Disadvantages of living in South Korea. Everyday life in the DPRK: how I went on a date and drank in North Korea Are you satisfied with life in the DPRK?

North Korean counters

The lives of ordinary Koreans in the DPRK are protected from outsiders as a military secret. Journalists can only look at her from a safe distance - through the glass of the bus. And breaking through this glass is an incredibly difficult task. You cannot go to the city on your own: only with a guide, only by agreement, but there is no agreement. It took five days to persuade the accompanying people to take a ride to the center.

Taxis go to the center. The drivers are incredibly happy to see passengers - almost no one uses their services at the hotel. It is impossible to order a taxi for a foreigner in the DPRK. They take us to a shopping center on Kwan Bo Avenue - something like New Arbat in Moscow. The store is special - there are two red signs above the entrance. Kim Jong Il was here twice and Kim Jong Un came here once. The shopping center resembles a typical Soviet Central Department Store: a three-story concrete cube with high windows.

Inside, the atmosphere is like in the main department store of a small Russian city. There is a supermarket on the ground floor. There's a line at the cash register. There are a lot of people, maybe even an unnaturally large number. Everyone is actively filling large carts with groceries.

I study the prices: a kilo of pork 22,500 won, chicken 17,500 won, rice 6,700 won, vodka 4,900 won. If you remove a couple of zeros, then prices in North Korea are almost the same as in Russia, only vodka is cheaper. It’s a strange story with prices in the DPRK. The minimum wage for a worker is 1,500 won. A pack of instant noodles costs 6,900 won.

How so? - I ask the translator.

He is silent for a long time.

Consider it like we simply forgot about two zeros. - after thinking, he answers.

Local money

And in terms of prices, the official life of the DPRK does not coexist with the real one. The won exchange rate for foreigners is 1 dollar - 100 won, and the real exchange rate is 8,900 won per dollar. An example can be illustrated on a bottle of North Korean energy drink - this is a non-carbonated ginseng decoction. In a hotel and in a store it costs completely different money.

Local residents look at store prices through the lens of denomination. That is, two zeros are subtracted from the price tag. Or rather, adding two zeros to your salary. With this approach, the situation with wages and prices will more or less normalize. And either noodles cost 69 won instead of 6900. Or the minimum wage for a worker is not 1,500, but 150,000 won, about 17 dollars. The question remains: who is buying food carts at the mall and using what? It looks like they are not workers and definitely not foreigners.

Foreigners in the DPRK do not use the local currency, the won. In the hotel, although prices are indicated in won, you can pay in dollars, euros or yuan. Moreover, there may be a situation where you pay in euros and receive change in Chinese money. North Korean money is banned. In souvenir shops you can buy old wons from 1990. Real won are hard to find, but not impossible.

They differ only in the aged Kim Il Sung.

However, real money from the DPRK is of little use to a foreigner - sellers simply will not accept it. And it is prohibited to take national money out of the country.

On the second floor of the shopping center they sell colorful dresses. On the third, parents lined up in a tight formation at the children's play corner. Kids ride down slides and play with balls. Parents film them on their phones. The phones are different, a couple of times quite expensive mobile phones from a well-known Chinese brand flash in my hands. And once I notice a phone that looks like a South Korean flagship. However, the DPRK knows how to surprise and mislead, and sometimes strange things happen - on an excursion to the red corner of a cosmetics factory, a modest guide suddenly flashes in his hands what seems to be the latest model of Apple phone. But if you take a closer look - no, it seemed like it was a Chinese device similar to it.

On the top floor there is a typical row of cafes for shopping centers: visitors eat burgers, potatoes, Chinese noodles, and drink Taedongan light draft beer - one type, no alternative. But they are not allowed to film it. Having enjoyed the abundance of people, we go out into the street.

Pyongyang in style

A new Lada is parked on the sidewalk, as if by chance. Domestic cars are rare for the DPRK. Is this a coincidence - or was the car placed here specifically for guests?

People are walking along the street: many pioneers and pensioners. Passers-by are not afraid of the video recording. A man and a woman, who appear to be 40 years old, are leading a little girl by the hands. They say they are walking with their daughter. Koreans get married late - no earlier than 25–30 years old.

A cyclist in black glasses and a khaki shirt rides by. Girls in long skirts pass by. Girls in the DPRK are prohibited from wearing miniskirts and revealing outfits. The streets of Pyongyang are guarded by "fashion patrols". Elderly ladies have the right to catch violating fashionistas and hand them over to the police. The only truly striking item in the wardrobe of Korean women is the sun umbrella. They can even be flamboyantly colorful.

Korean women love cosmetics. But mostly it's not makeup, but skin care products. As elsewhere in Asia, face whitening is in vogue here. Cosmetics are made in Pyongyang. And the state is closely monitoring her.

In the depths of Pyongyang's main cosmetics factory there is a secret rack. Hundreds of bottles and vials: Italian eye shadows, Austrian shampoos, French creams and perfumes. The “banned product,” which cannot be bought in the country, is sent to the factory personally by Kim Jong-un. He demands that Korean cosmetologists and perfumers take cues from Western brands.

Men in Korea often wear gray, black and khaki. Bright outfits are rare. In general, the fashion is the same. There are no people who clearly oppose themselves to those around them. Even jeans are illegal, only trousers are black or gray. Shorts are also not allowed on the street. And a man with piercings, tattoos, dyed or long hair is impossible in the DPRK. Decorations interfere with building a bright future.

Other children

Another thing is North Korean children. Little residents of the DPRK are not like boring adults. They wear outfits of all colors of the rainbow. The girls have pink dresses. The boys are wearing ripped jeans. Or a T-shirt with not a portrait of Kim Jong Il, but an American Batman badge. The children look as if they have escaped from another world. They even talk about something else.

What do you like most about the DPRK? - I ask the kid with Batman on his jacket. And I'm waiting to hear the names of the leaders.

The boy looks at me shyly, but suddenly smiles.

Toys and walks! - he says somewhat confused.

Koreans explain why kids look so bright and adults look so bland. There are no serious demands placed on children. Until school age, they can dress in whatever they want. But from the first grade, children are taught to live a proper life and explained how everything in the world works. Rules of behavior, way of thinking and adult dress code change their lives.

Street life

There is a stall near the shopping center. Koreans buy DVDs with films - they contain new releases from the DPRK. There is a story about partisans, a drama about an innovator in production, and a lyrical comedy about a girl who became a guide in the museum named after the great Kim Il Sung. DVD players are very popular in North Korea.

But flash drives with films banned by the party are an article. For example, the article covers South Korean TV series. Of course, ordinary Koreans find such films and watch them on the sly. But the state is struggling with this. And he is gradually transferring local computers to the North Korean analogue of the Linux operating system with its own code. This is so that third-party media cannot be played.

A nearby stall sells snacks.

“These are the buns that workers buy during breaks,” the saleswoman happily says and hands over a bag of cakes that resemble portions of shortbread cookies with jam.

“Everything is local,” she adds and shows the barcode on the package “86” – made in the DPRK. On the counter is “pesot” - popular homemade pies, shaped like khinkali, but with cabbage inside.

A tram arrives at the stop. A crowd of passengers surrounds him. Behind the stop there is a bike rental. In some ways it is similar to Moscow.

One minute - 20 won. You can rent a bike using this token,” a pretty girl in the window explains the conditions to me.

Having said this, she takes out a thick notebook. And hands it to my translator. He makes a note in his notebook. Apparently, this is a catalog for registering foreigners. A cyclist in black glasses and a khaki shirt stands by the side of the road. And I realize that this is the same cyclist who passed me more than an hour ago. He looks carefully in my direction.

It’s time for us to go to the hotel,” says the translator.

Internet and cellular communications

The Internet that is shown to foreigners resembles a local network, which used to be popular in residential areas. It connected several blocks, and films and music were exchanged there. Koreans do not have access to the global Internet.

You can access the internal network from your smartphone - there is even a North Korean messenger. But there's nothing else in particular. However, cellular communications have only been available to residents of the country for ten years.

The DPRK's internal Internet is no place for fun. There are websites of government agencies, universities and organizations. All resources have been reviewed by the Ministry of State Security. The DPRK does not have its own bloggers or truth-tellers on the Internet.

Memes, social networks, swearing in the comments - these are alien concepts to the capitalist world. I toured different computer labs. Some run on Windows, some on Linux. But not a single computer can access the Internet. Although the browsers there are well-known, there is even a local DPRK browser. But search histories are not names of sites, but sets of IP addresses. Although there is an Internet for journalists: global, fast and insanely expensive.

Dog's dinner

Koreans eat dogs. South Koreans are a little ashamed of this. But in the north they are proud of it. In response to all the indignant remarks, they ask why eating a dog is worse than eating a beef cutlet, pork kebab or lamb soup. Goats, sheep and cows are also cute pets. Just like dogs.

For Koreans, dog meat is not only exotic, but also medicinal. According to tradition, it was eaten in the heat, in the midst of field work, “to expel heat from the body.” Here, apparently, the principle “knocks out fire with fire” works here: the hot and spicy dog ​​meat stew burned the body so much that relief followed and work became easier.

Koreans do not eat all dogs - and pets do not go under the knife. Although it was not possible to see the dog (with or without its owner) on the streets of Pyongyang. Dogs for the table are raised on special farms. And for foreigners it is served in the hotel cafe. They are not on the regular menu, but you can ask for them. The dish is called Tangogi. They bring dog broth, fried and spicy dog ​​meat, and a selection of sauces. All this must be mixed and eaten with rice. You can drink it with hot tea. However, Koreans often wash everything down with rice vodka.

The taste of the dog, if you try to describe the dish, is reminiscent of spicy and insipid lamb. The dish, to be honest, is incredibly spicy, but very tasty - may particularly scrupulous dog breeders forgive me.

Souvenir, magnet, poster

A souvenir from the DPRK is a strange combination in itself. It seems that it is impossible to bring sweet tourist delights from such a closed and regulated country. In fact it is possible, but not much. Firstly, ginseng fans will feel at ease in the DPRK. In the country they make everything from it: teas, vodka, medicines, cosmetics, seasonings.

Lovers of alcoholic beverages won't have much fun. Strong alcohol - or specific alcohol, like rice vodka, which, according to people in the know, gives a strong hangover. Or exotic, like drinks with a snake or seal penis. Drinks like beer exist in two or three varieties and differ little from the average Russian samples. They don't produce grape wine in the DPRK; they do have plum wine.

There are catastrophically few types of magnets in the DPRK, or rather, one with the national flag. No other pictures - neither of leaders nor of landmarks - will decorate your refrigerator. But you can buy a figurine: “a monument to the ideas of Juche” or the flying horse Chollima (emphasis on the last syllable) - this is a North Korean Pegasus carrying the ideas of Juche. There are also stamps and postcards - there you can find images of leaders. Unfortunately, the famous Kim pins are not for sale. A badge with the national flag is the only loot of a foreigner. In general, that's all - the assortment is not large.

Exotic lovers can buy themselves a souvenir passport of the DPRK. This is certainly a nomination for the most original dual citizenship.

Bright tomorrow

It feels like North Korea is now on the verge of big changes. What they will be is unknown. But it seems that reluctantly, a little fearfully, the country is opening up. Rhetoric and attitudes towards the world around us are changing.

On the one hand, the DPRK authorities continue to build their inhabited island. A fortress-state, closed from all external forces. On the other hand, they are increasingly talking not about fighting to the bitter end and to the last soldier, but about the well-being of the people. And the people are drawn to this prosperity.

At the next cafe table three Koreans are sitting and drinking. They are wearing nondescript gray trousers. In plain polo shirts. Above everyone’s heart is a scarlet badge with leaders. And on the hand of the one who is closest is a gold Swiss watch. Not the most expensive - costing a couple of thousand euros.

But with the average salary in the DPRK, you will have to work for this accessory for a couple of lifetimes without days off. And only Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il live forever. However, the owner of the watch wears it calmly, perceiving it as something normal. For him, this is already a new, established reality of the Juche country.

Of course, in a society of demonstrative universal equality, there are always those who are significantly more equal. But it seems that the country is facing a closed door to a new world. The people of the DPRK have been frightened by this world for a long time, but in the near future they may have to open this door and face the new world face to face.

Illustration copyright Getty Images Image caption Are North Koreans really that happy?

We have little idea how the residents of the DPRK themselves perceive the current escalation of the situation around North Korea, since the Kim Jong-un regime tightly controls all information entering the country.

Western media often write about North Korea as a country completely isolated from the outside world and living in the last century.

There are very few statistics available and they are often based on extrapolations. But what can they tell us about life in the north of the Korean Peninsula? How does this life compare to its southern neighbor North Korea?

Kim Il Sung became the first leader of North Korea in 1948, founding the Kim dynasty, and his descendants have ruled the country ever since.

During the same historical period, South Korea saw six republics, a revolution, a couple of military coups and a transition to free, democratic elections. In total, the country has had 12 presidents.

3 million mobile phones in the DPRK would seem to be a considerable number, but for a country with a population of 25 million people, this means that at best, just over 10 percent of the population owns mobile phones. Most of them live in Pyongyang.

In South Korea, where the population exceeds 51 million, there are more mobile phones than people.

Until recently, there was a mobile communications company called Koryolink in the DPRK. It's a small company, but it continues to grow. It was originally created in collaboration with the Egyptian company Orascom and for many years was the only one in the North Korean mobile market.

However, in 2015, Orascom discovered that another mobile network called Byol was being created in the DPRK. The Egyptian company was forced to admit to investors that it had almost lost control over the company's three million subscribers.

There are reasons to be skeptical about the stated number of subscribers. It turns out that many North Koreans believe that it is cheaper for them to buy a new subscription than to pay for additional minutes on the phone.

In addition, access to the Internet in the country remains limited - phone owners can only connect to a closed intranet-type network, which has no external access to the global network.

In 2016, it was reported that there were only 28 registered domain names in the DPRK.

There is evidence that men in the DPRK are on average shorter than in South Korea.

Professor Daniel Schwekendieck of Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul studied height data on male North Korean defectors and found a height difference of 3-8cm.

Schweckendieck points out that this difference cannot be explained by genetic reasons, since the population of both countries is the same ethnic group.

He also disagrees with those who argue that defectors must be low-income and therefore short.

Malnutrition is considered the main reason for such a sharp difference in the physical appearance of Koreans in the north and south of the peninsula.

Photos of North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, show empty, wide avenues and clean, car-free streets. The reality looks a little different.

In the DPRK, the total length of highways is 25 thousand 554 km according to 2006 data, but only 3% of them are paved, that is, only 724 km.

According to other estimates, there are only 11 car owners per thousand in the DPRK, which means that the majority of the country's residents use buses and other types of public transport.

North Korea mainly exports hard coal, but the volume of this export remains a state secret and can only be judged by data from the countries purchasing this coal.

Most North Korean coal was exported to China, which officially stopped purchasing in February 2017. However, there are experts who question this fact.

"There are people who are tracking the arrival of ships from North Korea at coal terminals in China even after the import ban. I believe that the ban exists, but it is not fully implemented," says Kent Boydston, a fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Illustration copyright Getty Images Image caption Public transport in North Korea is poorly developed

Until 1973, the economies of North and South Korea were approximately at the same level in terms of GDP.

Since then, the Republic of Korea has rushed forward, becoming one of the leading countries in the world with developed industry. Companies like Samsung or Hyundai have become famous all over the world.

In the 1980s, the DPRK economy stopped growing, no reforms were carried out there, and the country is dominated by a Stalinist-type state monopoly.

North Korea ranks 52nd in the world in terms of population, but the size of its armed forces puts it in fourth place.

Military spending accounts for up to 25% of GDP, and almost all men receive some form of military training.

Crop failures and famines that have repeatedly struck the country since the late 1990s have led to a sharp decline in life expectancy in the DPRK, but even without taking this factor into account, North Korea lags behind the South by 12 years.

There remains an acute shortage of food in the DPRK; South Koreans live noticeably longer, partly because they eat better.

South Korea's birth rate fell to a record low in 2017, despite government efforts to boost it.

South Korean authorities have already spent about $70 billion on paying bonuses for the birth of a child, increasing the period of maternity and parental leave for newborn children, as well as paying for infertility treatment.

Foreigners who visited an apartment on Changjong Street in central Pyongyang asked the owner:

How much does this apartment cost?
- Don't know.
- So how do you live in this apartment?
- The state gave it to me.
- Is it really free?
- Certainly!

The foreigners, their mouths wide open in surprise, told the owner that in their country such an apartment could be bought for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Still doubtful, they asked again:

“How can you get such an apartment for free?! Perhaps among your family members or relatives there are people from the authorities or privileged circles?

And the owner answered them:

“Most of the people who held housewarming parties on this street were ordinary workers and office workers.”

However, this is too commonplace in our Motherland, where one of the popular events is the provision of free housing. In its cities and villages, ordinary people receive government-built apartments for free.

According to data in 2011, there were more than 7 million families in South Korea that did not have their own apartment. And of these, 680 thousand families, unable to rent an apartment, eke out a miserable life in shacks and dugouts.

Due to the high cost of apartments, many Americans rent apartments or live outdoors, not daring to think about their home.

The well-appointed residential buildings built in various places in Pyongyang city, including Gwangbok Avenue, Tongyir Avenue and Changjong Street, clearly show the people's activities in our motherland.

In capitalist countries, luxury houses are built in the interests of a few privileged circles, so that ordinary working people cannot even think about them.

So why is it that in our Motherland, while allocating a lot of money, labor and building materials for housing construction, they provide free apartments to ordinary people?

The Nigerian newspaper Najirian Observer wrote:

“Korea's social events attract international attention. This is explained by the fact that, valuing the people, they pursue policies in their interests.”

Applause please!

So, as you understand, today we will walk around Pyongyang and see how ordinary workers live. As they say, we have no reason not to trust North Korean propaganda - they won’t lie to us, will they?

I show you the street of the future, which was built for scientists. Now let’s look at the street for ordinary workers - this is Changjong Street!

I’ll say right away that I have not been to North Korea and have no plans yet. I am not very interested in walking through exemplary places surrounded by guides and security officers. I am interested in real life, but today it is not accessible to a simple tourist. All that remains is to collect bit by bit videos and photographs on the Internet and from them to gather an idea of ​​what is really happening in North Korea today.

So let's take a look at the new area!

01. Here it is!

“To transform Pyongyang into a magnificent world city, a city of people armed with revolutionary views of the leader - such was the desire of President Kim Il Sung and Commander Kim Jong Il. The great Kim Jong Il took the initiative to demolish the old residential buildings in the area and build a new street on the occasion of the centenary of the great leader Kim Il Sung. He more than once became acquainted with the general plan for the improvement of the surroundings of the Mansudae Hill and gave specific instructions.”

04. Now the North Korean capital has a silhouette like a modern Asian city! “Changjong Street was built in June 101 Juche (2012), located in the central part of Pyongyang.”

05. The main public transport of the city is the trolleybus. Electricity is much cheaper than diesel. And diesel will be more useful for tractors. There are practically no private cars on the streets. Pyongyang is probably the most traffic-free capital in the world.

06. The houses were built according to very similar designs.

07. The majority of the population travels by public transport. There is not enough of it, which is why in all unstaged photographs of Pyongyang there will always be crowds of people at bus stops. Please note that the roads are so wide and there are so few cars that people calmly cross the streets at any convenient place without fear of cars.

All this is very reminiscent of Soviet photographs of Moscow after the Stalinist reconstruction, when highways were cut in place of the narrow streets of the historical center.

08. There are practically no private cars.

09. Dear Kim Jong-un, who embodied the noble love of great giants for the people and the future generation, has been here more than once. And at the end of May 2012, he inspected residential buildings, public buildings, a nursery, a kindergarten and a school.

10. And now the new residents are moving into the new houses! Notice how happy they are, how they rush to get into their new apartments!

11. In the apartments they are shocked by the luxurious decoration. People are surprised by the smooth walls and the presence of furniture. In fact, it is truly a great happiness to see furniture.

Usually all housewarming parties are held without furniture:

They sleep and eat on the floor. At best there will be a kitchen.

12. Ordinary life

13. Since the new area is exemplary, it was beautifully illuminated

14. They didn’t spare electricity

15. It’s funny that the lights in the park don’t light up, but the area glows.

16. The street is flooded with light, almost like Hong Kong. And who will say after this that there are problems with electricity in the country?

17. Well, yes, the streetlights are almost not lit on the street, but everything else is glowing!

18.

19.

20. So, 6 years ago, in 2012, propaganda reported:

“Kim Jong-un looked into apartments on the highest floors and did not overlook anything so that the new residents would not feel inconvenienced. Inspecting a number of public service buildings, he said that priority attention should be paid to comfort, and then to architectural aesthetics.” Here is one of the apartments. Let's take a close look at this photo. To the right and left are the owners, they just got married, and the girl is expecting a child.

21. The description of the photo says that this is a young family of workers. There is a TV in the corner, covered with a napkin, and portraits of leaders on the wall. There are no curtains on the windows, and there are also no heating devices.

22. In the next frame, a table appears, and the napkin was removed from the TV and turned on!

23. The right photographs hang on the walls

24. And now a new video has been released that shows us the same family that was shown 6 years ago! Let's see how they are doing!

25. At the beginning of the video, they confirm to us that the skyscrapers were built not for some party workers, but for ordinary workers.

26. Here she is, our weaver. 6 years ago she was a teacher, but these are minor things. Now she is a weaver. Let's not find fault

27. Gorgeous views of evening Pyongyang

28. And now the young family goes to their home! As you remember, in 2012 the girl was pregnant, now they have a boy, everything is fine. Congratulations to the young people! Satisfied girls follow the couple on the bridge

29. The girl in yellow does not lag behind throughout the entire route. 6 years later, the streets are still deserted, there are no markings, so you can cross anywhere

30. Entering the entrance

31. We take the elevator to the second floor! Notice how luxurious the elevator is in the house! It is decorated with garlands, there is a chair and a fan! Do you have similar luxury in your home?

32. It’s funny that the door to the apartment doesn’t lock. A young working-class family simply opens it. But there are alarm sensors on the door. Well, the usual thing is not to put a lock on the door, but to make an alarm.

33. As we remember, this is not just a house, this is the same house!

34. And now we find ourselves in that very room! Over the past 6 years, much has changed in the lives of ordinary North Korean workers. Firstly, curtains appeared on the windows! Secondly, instead of a fan there are now flowers. Well, change the photographs and diplomas on the walls a little.

35. Noticed the changes?

36. Yes, there is a photo of this sofa from 2012

37. A young family of workers quickly changes clothes and starts watching TV! Now it's an LCD panel! A girl appears from somewhere. It looks like we can congratulate them on their second child.

38. Then the operator proudly demonstrates other rooms. We are shown a bedroom in which for some reason there is no bed, but there is a refrigerator... Again, there are no heating appliances or even curtains.

39. The bed is probably hiding in the closet!

40. There is also a kitchen! Kitchen with utensils, what a great achievement.

All. We can only be happy for the young families working in North Korea.

Of course, I imagined a little differently the apartment in which a young family with two children had been living for 6 years. Well, there are toys, books, cribs, a bookcase, a table. But these are minor things.

I continue to watch developments with interest.

Journalist Roman Super managed to meet and talk frankly with an old man who was able to escape from Pyongyang to South Korea fourteen years ago. Not everyone is able to learn about the reality of life and everyday life of ordinary North Koreans. For example, only one Russian journalist succeeded in this, not counting Roman.

North Korean defectors, for fear of being identified by the DPRK authorities, are in no hurry to communicate with journalists. And the stories of those defectors who agree to be interviewed by Western media, as a rule, resemble propaganda tales, says the author himself. It took four whole years to find a refugee who could talk openly about the most closed country in the world.

"Survivor"

Jon Hyun Moo (not his real name) is now 60 years old and lives in Seoul. In 2003, he miraculously managed to escape from the DPRK to neighboring South Korea. The man was born in the capital Pyongyang into a middle-income family. His parents are the most ordinary people, not belonging to the elite or having high ranks. My mother worked for the North Korean Women's Association for thirty years. My father worked at an art academy, then changed two more educational institutions. According to the hero’s story, the family lived modestly, without excesses. Like everyone else, they did not have the right to private property.

John agreed to the interview on the condition that he would not be filmed or photographed.
Photo: author of the article

“In the nineties, the situation began to change: four categories of people appeared who were allowed to own a personal car: Japanese Koreans who returned to their homeland, diplomatic service employees, i.e., who received a car as a gift from the country’s leadership, and children of high-ranking officials.”

Residents of the capital could enjoy the benefits of civilization: a refrigerator, TV and other simple household appliances. Until the nineties, the old man says, there could be no transactions involving the purchase, sale or exchange of housing. This was strictly prohibited by the party. However, in the 90s, something like a black real estate market began to take shape. The state knew about this, sometimes punishing market participants in an exemplary manner. But the market was just developing. Under Kim Jong Il, the sale and purchase of apartments outside of Pyongyang became quite common, the hero shares his memories. In the mid-nineties, problems with power outages began. At first they started turning it off for an hour. Then for four hours. Then it could be dark for half a day. There are still regular interruptions.

Photo: kchetverg.ru

Who was it better with?

The journalist’s questions also touched on political trends related to the Soviet Union. For example, are terms like “thaw” or “freeze” appropriate in the DPRK?

“Such phenomena were also observed in North Korea. We all felt it. I remember life under the young Kim Il Sung. It was a very tough regime. As Kim Il Sung grew older, around sixty, he began to mellow. It's not obvious, but it showed up. But these changes cannot be compared with Russia anyway. In the DPRK, the pattern of changes is completely different: there is no clear division between thaw and frost.”

John Hyun Moo explains this by the fact that the political line of the party always changed with the coming to power of the next leader. For example, during the reign of the already aged Kim Il Sung, the country seemed to experience a weakening. However, as soon as Kim Jong Il came to power, such trends immediately disappeared, if not to say that it became even tougher than it was.

“Older North Koreans say that things were better under Kim Il Sung, that there were no such terrible repressions. I don’t think so myself. During the harsh period of Kim Il Sung's rule, I was a child and did not experience repression myself. But I remember my surroundings, my parents’ friends, people I know, many of whom suffered. Of the sixty-three people who studied with me at school, only thirteen remain.”

The hero does not see much difference in the regime of government of the two leaders. After all, you cannot compare the number of missing or liquidated people. At the same time, John cites a parallel between the USSR and the DPRK.

“Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il were ten times harsher than Stalin”

Party member with a fig in his pocket

After university, John got a job as a cook in a hotel. Then, after three years of military service, he was able to become a party member. His party affiliation helped him get a job at the same hotel, but no longer as a cook, but as a manager. Talking to foreign guests was strictly prohibited. And in general, it is legally prohibited to communicate with the outside world, to find out about what is happening outside the country. You can't even listen to the radio without state permission. Otherwise, prison.

Photo: tourweek.ru

However, closer to the 2000s, a lot of contraband from China appeared: disks with films, USB cards with South Korean TV series. It was a real underground cultural revolution.

“After being shown the same show for decades, cinema from Seoul is a treat”

Next, John begins to talk about the huge gap between rich and poor in the DPRK. Such a spread exists in many countries of the world, but unlike them in North Korea, the rich are only one percent of the total population. Despite the fact that a huge number of the population understand this injustice, arguing this with memories of the nineties: there was a terrible famine in the country, but now it is not, so now it has become better!

Card system

According to the stories of John Hyun Mu, there used to be two types of cards: grocery cards, which were used to purchase food, and those that could be used to get clothes. Each citizen had his own standards. The workers have seven hundred grams of rice, the students have three hundred grams. According to everyone's needs. The problem was that the standards were not followed. In Pyongyang they monitored this and gave people food as needed. In the provinces they gave less than they should have. The cards provided only basic products: soybean paste, rice, sugar. And what was not included in the obligatory basket could be bought for money. But there was some minimal diversity only in Pyongyang.

Photo: repin.info

Clothes were rarely issued; for example, a set of underwear and socks could be obtained at a time for the whole family. Once a quarter. Shoes are rarer. They also gave out fabric. Everything was strictly recorded: such and such a person took so many panties, so many meters of fabric in such and such a period. In the eighties, clothes were regularly issued. In the nineties there were big interruptions in distribution, says the hero.

Private entrepreneurship began when the country began to run out of food and basic necessities. People turned to business solely out of urgent need, so as not to die of hunger, and not out of love for private enterprise. In the nineties, when famine was raging, this was already flourishing.

“I would even say that in the nineties, North Korean citizens were greater capitalists than southerners. Only in the DPRK the party did not recognize this. North Korea introduced a private business system modeled on the USSR. Everyone is trying to sell something if possible, but this is not official. The currency was banned, but it definitely exists on the black market. In 2002, when the Kaesong Industrial Complex opened, the Party recognized that a new business system had emerged in North Korea."

All businessmen in North Korea are counted by the state, everyone knows everything about everyone. In the DPRK, the authorities have a clear rule: if a person, in the opinion of the state, begins to earn too much, then this businessman will sooner or later go to prison.. Because, according to the logic of the state, a person cannot honestly earn a lot of money. This logic is sufficient grounds for a prison sentence. Or elimination.

John himself at one time sold used bicycles and used clothing. He managed to earn colossal sums: $87,000 and another 1,300,000 Japanese yen, with an average monthly salary of several dollars.

Everything would be fine, but I want to live

With such income, John had no idea of ​​fleeing the country where everything was going so well for him. But after a series of disappearances, and subsequently the murders of his companions, the businessman decided to flee.

Photo: newsader.com

Realizing that escaping with the whole family (his wife and two children) would mean outright death, he decided to fake his own death. He made false documents that he died in a car accident. This is the only safe option for them. If they knew that I was alive and escaped, and did not tell the authorities about it, they could be severely punished. He never communicated with his family again.

“I will be able to see my family if only the North Korean regime collapses. I think it will collapse. But this may take a long time. Most likely, I won’t live, so I won’t see my family.”

Escape from homeland

Pretending that he was on his way to pick up another shipment of goods, he went to China. It took John 4 months to buy a fake South Korean passport. Or rather, special people carefully pasted his photograph into someone else’s real passport. Having confessed to the South Korean embassy about his flight, he ended up in the Philippines. This is a common practice; defectors are almost always sent to South Korea through some other country, not directly. In the Philippines, he spent two hours at the airport just to catch a plane to Seoul.

What followed was a series of checks by the South Koreans to determine whether he was a spy and whether he was really a refugee. After that, he was sent to a retraining college, where he was taught to adapt to life in South Korea. To do this, first of all, you need to free yourself from previous ideological attitudes. It is difficult for people who have lived their entire lives in a socialist society to adapt to a capitalist mode of existence. This adaptation is a very difficult thing. In every sense. Life is very different.

“The North, at the party level, tells you all your life clearly what you should do, and you don’t make any decisions. The South forces you to make all decisions yourself. At first, this is incredibly difficult to understand, accept and apply to life.”

New life

Photo: arhinovosti.ru

In Seoul, John tried to make jewelry, then got a job at a radio station in the department where they prepare programs for the DPRK. However, he is not sure that even in 2016 this radio can still be heard.

There are two reasons when defectors return to the DPRK: The first reason is family. People get in touch with their loved ones, this is revealed very quickly, the family begins to receive real threats, then refugees return to soften the government’s blow to their relatives. The second reason is the problems of northerners with the law in South Korea. Upon return, some are released, some are imprisoned, some are liquidated.

When asked what surprised John most about South Korea, he says that in North Korea all his life they told him that South Korea was completely subservient to the Americans. In geography lessons at school they said that there are mountains only in North Korea, but not in South Korea. I heard that the Internet exists, but I have never even used a computer. Now he has his own email and social networks, but he uses them very carefully, fearing that his wife and two children might get hurt.

“If the party finds out that I am alive, and even in South Korea, my relatives will have big problems. While I am "dead", they are alive. This is what I think about every day."

Dissidents

“In Pyongyang, dissident movements are simply impossible. The South, despite its harsh authoritarian past, has long been able to afford a court, could count on the attention of the world community, and could ensure the basic rights of citizens with the help of institutions. Southerners did not send people to concentration camps without trial on such a large scale. Southerners did not kill people because of the sick suspiciousness of the authorities.”

According to the former northerner, a coup from within is impossible. Now North Korea has its third leader. And all this time, people's dissatisfaction has been accumulating. They accumulate, accumulate, accumulate, but this “gas” does not come out. He is afraid that this gas will only come out when someone outside holds a lit match, war for example. Then change will be inevitable, John believes.

“People will not fight even for the divine Kim Il Sung. It’s one thing to silently go with the flow in a situation where it’s scary to speak. Another thing is to fight. Nobody will fight. But by taking advantage of the military situation, discontent will come out. Words will begin to come out.”

Photo: kchetverg.ru

As for the crowds of people crying in the square after the death of Kim Jong Il, John says that they were different people. There were also tears of careerists who tried to curry favor in this way. And those who are simply pathologically afraid of not showing loyalty.

“I’ll tell you how the North Korean government brings up these tears and flowers. The first word a child says out loud in the DPRK is “mama.” The second word is a word of praise for Kim Il Sung. This propaganda literally comes to a person with mother’s milk and accompanies him throughout his life. This is religion. In religious families, children are raised in a specific tradition. In North Korea, this religious tradition is called Juche."

John himself does not miss his homeland at all. Even after 14 years of living in South Korea, Juche continues to haunt him in nightmares.

When asked if he knows about Russia, John says that it doesn’t bother him much. He thinks more about China, because, in his opinion, this is the only country that can really influence North Korea.

“Moscow has no serious ties with Pyongyang. Moscow is cooperating much more with Seoul"

Talking about refugees

As the hero says, about 30 thousand refugees from the DPRK live in South Korea. Basically they “huddle” and stay together. But all people are different. Anyone who lived well in North Korea lives well in South Korea. Those who lived poorly in North Korea still live poorly now. The social system, the system, is very important. But a person’s internal problems are more important, John shares his observations.

Nine out of ten are fleeing the country from poverty in search of a better life.

Modern Pyongyang
Photo: Reuters

Gilbert's syndrome is a hereditary disorder of bilirubin metabolism in the human body, resulting from a defective structure of microsomal liver enzymes. Leads to the occurrence of a benign form of hyperbilirubinemia.

In most cases, patients exhibit jaundice of the skin and complain of discomfort, pain or heaviness in the right side. Additionally, dyspeptic and asthenovegetative disorders develop.

The diagnosis is confirmed on the basis of clinical data, family history, blood tests, instrumental diagnostics, and functional tests. Treatment is complex and includes a number of drugs from various pharmacological groups.

Let's look at the pathology - Gilbert's syndrome, and what it is, we'll tell you in simple words about the mechanism of development, pathogenesis, causes and features of the therapeutic strategy.

Description of the disease

In simple terms, this is a disease that is accompanied by a disorder in the utilization of bilirubin in the human body. The liver does not properly eliminate excess substances, they accumulate in the body, which leads to various symptoms.

Since the clinical picture of the syndrome is often erased, many people do not even suspect that they have such a disease. Doctors often discover pathology by accident during a preventive examination.

Gilbert's syndrome is the most common type of genetic pigmentary hepatosis. The disease manifests itself at the age of 12-30 years. The occurrence during puberty is due to hormonal imbalance. According to statistics, men with a family history are at risk.

The disease is not able to affect the functionality of the liver or lead to dysfunction of the gland, but it appears to be a risk factor for the development of gallstone disease.

Why does the disease manifest?

Instrumental

Hardware studies are included in the complex of diagnostic measures so that the doctor gets a complete picture.

The following methods help diagnose benign hyperbilirubinemia:

• Ultrasound of the liver, bile ducts and gallbladder. The study reveals the size of the liver, the condition of the structure/surface, and checks for the presence of an inflammatory reaction in the gallbladder and gland.
• Radioisotope research. With its help, it is possible to identify a violation of the excretory and absorptive functions of the gland, which once again confirms the development of a hereditary syndrome.

Treatment of Gilbert's syndrome

The therapeutic strategy includes following a diet, avoiding excessive physical activity and alcoholic beverages. The patient is prescribed a number of medications that are aimed at improving the functioning of the gland and promoting the complete discharge of bile. Additionally, it is recommended to take vitamins and treat concomitant chronic ailments.

Medicines

Therapy is symptomatic. It is imperative to exclude factors that aggravate the course of the disease. The regimen includes barbiturates - medications are prescribed against the background of sleep disturbances, anxiety, and convulsive conditions.

Choleretic agents increase the production of bile and promote its rapid discharge into the duodenum (Allohol). Hepatoprotectors are designed to protect the liver from the negative influence of various factors (Essentiale Forte, Ursosan).

If there is an infectious process, antibiotics (Amoxicillin) are prescribed. The dosage is recommended individually; you cannot increase it on your own, since antibacterial agents have many contraindications, which can adversely affect the clinical picture. Enterosorbents are required to reduce intoxication.

When bilirubin is up to 60 µmol/l

When the bilirubin concentration is up to 60 units, and the patient feels relatively well, there are no symptoms that significantly worsen the quality of life, drug treatment is not carried out.

As an aid, the doctor may recommend taking the drug Polysorb and activated carbon. A physiotherapeutic procedure in the form of phototherapy helps reduce bilirubin levels and has good reviews.

Bilirubin over 80 µmol/l

With this indicator, the doctor’s main recommendation is to take the drug Phenobarbital.

The dose for an adult varies from 50 to 200 mg per day.

The duration of the therapeutic course is 14-20 days. While taking the drug, you should not drive a car or go to work.

A strict diet helps remove excess bilirubin. The menu is allowed to include:

1. Fermented milk products.
2. Lean fish, meat (cooking method: steam or boil).
3. Juices containing a minimal amount of acids.
4. Galette cookies.
5. Vegetables and fruits without a strong taste.
6. Dried black bread.
7. Sweet weak tea.

As an alternative to Phenobarbital, Valocordin or Barboval is prescribed - the drugs contain a low concentration of the active component, so there is no pronounced hypnotic effect. The drug Hepel is prescribed from homeopathy.

Treatment in hospital

When bilirubin in the blood is above 80 µmol per liter, and the patient suffers from nausea, vomiting, and sleep disturbances, inpatient treatment is recommended.

The inpatient treatment regimen includes the following:

• Polyionic solutions are infused intravenously.
• Sorbents in the form of tablets, capsules.
• Lactulose medications (Duphalac).
• Hepatoprotectors (tablets or solutions).
• Donor blood transfusion.
• Administration of albumin.

The patient’s diet is completely adjusted - all animal proteins, fruits and vegetables, berries, and fats are excluded. You can only eat light soups, bananas, fermented milk products with minimal fat content, biscuits and baked apples.

Remission period

Even during the period of remission, when the symptoms disappear, the bilirubin level is relatively normal, you cannot relax - an exacerbation can occur at any time.

1. The bile ducts are cleansed to prevent stagnation and the formation of stones. For manipulation, you can use medicinal herbs with a choleretic effect or drugs - Ursofalk, Gepabene.
2. Once a week, a blind probing procedure is carried out - they drink a sorbitol solution on an empty stomach, then the patient lies on the right side and warms up the anatomical area of ​​the liver for 30 minutes.

With Gilbert's syndrome, it is important to choose an individual diet. Each patient has a different set of products.

Disease prognosis and prevention

In most cases, the prognosis is favorable, but is determined by the course of the disease. The increased level of bilirubin in the blood persists forever. The formation of pathological changes in the liver is not observed. When insuring people with such a diagnosis, they are classified as a standard risk group.

The susceptibility of patients with the syndrome to various hepatotoxic influences (alcohol products, medications) has been proven. In some patients, the risk of psychosomatic disorders, cholelithiasis, and inflammation in the biliary tract increases.

Parents of children who suffer from benign hyperbilirubinemia should consult a geneticist before planning another pregnancy.

The cause of the disease is a gene defect that is passed on by parents to the child, so the pathology cannot be prevented. The main preventive measures are aimed at preventing exacerbations and prolonging the remission period. This goal is achieved by eliminating provoking factors.