My last trip to DPRK was in 2016. After the advent of COVID, DPRK cut off all external contacts, including those with China, now it is difficult to travel to DPRK. This is the casino in DPRK, on the lower ground floor of the Yangjiao Island Hotel where I live. The staff in the casino are all Chinese and Russians employed by the DPRK govt. It is said that the DPRK govt does not allow its nationals to gamble.
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The best way to go to DPRK is to enter from China. The price of DPRK tour group is very cheap, about 3000cny (US $450). It's easy for Chinese people to go to DPRK, they only need a landing visa, and the so-called landing visa is actually a blue notice issued with the seal of China's border defense. But there are often Russians, Britons and other people from other countries in the tour group, so you still have to wait for them to complete the entry formalities.
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After entering DPRK, the train in DPRK will be replaced DPRK's train, and all tourists will be subject to security inspection. DPRK police usually invite tourists to the dining car for dinner, and then they use instruments to check the luggage left by tourists. DPRK people like to eat cold food. Han people usually don't adapt.
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This is the mobile phone used by North Koreans, most North Koreans use this kind of mobile phone, I don't know whether it was given to North Koreans by the DPRK govt for free. Most of the living materials of North Koreans are provided by the govt free of charge, but I obviously feel that the material supply is not rich. The DPRK tour guide said that this kind of mobile phone is produced by DPRK itself, and all the parts inside are made by DPRK. I believe this is a DPRK mobile phone, but I doubt DPRK can make all the parts.
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Compared with the Chinese, North Koreans are obviously poorer. Although there are no luxury cars on their streets, there are no obvious poor people. You can easily feel that they are a country with a very small gap between the rich and the poor. In other words, they are poor together. Too extreme equalitarianism leads to people's lack of enthusiasm for work. During working hours, you can often see some people sitting on the roadside in a daze.
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DPRK cities are very different from Chinese cities. Chinese cities have too many super high-rise office buildings. The buildings in DPRK cities are very similar to China's low-level county seat.
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North Koreans are inefficient. It's working time. Their workers are still playing ball. The DPRK tour guide told me that participating in the competition organized by the factory is also work.
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Playground, subway and breakfast in DPRK. North Koreans eat cold food even for breakfast.
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