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10 Facts About North Korea

We've heard a lot about the North Korea nuclear threat, and how the Kim dynasty has declared war on the US. But how much do we really know about what goes on in that country? The Hermit Kingdom is notoriously secretive about its internal affairs, but here are 10 facts that we can take for granted.

Cannabis Is Perfectly Legal

All the latest news on North Korea today confirms what we already know: It's a repressive regime that cracks down on citizens' civil liberties. But there's one civil liberty that North Korea upholds better than any other country: The right to get high. The US is only just catching up on this one, and only then in a handful of states.

North Korea Is in the Second Century

North Korea has its own calendrical system based on their founding father Kim Il-Sung's birthday: 15 April 1912. So while other countries are waging war on each other in the 21st century, North Korea sits it out in the 2nd.

Many People Play ACC0rdions

North Korean teachers in the 1990s were obligated to play the aCC0rdion. Why? Because this so-called "people's instrument" could be carried to work in the fields, and hard labor was the fate of many schoolchildren. The result is that many people can play it today.

They Have Regular Elections

Elections in North Korea vs US two-party politics leave a lot to be desired. They don't even try to make them look fair. Every five years, citizens are given ballot papers with only one option on them. And the vote goes 100 percent to the incumbent Supreme Leader.

They Have a Constitution

They also have a constitution enshrining such values as freedom of expression and religion and the importance of democratic elections. As the latest on North Korea continually goes to show, however, it's not worth the paper it's written on.

They're Ruled by the Living Dead

Although Kim Jong-un became Supreme Leader in 2011, the true leader remains Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-un's grandfather, the founder of North Korea as a state, is seen as commander-in-chief for eternity. The corpse of Kim Jong-un's predecessor, meanwhile, his father Kim Jong-Il, is preserved in a glass tomb to visit. Apparently, it's the most popular attraction in the country, states Buzzfeed.

It Was Home to an American Defector

George W. Bush famously included North Korea in his "axis of evil." But not all American soldiers seemed to agree. James Joseph Dresnok not only defected to the country (alongside others doing the same), he also chose to stay and raise a family. "I feel at home," he once said, "I wouldn't trade it for nothing."

North Korea Isn't Ruled by a Communist Party

Despite its Soviet-style iconography and architecture, North Korea isn't a big 'C' Communist nation. Instead, it operates under the Juche ideology of communist founding father Kim Il-sung. Although it has much in common with communism as a political and economic system, it doesn't toe the Communist Party line.

Pyongyang Is Only for the Elite (a Little Like NYC)

North Korea's capital city is off-limits for the downtrodden masses. Although it's home to something like three million people, Pyongyang is only really open to the healthiest and most loyal citizens. After all, it wouldn't do to have the sickly, disgruntled underclass on display to visitors from around the world.

Half the Population Lives in Poverty

That's putting it mildly. Of the 24 million plus citizens, roughly half lack basic necessities like clean water and nourishing food, as reported by Buzzfeed. That's an outrageous 12 million people living in abject poverty. The North Korea threat to us should not be our main concern. North Korea threatens the lives of its own people each and every second.

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