The Hermit Kingdom, North Korea, on This Day in History

 

Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il by Michael Malice

This Day In History: North Korea moved its clock back half an hour to introduce Pyongyang Time on this day in 2015. However, this came to be a pain, especially in their interactions with South Korea so they changed it back 3 years later.

Some other interesting facts about the NORKS: North Korea ranks 51st in population, but has one of the largest standing militaries.

Kim Jong-un is the present General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. He is also Chairman of the Central Military Commission, President of the State Affairs Commission and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

Roller-blading and drug use is rampant in North Korea. Drugs are largely unregulated.

The May Day Stadium in Pyongyang is the largest stadium in the world. It can seat 150,000 people.

NK has only four TV channels, (Mansudae Television, Athletic Television, Ryongnamsan and Korean Central Television.) All are government-controlled. 

The power is cut every night. The satellite image below shows South Korea lit up, while North Korea sits in the dark.

N. Korea also has a three-generation punishment rule. If one person commits a crime, his entire bloodline, including the grandparents, parents and children, are sent to prison.

North Koreans are only allowed to browse 28 websites on the internet, and computers are very expensive and you need permission from the government to buy one.

Again with the number 28...Korean men can choose from a list of 28 hairstyles. Any haircut apart from the government approved hairstyles can lead to an arrest.

Since blue jeans are seen as a symbol of US imperialism, North Korea has banned jeans in the country.

North Korea still holds public executions.

North Korea sees blue jeans as a symbol of US imperialism and hence, has banned it in the country.

In the 1990s, 2.5 million people were killed because of famine. It’s a ratio of one out of ten North Koreans. According to a recent report, at least two-thirds of the population do not have the slightest idea of where they can get their next meal.

In the 1990s, teachers were legally required to be able play the accordion.

Former leader, Kim Jong-Il reportedly made his way through $763,000 of cognac in one year.

Officially, North Korea is an atheist state. There are no known official statistics of religions in North Korea. According to Religious Intelligence in 2007, 64% of the population are irreligious, 16% practice Korean shamanism, 14% practice Chondoism, 4% are Buddhist, and 2% are Christian. Freedom of religion and the right to religious ceremonies are constitutionally guaranteed, but religions are restricted by the government. Amnesty International has expressed concerns about religious persecution in North Korea.

Buddhism and Confucianism still influence spirituality. Chondoism ("Heavenly Way") is an indigenous syncretic belief combining elements of Korean shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism and Catholicism that is officially represented by the WPK-controlled Chondoist Chongu Party.

The Open Doors mission, a Protestant-group based in the United States and founded during the Cold War-era, claims the most severe persecution of Christians in the world occurs in North Korea. Four state-sanctioned churches exist, but critics claim these are showcases for foreigners.

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