I spent a few months there (and ROK) when I was a grad student. I was studying international security and my thesis was about korean peninsula security.
Hi, sure, be glad to. Pretty sure I have talked about it here before somewhere, but it was a while ago.
I went when I was in grad school, which was about 18 years ago at this point (Yes, you can do the math and figure out my age pretty well if you care to). I was there for a few months to do research back when it was maybe a little bit more feasible to make that kind of arrangement. I spent a few months there, at Kim Il Sung University. There were a number of other foreigners there working as faculty as well. Most people I talked to were fairly friendly, my Korean is not amazing but I got by (and many students at the university were studying foreign languages). They generally provided a lot of the materials I asked for, though since I was studying security there was obviously some military documents I requested that were denied. Which you get used to hearing in that particular field of study anyway.
To answer some common questions, I didn’t really have a government minder following me around or watching what I took pictures of/who I talked to. Basically as long as I behaved like a sane human being, there were no issues and little oversight was required. They did check what I brought with me out of the country, but literally nothing was a violation. I was notably, not considered a tourist because well…I wasn’t one. Pyongyang is a generally nice city, I loved a lot of the mosaics painted around, but I actually enjoyed the areas in the countryside I visited more, lots of really beautiful spots around the country. Paekdu is gorgeous and worth visiting. A lot of things have locally made versions because of sanctions, but like afforementioned pizza it does all exist.
Work-life balance is night/day compared to ROK, which has one of the worst in the world. People finish work/classes generally on time, a lot of adults go to community centers after work to learn different skills. Several people were excited to practice English with me. The ROK on the other hand (I spent a few months here as well, a bit longer overall) is basically work until late hours, drink until you pass out, and repeat.
If you have any specific questions I would be glad to answer them.
That’s great to hear! 18 years ago would be in 2006, which I recall as during the recovery period for the Arduous March and a time when marketization was widespread. During your time there, were you able to visit any of the markets or understand how markets were affecting people’s lives? As a foreign student I’m guessing you mostly worked with hard currency, but did you get an understanding of peoples’ wages and relative costs of living?
Nothing too special, I went to an Italian restaurant when I was living there.
Good, traditional Italian style margherita. People just lose their shit that not only does food exist, but that there are a variety of cuisines.
Did you live in DPRK as a student?
I spent a few months there (and ROK) when I was a grad student. I was studying international security and my thesis was about korean peninsula security.
Could you tell us a bit about your experience in the DPRK? I would be very interested and I’m sure many people on lemmygrad would as well.
Hi, sure, be glad to. Pretty sure I have talked about it here before somewhere, but it was a while ago.
I went when I was in grad school, which was about 18 years ago at this point (Yes, you can do the math and figure out my age pretty well if you care to). I was there for a few months to do research back when it was maybe a little bit more feasible to make that kind of arrangement. I spent a few months there, at Kim Il Sung University. There were a number of other foreigners there working as faculty as well. Most people I talked to were fairly friendly, my Korean is not amazing but I got by (and many students at the university were studying foreign languages). They generally provided a lot of the materials I asked for, though since I was studying security there was obviously some military documents I requested that were denied. Which you get used to hearing in that particular field of study anyway.
To answer some common questions, I didn’t really have a government minder following me around or watching what I took pictures of/who I talked to. Basically as long as I behaved like a sane human being, there were no issues and little oversight was required. They did check what I brought with me out of the country, but literally nothing was a violation. I was notably, not considered a tourist because well…I wasn’t one. Pyongyang is a generally nice city, I loved a lot of the mosaics painted around, but I actually enjoyed the areas in the countryside I visited more, lots of really beautiful spots around the country. Paekdu is gorgeous and worth visiting. A lot of things have locally made versions because of sanctions, but like afforementioned pizza it does all exist.
Work-life balance is night/day compared to ROK, which has one of the worst in the world. People finish work/classes generally on time, a lot of adults go to community centers after work to learn different skills. Several people were excited to practice English with me. The ROK on the other hand (I spent a few months here as well, a bit longer overall) is basically work until late hours, drink until you pass out, and repeat.
If you have any specific questions I would be glad to answer them.
That’s great to hear! 18 years ago would be in 2006, which I recall as during the recovery period for the Arduous March and a time when marketization was widespread. During your time there, were you able to visit any of the markets or understand how markets were affecting people’s lives? As a foreign student I’m guessing you mostly worked with hard currency, but did you get an understanding of peoples’ wages and relative costs of living?