to get everything done faster than everyone else. These days, though, getting your eyelids tattooed is considered out of fashion. So, more and more people have begun to remove the tattoos along their eyelids.

  In my case, I wear makeup exactly the same way I did in North Korea. From time to time, South Korean students tell me that they like my makeup. After all, I think people are pretty much the same wherever you are in the world.

  Who gets to drive a car in North Korea?

  DT: A car is a definite status symbol in North Korea. Only those with political power or money—like Kim Yoo-sung’s father-in-law—can have one. Even those who work as drivers for others are considered lucky by the rest of society. But there’s a price to pay: You might have to wait years to take your test and get on the road.

  Mina Yoon:

  This question immediately reminded me of a person that I have never stopped missing since I left North Korea—my younger brother, who is still there. When he was six years old, he said he wanted to be an aide to General Kim and drive his car when he grew up. My sister and I encouraged his dream, thinking there would be no bigger honor. When I think about it now, I say to myself, “In how many countries would children desperately dream to be a driver?” Aren’t dreams supposed to be a little bit too big and unrealistic to achieve? Actually, the dream of being a driver may be just unrealistic enough in North Korea, considering that my brother has not yet realized his dream.

  Other than in a city like Pyongyang, you rarely see more than two or three cars a day on the road. In the countryside, people are more familiar with tractors than cars. Except on special occasions when officials from the central government come to visit, rural people really don’t have many chances to see cars.

  When I was young, I lived in Kangwon province, a region that is surrounded by mountains. I still remember how excited I got whenever I saw a car on the street. I bragged about it to my friends all day saying, “You know what I’ve just seen? A car! A black one. It just passed by on the new road.” Then my friends joined me fussing about it, saying, “Seriously? Do you think it will pass by again? Should we go out and wait?” Then, we actually went out and waited for the car.

  Now I live in Seoul, a city that suffers from too many cars and chronic traffic congestion. Whenever I see cars out of my window I smile, thinking about my old days in North Korea, where a car was the object of such great wonder. Nowadays, they make me feel the opposite way. The great admiration and excitement about cars that I once held in my mind has now turned into frustration and exhaustion on the congested roads of Seoul.

  Driving conditions in North Korea are also very bad. Roads are rarely paved, except in certain parts of the city. Usually, roads are simply bare ground covered with pebbles or sand. And because they are not separated from the sidewalks, people have to step aside when they hear a car approaching behind them. They stand there covering their mouths and noses to prevent inhaling all the dust the cars kick up, then they wait until the cloud is gone and they can see again.

  When it rains, the sandy roads soak up the water. So, it’s not too bad for drivers. However, if the road is covered with moist soil, the rain turns it into a huge swamp. Another challenge comes from the North Korean landscape, a huge part of which is hilly and mountainous. Without tunnels, you have to drive over them to get to the other side. From a distance, these roads look like thin white lines swirling around the mountains. These are actually very dangerous to drive on. Worse still, the roads are very sharply angled and there are no guardrails, so any small mistake means your car ends up off the road.

  Despite all these dangers and difficulties, being a driver is still a coveted job among the younger generation. In North Korea, individuals are not permitted to own cars, but the government assigns cars to high-level officials. The drivers are assigned along with the cars, so drivers serve the highest level of North Korean elites. Interestingly, once you’re assigned a car, that doesn’t change, even if the officer you work for changes. Therefore, when you become a driver, the car becomes an important part of your life, even though you’re not allowed to drive the car for personal use.

  Working as a driver also guarantees a decent quality of life. Most government officials in North Korea are involved in bribery, and naturally, the drivers see everything that goes on. If a driver opens his mouth, all the misdeeds of his boss will easily be uncovered. Moreover, because the drivers are not directly hired by the officers but assigned by the government, the officers do not have strong control over their drivers. North Korean people do not use bank accounts or credit cards, so the only way to deliver bribes is to hand money over directly, which makes it extremely hard to hide. So, officials make concerted efforts to maintain good relationships with their drivers. Otherwise, a driver could easily turn into an informant. Because of all these benefits—and the job security that comes with the job—becoming a driver is quite competitive. The positions are pretty much limited to children from wealthy families or those of high-level executive officers.

  Even getting a driver’s license to begin with in North Korea takes a lot of time; there are only two driving academies nationwide. When you enter the academy, you’re required to take a two-year-long training course. It is difficult to get in, and it is even more difficult to graduate, as the academies cannot afford enough gasoline to run the street-driving test, which is a requirement for graduation. Hundreds of students are waiting for their turn to take the test and graduate; some people wait for more than a year. Isn’t it ridiculous that a South Korean driver’s license can be issued in three days, but it takes more than three years in North Korea?

  Because of this, bribing officials to get an illegal driver’s license has become commonplace in North Korea. Even if you have an illegal license, you can at least work as a truck driver. My brother did this—he learned how to drive a truck by shadowing one of his neighbors, a truck driver, all day for a couple of months. However, after I left North Korea, I heard the unfortunate news that he broke his arm in an accident with the truck. I felt really bad that I could not do anything for my injured baby brother.

  I sometimes daydream about what I could do for my brother
when we one day meet again. I think it would be great if I could help him open up a driving school. I believe he would make a great driving instructor, with his love and passion for cars and driving. Now, my question is: When will that day finally come?

  Can you buy plastic surgery in North Korea, like you can in the South?

  DT: Barely a month goes by without a major international newspaper “revealing” South Korea’s obsession with plastic surgery. Lesser known is North Korea’s growing demand for double-eyelid procedures, reflecting the growing influence of South Korean TV shows (smuggled in on USB sticks), increased disposable income, changing social attitudes towards “standing out,” and the abandonment of socialism.

  Kim Yoo-sung:

  Yes, there is plastic surgery in North Korea. People in North Korea do get plastic surgery to improve their appearance. But plastic surgery really only exists in North Korea to the extent of double eyelid surgery and nose jobs. The kinds of plastic surgery you can get in North Korea are not as diverse as in South Korea, which even offers double jaw (bimaxillary) surgery and breast implants.

  Some media reports say that Kim Jong Un has had plastic surgery in order to look like his late grandfather, Kim Il Sung. It is thought that top elites in North Korea can get high-quality plastic surgery. But still, for most of us, the most common plastic surgeries are still nose jobs, double-eyelid surgery and the removal of skin wrinkles. Other types of plastic surgery, which require high-quality equipment or medical skills, are not common in North Korea yet.

  In South Korea, certified surgeons who graduated from medical schools perform plastic surgery on their patients. But in North Korea, when it comes to double eyelid surgery, ordinary people who aren’t qualified surgeons perform surgery on other people. Still, as far as I know, doctors at the hospitals perform nose jobs and remove skin wrinkles.

  When plastic surgery was introduced in North Korea, it was for the purpose of removing scars from the face or body. To the best of my knowledge, people gradually began to get plastic surgery with the aim of improving their appearance and looking prettier.