Is North Korea truly a unique and admirable country, or am I just being influenced by propaganda?

[UDDTHU]

Hello to my dear friends and family,
I have a question about North Korea, and I want to know the truth about this country.
From what I understand, North Korea was originally Marxist and Communist, but later it adopted the Juche ideology.
From the research I’ve done, I realized that North Korea is a very nationalist country and has preserved its traditional customs remarkably well.
More importantly, North Korea is a socialist country where every citizen has a home. I can see images every day showing that hundreds of thousands of houses are being built in North Korean villages, and people seem happy about it.
And they really have independence and their country is full of pride.
I know that people there don’t have free access to the global internet, and I believe this problem is due to the influence of the United States and Western media.
I cannot believe the frightening rumors about North Korea that circulate on the internet, because I feel that the U.S. and the West have created these stories, which don’t reflect reality.
After all, how could such a terrifying country exist if its people never protested or revolted? Even knowing they might be suppressed, people could still attempt a revolution they would either fail or succeed.
Please, if I am mistaken, show me the truth.

 

[Henu the Great]

Hello to my dear friends and family,
I have a question about North Korea, and I want to know the truth about this country.
From what I understand, North Korea was originally Marxist and Communist, but later it adopted the Juche ideology.
From the research I’ve done, I realized that North Korea is a very nationalist country and has preserved its traditional customs remarkably well.
More importantly, North Korea is a socialist country where every citizen has a home. I can see images every day showing that hundreds of thousands of houses are being built in North Korean villages, and people seem happy about it.
And they really have independence and their country is full of pride.
I know that people there don’t have free access to the global internet, and I believe this problem is due to the influence of the United States and Western media.
I cannot believe the frightening rumors about North Korea that circulate on the internet, because I feel that the U.S. and the West have created these stories, which don’t reflect reality.
After all, how could such a terrifying country exist if its people never protested or revolted? Even knowing they might be suppressed, people could still attempt a revolution they would either fail or succeed.
Please, if I am mistaken, show me the truth.

You should listen to the accounts of those who managed to escape from there instead of official propaganda. You would be surprised, given your current stance based on mindwashing content. Repression and total societal control still exist this day. North Korea is a prime example. Russia and China are well behind in that same trend. Oh, Iran too.

 

[wotan namah]

I have actually watched some videos on it and you should too. It's the worst communist country there is even China is more free right now. It is a complete dictatorship many people are sent to horrible gulags for minor things the way they were described is horrible such as rape torture public executions. They also have public executions in areas outside the gulags too. People are starving and there have been famines before where millions of people have died. Places outside the capital are without electricity most the time. People can't travel freely. The people are spied on all the time both by the government and other people who will report them if they did anything wrong. They are taken away to the camps even if they did the most minor things. The government decides where you live what you do as a job etc. Pretty much everything about your life. The people who visit there only visit areas the party makes look nice (only the privilaged jews or people very loyal are allowed to visit the places and sometimes no one else is there at all and its just fake. They are lied to all the time it's pretty much. Nothing really good about the country is good. There are plenty of propaganda pieces on YouTube and other places that make the country look great but they are lies. There are also videos showing you the truth. You should watch them. I personally think some other country should get involved and take down their government and put in place a better system (almost anything is better than what they are subjected too) I don't see a lot of hope in them toppling it cause they are brainwashed from birth they block any media which is not propaganda and don't allow the internet outside of their controlled sites which don't link anywhere else. They have smartphones but they are controlled by the government and snap photos and maybe videos of what they are doing at random times and upload it to the party.

Well that's what I know. They also outlaw any religion or occult stuff. So not a good country. They also isolate their own people from the world so no unpropagandized news or anything. I actually watched one of their propaganda pieces on America for a laugh it was so stupid it was funny. Well that's about all I have to say do some research please on how bad this country is especially read or watch stuff from people who escaped then you will realize how bad it is.

 

[wotan namah]

I did a typo on here where I said "only the privilaged jews or people very loyal are allowed to visit the places and sometimes no one else is there at all and its just fake" I meant live in those areas although it also includes visiting them no one is allowed to unless they are tourists or people found to be completely loyal to the government.

 

[Alexander666]

Hello to my dear friends and family,
I have a question about North Korea, and I want to know the truth about this country.
From what I understand, North Korea was originally Marxist and Communist, but later it adopted the Juche ideology.
From the research I’ve done, I realized that North Korea is a very nationalist country and has preserved its traditional customs remarkably well.
More importantly, North Korea is a socialist country where every citizen has a home. I can see images every day showing that hundreds of thousands of houses are being built in North Korean villages, and people seem happy about it.
And they really have independence and their country is full of pride.
I know that people there don’t have free access to the global internet, and I believe this problem is due to the influence of the United States and Western media.
I cannot believe the frightening rumors about North Korea that circulate on the internet, because I feel that the U.S. and the West have created these stories, which don’t reflect reality.
After all, how could such a terrifying country exist if its people never protested or revolted? Even knowing they might be suppressed, people could still attempt a revolution they would either fail or succeed.
Please, if I am mistaken, show me the truth.

North Korea is the worse version of the USSR. Everything is controlled by the government, wealth is in the hands of the oligarchs. No free speech.
Years ago their government announced landing on the surface of the Sun. You can imagine what is happening there.

 

[Draconis88]

yes, you're definitely influenced by propaganda. North Korea is a very evil country, one mistake leads to lifetime incarceration, there are even crimes where three generations of your family are being condemned to forced labor.

There are people on social media who tell their experiences in North Korea: most of them were poor people, some even thieves, not for evil, but for hunger. You could hear to elites in NK who have more "freedom" saying that they practice sport, live a comfortable life, but it's like the 1% of NK.

 

[UDDTHU]

You should listen to the accounts of those who managed to escape from there instead of official propaganda. You would be surprised, given your current stance based on mindwashing content. Repression and total societal control still exist this day. North Korea is a prime example. Russia and China are well behind in that same trend. Oh, Iran too.

I have actually watched some videos on it and you should too. It's the worst communist country there is even China is more free right now. It is a complete dictatorship many people are sent to horrible gulags for minor things the way they were described is horrible such as rape torture public executions. They also have public executions in areas outside the gulags too. People are starving and there have been famines before where millions of people have died. Places outside the capital are without electricity most the time. People can't travel freely. The people are spied on all the time both by the government and other people who will report them if they did anything wrong. They are taken away to the camps even if they did the most minor things. The government decides where you live what you do as a job etc. Pretty much everything about your life. The people who visit there only visit areas the party makes look nice (only the privilaged jews or people very loyal are allowed to visit the places and sometimes no one else is there at all and its just fake. They are lied to all the time it's pretty much. Nothing really good about the country is good. There are plenty of propaganda pieces on YouTube and other places that make the country look great but they are lies. There are also videos showing you the truth. You should watch them. I personally think some other country should get involved and take down their government and put in place a better system (almost anything is better than what they are subjected too) I don't see a lot of hope in them toppling it cause they are brainwashed from birth they block any media which is not propaganda and don't allow the internet outside of their controlled sites which don't link anywhere else. They have smartphones but they are controlled by the government and snap photos and maybe videos of what they are doing at random times and upload it to the party.

Well that's what I know. They also outlaw any religion or occult stuff. So not a good country. They also isolate their own people from the world so no unpropagandized news or anything. I actually watched one of their propaganda pieces on America for a laugh it was so stupid it was funny. Well that's about all I have to say do some research please on how bad this country is especially read or watch stuff from people who escaped then you will realize how bad it is.

I did a typo on here where I said "only the privilaged jews or people very loyal are allowed to visit the places and sometimes no one else is there at all and its just fake" I meant live in those areas although it also includes visiting them no one is allowed to unless they are tourists or people found to be completely loyal to the government.

North Korea is the worse version of the USSR. Everything is controlled by the government, wealth is in the hands of the oligarchs. No free speech.
Years ago their government announced landing on the surface of the Sun. You can imagine what is happening there.

yes, you're definitely influenced by propaganda. North Korea is a very evil country, one mistake leads to lifetime incarceration, there are even crimes where three generations of your family are being condemned to forced labor.

There are people on social media who tell their experiences in North Korea: most of them were poor people, some even thieves, not for evil, but for hunger. You could hear to elites in NK who have more "freedom" saying that they practice sport, live a comfortable life, but it's like the 1% of NK.

Thank you, my friends. I will definitely read the accounts of people who have escaped from North Korea.
However, I have several serious questions.
First, if a large portion of the North Korean population lives in poverty, why has the military not carried out a coup or attempted to overthrow the government? What internal or external factors prevent such a development?
Second, regarding freedom of religion: I have seen images suggesting that churches exist in North Korea, that some citizens identify as Christians, and that there is even an old mosque in Pyongyang. How should this be understood? Does this indicate a limited or symbolic form of religious freedom, and if so, how genuine is it in practice?
Third, reports and images from 2025 show that North Korea constructed hundreds of thousands of housing units in rural areas and distributed them to residents, who appeared happy and celebratory. Does this mean that the individuals shown in these images are loyal supporters of the Juche system, or could there be other explanations?
Finally, North Korea sends athletes abroad every year for international competitions. Why do most of them not defect while overseas, and why do they return to the country voluntarily?

 

[չ∂αяквℓσω]

Hello to my dear friends and family,
I have a question about North Korea, and I want to know the truth about this country.
From what I understand, North Korea was originally Marxist and Communist, but later it adopted the Juche ideology.
From the research I’ve done, I realized that North Korea is a very nationalist country and has preserved its traditional customs remarkably well.
More importantly, North Korea is a socialist country where every citizen has a home. I can see images every day showing that hundreds of thousands of houses are being built in North Korean villages, and people seem happy about it.
And they really have independence and their country is full of pride.
I know that people there don’t have free access to the global internet, and I believe this problem is due to the influence of the United States and Western media.
I cannot believe the frightening rumors about North Korea that circulate on the internet, because I feel that the U.S. and the West have created these stories, which don’t reflect reality.
After all, how could such a terrifying country exist if its people never protested or revolted? Even knowing they might be suppressed, people could still attempt a revolution they would either fail or succeed.
Please, if I am mistaken, show me the truth.

North Korea is the most tightly controlled country in the world, and I think it's the only country where it's truly impossible to access the internet. They have their own intranet, a network controlled within the country and full of backdoors. I analyzed their operating system (based on Linux): “Red Star OS.”

The peculiarity of this system is that when you insert a USB stick, the system marks it with a unique identification system, a kind of “serial number” that belongs to the computer on which the stick was inserted, which in turn is registered to the owner. In this way, if something “illegal” in the country via USB sticks, even simple prohibited films and series, the government knows who started the USB stick, how many people opened it, and which people did so, not to mention the countless remote access backdoors compatible with their intranet that are present on desktop and mobile devices. Furthermore, extreme communist regimes such as North Korea attempt to remove the Bible and the Koran because they still contain some stolen spiritual remnants and it is not permitted to practice religion. Atheism is perfect for communism. I'll leave you to imagine what a horrible country it is.

Sometimes I have intrusive thoughts, such as introducing my .html file of the entire ToZ/JoS portable network in some way into the Korean-speaking country. Who knows what the consequences would be of bringing ToZ there too, into their intranet, but I don't think it's possible to do so. It would be an extremely risky and dangerous operation.

But it would be revolutionary, look at an example of how it would look:

 

[Anemos Aiteros]

From what I understand, North Korea was originally Marxist and Communist, but later it adopted the Juche ideology.

It is a son of marxism, so, son a jewish program.

From the research I’ve done, I realized that North Korea is a very nationalist country and has preserved its traditional customs remarkably well.

Many traditions are reconstructed to serve propaganda purposes.

Traditional village autonomy and family lineage systems were heavily suppressed in the name of communism.

More importantly, North Korea is a socialist country where every citizen has a home.

Quality varies drastically by political status, region and occupation. Party members and military have best houses, indeed they receive modern apartments while rural citizens often live in primitive houses, where structures lack reliable electricity, plumbing and heating

During the 1990s famine, housing guarantees did not prevent mass starvation, so housing security does not guarantee adequate living standards.

I can see images every day showing that hundreds of thousands of houses are being built in North Korean villages, and people seem happy about it.

North Korea frequently publicizes large construction campaigns, especially in Pyongyang and in showcase villages near borders before major anniversaries or political events.

These images are curated by the dictatorship, indeed independent verification is extremely limited.

Construction often relies on forced labor, juche ideology doesn't forget the gulag tradition of its communist father.

New housing does not necessarily mean improved food supply, freedom or economic mobility.

People appearing “happy” in official media cannot be considered true in a system where public dissent is dangerous, essentially if you are not communist or juche related, they eliminate you.

And they really have independence and their country is full of pride.

It is economically dependent on China for fuel, food and trade

Military independence may exist, but at immense cost to civilian human rights

National pride is heavily cultivated, but pride is not the same as freely chosen political loyalty. In closed systems, pride is often reinforced through manipulation from childhood, absence of alternative narratives and severe punishment for ideological deviation.

I know that people there don’t have free access to the global internet, and I believe this problem is due to the influence of the United States and Western media.

Totally false.

North Korea’s internet restrictions are internally imposed, the government deliberately blocks global internet access, indeed citizens are limited to a closed intranet controlled by the state.

The purpose is to prevent exposure to outside information, not Western coercion. In fact, countries under U.S. sanctions (Iran, Cuba, Venezuela) allow far more information access than North Korea. The restriction is a choice by the regime, not an external requirement.

I cannot believe the frightening rumors about North Korea that circulate on the internet, because I feel that the U.S. and the West have created these stories, which don’t reflect reality.

Many serious findings come from North Korean defectors, satellite imagery and UN investigations.

The UN Commission of Inquiry (2014) documented: political prison camps, forced labor, collective punishment and severe restrictions on movement and speech.

After all, how could such a terrifying country exist if its people never protested or revolted? Even knowing they might be suppressed, people could still attempt a revolution they would either fail or succeed.

History shows many such regimes have existed: ussr, communist China, communist Cambodia, etc..

Absence of revolt does not imply consent, because in such an environment, revolt is not simply difficult, it is structurally prevented.

Please, if I am mistaken, show me the truth.

Consider this, for every country in the world, the most IMPORTANT consideration to do: in the country you are analyzing, is there freedom to practice Zevism?

 

[Anemos Aiteros]

if a large portion of the North Korean population lives in poverty, why has the military not carried out a coup or attempted to overthrow the government?

This question assumes that poverty naturally leads to coups, but historically this is not how military coups usually occur.

In this case also, China would intervene immediately to stop what would be an anti-communist uprising, since Korea would be unified and so Western presence would directly touch China's border. North Korean militaries know that China would immediately stop them, so it is technically impossible unless for an escalation of other countries intervention.

regarding freedom of religion: I have seen images suggesting that churches exist in North Korea, that some citizens identify as Christians, and that there is even an old mosque in Pyongyang. How should this be understood? Does this indicate a limited or symbolic form of religious freedom, and if so, how genuine is it in practice?

Presence doesn't mean freedom.

The presence of monotheistic religious buildings is used for diplomacy with other countries, they serve diplomats when they travel in North Korea.

Generally, unauthorized religious gatherings are forbidden and the possession of unapproved religious materials can be punished. For example the Pyongyang mosque serves foreign diplomats and it is not open to ordinary citizens. It does not indicate islamic freedom for the population.

The presence of them is also for progaganda, to make Western useful idiots go tell everybody that there is religious freedom in North Korea and for counter espionage, so that North Korea can infiltrate inside religious communities.

reports and images from 2025 show that North Korea constructed hundreds of thousands of housing units in rural areas and distributed them to residents, who appeared happy and celebratory. Does this mean that the individuals shown in these images are loyal supporters of the Juche system, or could there be other explanations?

Houses are constructed through the suffering of slave workers, which work most hours of the day otherwise they are punished or executed.

They are obliged to smile in the photos, they are not happy.

Public celebration does not equal ideological commitment, public behavior is not a free expression. Consider that participation in celebrations is often mandatory and absence can have consequences. Citizens essentially perform expected enthusiasm to preserve their life.

North Korea would never show a citizen unhappy who criticizes the country.

North Korea sends athletes abroad every year for international competitions. Why do most of them not defect while overseas, and why do they return to the country voluntarily?

Their relatives are held as hostages, if they escape their family would be tortured in camps and executed.

Athletes also don't speak English and they are controlled by North Korean agents to avoid the escape.

 

[DisillusionedCitizen]

Furthermore, extreme communist regimes such as North Korea attempt to remove the Bible and the Koran because they still contain some stolen spiritual remnants and it is not permitted to practice religion.

Why is Atheism perfect for Communism besides the lack of spirituality being the perfect cover and Chriatianity and Islam having done their jobs there?