Daily life in Pyongyang

[LTU_btc]

I think that Christianity is officially banned in North Korea.

I also tought that Christianity and other religions are banned in North Korea, but I checked this article and found that North Korea have small Christians community
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_North_Korea
Mostly people in North Korea are atheists, but they have few traditional religions.

[1714016675]

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[1714016675]

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[aeternus]

Cities like Pyongyang is where the elite North Koreans reside. So obviously the living standards will be much higher than the other regions. Also, the life in North Korea has become a lot tolerable during the last 10-15 years.

Sad point to think about is that even in the most built up places in North Korea where most of the elite reside is also a place where DVD's and other technologies that most developed nations have mostly stopped using altogether. Some people are still keen on using them but most DVD shops and stuff along those lines have been taken over by online digital services such as Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, and so on.

Would really hope that the North Korean regime is overthrown in order to allow the development of North Korea to really occur.

Not going to happen those people prefer to sink the whole country before giving up their power so that is going to be very unlikely.

[Sithara007]

I also tought that Christianity and other religions are banned in North Korea, but I checked this article and found that North Korea have small Christians community
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_North_Korea
Mostly people in North Korea are atheists, but they have few traditional religions.

According to a pastor who has been to North Korea, there are some 11,000 Christians in North Korea. The authorities tolerate the already existing Christian community, to a certain extent. But attempts to make new conversions are foiled, and anyone engaging in proselytizing is severely punished.

[maister77777]

I also tought that Christianity and other religions are banned in North Korea, but I checked this article and found that North Korea have small Christians community
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_North_Korea
Mostly people in North Korea are atheists, but they have few traditional religions.

According to a pastor who has been to North Korea, there are some 11,000 Christians in North Korea. The authorities tolerate the already existing Christian community, to a certain extent. But attempts to make new conversions are foiled, and anyone engaging in proselytizing is severely punished.

It's probably very difficult for people to live and show their true desires and beliefs. And most importantly, and this I saw in one of their documentary programs, that for citizens of North Korea there is only one God, and this is their ruler.

[Sithara007]

I also tought that Christianity and other religions are banned in North Korea, but I checked this article and found that North Korea have small Christians community
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_North_Korea
Mostly people in North Korea are atheists, but they have few traditional religions.

According to a pastor who has been to North Korea, there are some 11,000 Christians in North Korea. The authorities tolerate the already existing Christian community, to a certain extent. But attempts to make new conversions are foiled, and anyone engaging in proselytizing is severely punished.

It's probably very difficult for people to live and show their true desires and beliefs. And most importantly, and this I saw in one of their documentary programs, that for citizens of North Korea there is only one God, and this is their ruler.

Kim Jong Un wants to project himself as a re-incarnation of some oriental god. But I am not sure to what extent that works among the general population in North Korea. The country is not as isolated as everyone thinks about it. Pirated DVDs of Hollywood movies are easily available in the black market.

[darkseid1199]

I am surprised North Korea isnt as terrifying and as bad as the media claims it to be. This shows how mislead we are by the media. There is no truth and integrity within the media nowadays.

[wutard]

I am surprised North Korea isnt as terrifying and as bad as the media claims it to be. This shows how mislead we are by the media. There is no truth and integrity within the media nowadays.

My friend, I would not want to argue with you, but I dare say a few words. Citizens of North Korea, these people are a thousand times stupefied than they were in the Soviet Union.

[Hazir]

I am surprised North Korea isnt as terrifying and as bad as the media claims it to be. This shows how mislead we are by the media. There is no truth and integrity within the media nowadays.

Go visit the country and then you will have the right to comment that North Korea is a fine place to live.
I am aware of stupidity and propaganda in western media but we have enough of independent sources showing the truth about life in NK.
What you saw in these pictures is the largest and probably the only city in NK where you will see private cars on the streets.

Look here, other NK cities: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_North_Korea#/media/File:Hamhung_view.jpg

[aeternus]

I am surprised North Korea isnt as terrifying and as bad as the media claims it to be. This shows how mislead we are by the media. There is no truth and integrity within the media nowadays.

The media exaggerates like always so must always take anything they say with a  grain of salt but at the same time that is the city little towns probably have way worst standards of living.

[Casanova18]

I am surprised North Korea isnt as terrifying and as bad as the media claims it to be. This shows how mislead we are by the media. There is no truth and integrity within the media nowadays.

The media exaggerates like always so must always take anything they say with a  grain of salt but at the same time that is the city little towns probably have way worst standards of living.

In all countries, cities are better than villages. This is probably because in the cities of developed industry with a higher added value than in agriculture. In addition, the infrastructure of cities is always more developed.

[Sithara007]

I am surprised North Korea isnt as terrifying and as bad as the media claims it to be. This shows how mislead we are by the media. There is no truth and integrity within the media nowadays.

The cities are OK. But you need to go to the labor camps and penal colonies where the dissidents are being tortured to death. According to some estimates, there are some 300,000+ people incarcerated in these facilities, in appalling conditions.

[Mometaskers]

Facade, mostly facade. I remember a NatGeo documentary before. There was this guy who travel different countries and explore parts tourist don't go to (for example, cemetery villages in Manila). He was allowed to go to North Korea but he was heavily monitored by police where ever he went. One time he was in a hotel room and he saw a group of buildings nearby. They all look dilapidated (concrete look too moldy) but the parts facing the street look newly-painted. As he takes pictures one of his "escorts" showed up and told him to stop.

Cities like Pyongyang is where the elite North Koreans reside. So obviously the living standards will be much higher than the other regions. Also, the life in North Korea has become a lot tolerable during the last 10-15 years.

And despite that it still look quite sterile to me. I live in shitty Philippines but we have districts that look better than these.

I also tought that Christianity and other religions are banned in North Korea, but I checked this article and found that North Korea have small Christians community
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_North_Korea
Mostly people in North Korea are atheists, but they have few traditional religions.

According to a pastor who has been to North Korea, there are some 11,000 Christians in North Korea. The authorities tolerate the already existing Christian community, to a certain extent. But attempts to make new conversions are foiled, and anyone engaging in proselytizing is severely punished.

It's probably very difficult for people to live and show their true desires and beliefs. And most importantly, and this I saw in one of their documentary programs, that for citizens of North Korea there is only one God, and this is their ruler.

China has also been following this trend. They've been cracking down on Christians in recent years. This cause some split there, making it necessary for Christians loyal to the See to worship in underground churches rather than the "official" registered churches.

[Sithara007]

China has also been following this trend. They've been cracking down on Christians in recent years. This cause some split there, making it necessary for Christians loyal to the See to worship in underground churches rather than the "official" registered churches.

I don't condemn what the Chinese authorities do. Christianity and Islam are two religions, which actively attempt to influence the government and the politics. Look at Philippines and South Korea. Both these nations are essentially run by the evangelical / catholic church.

[peter0425]

China has also been following this trend. They've been cracking down on Christians in recent years. This cause some split there, making it necessary for Christians loyal to the See to worship in underground churches rather than the "official" registered churches.

I don't condemn what the Chinese authorities do. Christianity and Islam are two religions, which actively attempt to influence the government and the politics. Look at Philippines and South Korea. Both these nations are essentially run by the evangelical / catholic church.

Not run but the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church specially in the Philippines is evident. Remember the People Power that topple the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos? It was the Head of the Catholic Church that call for the people to march in the street in protest. Currently, the Church was against the killings of "innocent" addicts by the government of the Philippines. But Duterte is not giving in to them, on the contrary, he is anti-Church because he believes that the Catholic Church has abuses or abuse its authority and he is also a victim on this.

[Mometaskers]

China has also been following this trend. They've been cracking down on Christians in recent years. This cause some split there, making it necessary for Christians loyal to the See to worship in underground churches rather than the "official" registered churches.

I don't condemn what the Chinese authorities do. Christianity and Islam are two religions, which actively attempt to influence the government and the politics. Look at Philippines and South Korea. Both these nations are essentially run by the evangelical / catholic church.

I wouldn't really say it's being run by the Catholic Church. Even when they do endorse politicians (which they rarely do) people usually don't listen. That's we say here that there is no Catholic vote here. (Christian spino-offs like INC, El Shaddai, etch are a different matter though). I may even dare say that the hold of the Church here is weaker than ever. I'm a secularist but I do not agree with gov't meddling with religious affairs unless it's for really important security reasons. For example, even Singapore closed down a mosque once because it was being used as recruitment site for terrorists. (The shut down was after they arrested people who tried to bomb Changgi airport.)

snip

Not run but the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church specially in the Philippines is evident. Remember the People Power that topple the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos? It was the Head of the Catholic Church that call for the people to march in the street in protest. Currently, the Church was against the killings of "innocent" addicts by the government of the Philippines. But Duterte is not giving in to them, on the contrary, he is anti-Church because he believes that the Catholic Church has abuses or abuse its authority and he is also a victim on this.

I think with the case of Marcos the people are fed up anyway. The only reason it required Church intervention to start the revolution was that the Church was the only unifying force available back then (we still don't have sms or social media).

As for the current spat between Church and Duterte, I've never really heard priests claiming that those druggies and peddlers were innocent. Rather they were pointing out that people deserve the chance to CHANGE and that innocent people are also dying as collateral damage (mistaken identity, children dying during police operations or vigilante killings, etc).

As for Duterte, I didn't vote for him and ambivalent towards him. I'm OK with his stance on some issues but I do not like the implementation of some. The way he's treating the Church strike me as nothing but rude. You can criticize others without calling them names.

[Sithara007]

China has also been following this trend. They've been cracking down on Christians in recent years. This cause some split there, making it necessary for Christians loyal to the See to worship in underground churches rather than the "official" registered churches.

I don't condemn what the Chinese authorities do. Christianity and Islam are two religions, which actively attempt to influence the government and the politics. Look at Philippines and South Korea. Both these nations are essentially run by the evangelical / catholic church.

Not run but the sphere of influence of the Catholic Church specially in the Philippines is evident. Remember the People Power that topple the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos? It was the Head of the Catholic Church that call for the people to march in the street in protest. Currently, the Church was against the killings of "innocent" addicts by the government of the Philippines. But Duterte is not giving in to them, on the contrary, he is anti-Church because he believes that the Catholic Church has abuses or abuse its authority and he is also a victim on this.

Organizing protests against a dictator is not something that I would condemn. But at the same time, the church should stay out of governance and vice versa. For example, the single biggest threat facing the Philippines is over-population. And as a result of the opposition from the church, the government can't popularize birth control measures.

[Mometaskers]

Organizing protests against a dictator is not something that I would condemn. But at the same time, the church should stay out of governance and vice versa. For example, the single biggest threat facing the Philippines is over-population. And as a result of the opposition from the church, the government can't popularize birth control measures.

True, there are things better left to experts. I remember when I was a kid one of the last phrase was "go forth and multiply"!  A few years ago they finally decided to change it to "go forth and share the Word of Lord". 

They only really speak out when it's the government trying to distribute condoms or talk about sex education. They don't bother with NGOs. The Church do encourage family planning but only natural methods (funny, they never mention pulling out  ) which we know is not for everyone.

I don't want the government to go full authoritarian on the issue though. Some are arguing One Child Policy caused the demographic problem China is facing now. We don't want that problem. Our growth rate is just above replacement level. The only problem is it's not distributed evenly across the social levels (the poor usually have more kids, I've seen one family with 22)

[wenjunnnnn]

All people is keep thinking how to earn extra income daily in this world, their hard work sure can get better life soon, goodluck to everyone!

[Sithara007]

Organizing protests against a dictator is not something that I would condemn. But at the same time, the church should stay out of governance and vice versa. For example, the single biggest threat facing the Philippines is over-population. And as a result of the opposition from the church, the government can't popularize birth control measures.

True, there are things better left to experts. I remember when I was a kid one of the last phrase was "go forth and multiply"!  A few years ago they finally decided to change it to "go forth and share the Word of Lord". 

They only really speak out when it's the government trying to distribute condoms or talk about sex education. They don't bother with NGOs. The Church do encourage family planning but only natural methods (funny, they never mention pulling out  ) which we know is not for everyone.

I don't want the government to go full authoritarian on the issue though. Some are arguing One Child Policy caused the demographic problem China is facing now. We don't want that problem. Our growth rate is just above replacement level. The only problem is it's not distributed evenly across the social levels (the poor usually have more kids, I've seen one family with 22)

If you look at China, they have benefited enormously from the one-child policy. The economic growth they achieved as a result was unbelievable. But it had consequences such as ageing and gender imbalance. But overall, I would rate it as beneficial for the Chinese.

[btc_angela]

Organizing protests against a dictator is not something that I would condemn. But at the same time, the church should stay out of governance and vice versa. For example, the single biggest threat facing the Philippines is over-population. And as a result of the opposition from the church, the government can't popularize birth control measures.

True, there are things better left to experts. I remember when I was a kid one of the last phrase was "go forth and multiply"!  A few years ago they finally decided to change it to "go forth and share the Word of Lord". 

They only really speak out when it's the government trying to distribute condoms or talk about sex education. They don't bother with NGOs. The Church do encourage family planning but only natural methods (funny, they never mention pulling out  ) which we know is not for everyone.

I don't want the government to go full authoritarian on the issue though. Some are arguing One Child Policy caused the demographic problem China is facing now. We don't want that problem. Our growth rate is just above replacement level. The only problem is it's not distributed evenly across the social levels (the poor usually have more kids, I've seen one family with 22)

If you look at China, they have benefited enormously from the one-child policy. The economic growth they achieved as a result was unbelievable. But it had consequences such as ageing and gender imbalance. But overall, I would rate it as beneficial for the Chinese.

China now has a 2 child policy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-child_policy#China