Top 15 Fascinating Facts About North Korea That You May Not Be Aware Of

The world's richest billionaire, Bill Gates, currently has a net worth of 78.2 billion USD, while North Korea's GDP is estimated to be only around 17.4 billion USD. Are you surprised by these figures? The average income of the North Korean people is comparable to that of underdeveloped African nations such as Zimbabwe (1,064 USD), Tanzania (942 USD), and Senegal (913 USD).

North Korea has 25,554 km of roadways, but only 724 km are paved, which accounts for just 2.83% of the total. For comparison, Mercury's circumference is 15,329 km, and the distance between Cleveland and New York is about 745 km. Yet, North Korea has only about 724 km of paved roads.

Trong năm 2015, Triều Tiên và Somalia cùng đồng hạng là những quốc gia tham nhũng nhất thế giới. Trong số 174 quốc gia và vùng lãnh thổ được đánh giá theo thang điểm từ 0 (tham nhũng cao) đến 100 (rất minh bạch) thì Triều Tiên ghi điểm 8.

After 44 years, North Korea returned to the World Cup finals in 2010. In their match against Brazil, North Korea kept the game tense for 90 minutes. Despite being two goals down, the Asian team held their ground, only losing 1-2 after a last-minute goal.

In North Korea, only 28 hairstyles are officially allowed. According to Time magazine, 'Women can choose from 14 styles; married women are instructed to wear short braids. Single women are permitted to have longer, curlier hair.' Men are prohibited from having hair longer than 5 cm, though older men may grow their hair up to 7 cm in length.

North Korea is still recognized globally as a country with a strong military development.

It is estimated that 1.19 million people in North Korea are involved in military activities. In comparison, the United States, which has the largest military in the world, has 1.37 million soldiers.

6.515 million men and 6.418 million women in North Korea are ready to enlist for military service. The total number is 12.933 million, which is comparable to the entire population of Senegal, which is 13.3 million.

Have you ever considered traveling to North Korea? To reach the country, the most common route is to fly to China first, then wait for approval to receive a visa to visit North Korea before entering the country.

There are two main ways to continue to North Korea: traveling by train, typically from Dandong (China) to the city of Sinuiju (North Korea), followed by a private North Korean train into Pyongyang, or by air, flying directly from Beijing or Shenyang (China) to Pyongyang's airport via Air Koryo.

The government of North Korea mandates that all tourists must book a tour if they wish to visit. Therefore, independent travel is not allowed.

North Korea is a country that places great value on tradition. The government emphasizes collective activities aimed at strengthening community bonds. They often organize healthy physical activities to improve the health of the people, such as tug-of-war or group dancing, which fosters connection among individuals.

If you visit North Korea, you will not encounter people using smartphones on the streets, nor will you find locals spending long hours in coffee shops browsing the internet.

Children in North Korea undergo a strict education system. However, they seem somewhat "disadvantaged" compared to children around the world, as they are unaware of online information and social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter.

In North Korea, children learn solely from books, and even newspapers are printed on paper. Printed media in North Korea is free from the threat of digital publications, unlike in other countries. Looking at it positively, this is a good thing, though it also means that children and citizens remain unaware of the rapid changes taking place in the world. Furthermore, the main focus of North Korean education is not just teaching knowledge, but instilling respect for the leader.