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One year ago I went on a strictly guided 7-day tour in North Korea, where they took away my passport and didn't allow me to explore anything, even Pyongyang, on my own.
North Korea, or The Hermit Kingdom, was definitely the weirdest country I had ever visited and during my time there I kept wondering what life was like in neighboring South Korea, which used to be exactly the same country just over 60 years ago! That's why at the end of life in North Korea experience, I promised myself to visit South Korea this year so that I could compare my North Korea vs. South Korea experiences. Those pairs of pictures you'll see below show the differences of life in both Koreas - first one stands for South, and the second, after the flip, stands for North.
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What do you think ?
Rebekah 7 years ago
I would like to know how the pictures of North Korea were taken. I've read that they are very strict about what they allowed shared and removed from their country. I'm curious is they were taken in secret or....
John L 7 years ago
Unlike Daria, who is currently living in ROK(Republic of Korea), I haven't been back since 1971, when I was stationed there. And even way back then it was easy to see how quickly the country was moving from an agrarian society to a technological one. There were several automobile manufactures, and the education level was high. Today, ROK is the world's largest ship maker, and on par with Taiwan. I love the Korean people because they are a 'no nonsense, what you see is what you get' people, unlike the Japanese. They are very much like Americans in their outlook. I do know that trying to reunite with NoKo would be a disaster. Germany tried that after the fall of the Wall, and it set them back so they really haven't completely recovered.
Chatkaew Siriassawakul 7 years ago
You were shown only what they wanted you to see. I totally agreed!
Alusair Alustriel 7 years ago
I watched the video with big interest. I'm relieved that Jacob made out of North Korea safely. It's difficult to comprehend that South and North relatively not long ago were the same country. I feel really sorry for the Northen Koreans and the brainwashing they have been given. It struck me that they think the skyscrapers are fake. The level of belief in their Supreme Leader is beyond imagination.
gazetacentrum 7 years ago
Even if someone paid me a lot of dollars - I would not go to North Korea. Life and health is more valuable ...
Marzo Florida 7 years ago
I bet North Korea has some beautiful aspects and landscapes in it... but I think that whats going on between the U.S. and North Korea has something to do with the making of this article
Wala Abuleil 4 years ago
I’ve been interested in Korean shows. I watched a show that shows how living is so different and looking at these pics is very similar to the show. Its crazy how different and divided it is.
Player 0001 7 years ago
If you want to get a deeper view of North Korea beyond just this small representation of photos then check out this large collection of photos along with a narrative to put things into their proper perspective. http://www.earthnutshell.com/category/north-korea/
Chris Taylor 7 years ago
Obviously biased but f**k NK and dictatorships anyway they should realise their power and overthrow the man baby in charge.
Enis Önerdem 7 years ago
It is a fanatic point of view and it is not fair. North subway and South central station compared, city street and country street etc. is shown. I am sad about Bored Panda showing such a failure on objectivity. I don't like north or south better but photos are unfairly compared. It looks good for a BORING PANDA.
Irene Walton 7 years ago
So incredibly sad, I hope it will change one day, I know a lot of these people are starving. Great job making this
Vincent Jay 7 years ago
Perhaps the worst part of all this is that the North Korean people are so isolated that they don't know that life is better outside the north.
Linda Goodman 7 years ago
Official history aside, seems Korea was split as a sick social engineering experiment. Seems the whole world is one big social engineering experiment to those with too much power and little humanity.
Conor Nolan 7 years ago
Hi Jacob, could we use your pictures online, for the Daily Mail, please? Many thanks
Agnes Jekyll 7 years ago
It must be terrifying to live in the North. Everything you said and did would be monitored.
Lyric Karter 7 years ago
I already knew some of these @, not because I'm Korean (I'm Spanish), by because of all the K-Dramas XD
ルンバ 火星 7 years ago
Unfortunately both Korea and North Korea are funny Koreans of the heads in the same brainwashing nation. North Korea always wants food, and Korea is a beggar nation wanting money.
honggu Jeong 7 years ago
I remember watching a part of NK with binocular while i was doing my Military service and can't forget the devastated grey and bald mountain. Since it was winter, i only saw 2 people on the street and i felt them like a robot with no imotion and lifeless movement. It was the first scenery of NK i've ever seen. Back in the day, i couldn't believe that it was same country 64years ago and told myself " it won't be or never be easy to make "ONE" united country because every single situations even mountain or the ground were absolutely different with one in S.korea. I am in my 20's and perhaps i am one of the generations that will be responsible for the unification of Korea but honestly that will be a kind of huge agony in the future...both in social and financial part. However, it might be extremely happy if the country is unified in the end.
zef rose 7 years ago
So easy to create such lovely propaganda. 60 years ago, the US bombed North Korea to the ground and killed one third of the entire population, before dividing it off from the South and leveling sanctions that undermined every attempt to rebuild and regain their health and prosperity. Nevertheless, they persisted. They rebuilt, with no help, except a bit from the Chinese. Look up the city of Pyong Yang, N. Korea and look at those pictures. Then look up Camp Casey, S. Korea, center of the occupation of one country by another. The pictures in this article represent only the very worst of North Korea and the very best of South Korea, and I have no doubt about the ease of creating an article which reveals the exact opposite. You can create such a photo essay as this with any two countries very easily, excepting some of the Middle Eastern countries that we have recently bombed into extinction. Be careful of hating North Korea. They have bombed no one, attacked no one, unlike the US.
SriGanesh.Ninja 7 years ago
You have created an amazing project, the NK photoshoot is a rebellious task - i seen some videos where they won't allow you to take photo. Many countries are turning into North Korea - like India, in a way improving to digital and armed forces and in other policitans making the countries more corrupted. We cannot oppose the govt or the policitians - as the governed by the corporates. For natural resource like water and farming land are converting into muliplex - new projects which will make the land not useful for farming. When we make a stand against them - they use force to beat us all the young generations. From those others are concentrated in earning only money - greed. Even we cannot oppose them in Social media - they get reported or fb system get us. Those who dare are mentioned as "Anti-Indian".
Rebekah 7 years ago
I would like to know how the pictures of North Korea were taken. I've read that they are very strict about what they allowed shared and removed from their country. I'm curious is they were taken in secret or....
John L 7 years ago
Unlike Daria, who is currently living in ROK(Republic of Korea), I haven't been back since 1971, when I was stationed there. And even way back then it was easy to see how quickly the country was moving from an agrarian society to a technological one. There were several automobile manufactures, and the education level was high. Today, ROK is the world's largest ship maker, and on par with Taiwan. I love the Korean people because they are a 'no nonsense, what you see is what you get' people, unlike the Japanese. They are very much like Americans in their outlook. I do know that trying to reunite with NoKo would be a disaster. Germany tried that after the fall of the Wall, and it set them back so they really haven't completely recovered.
Chatkaew Siriassawakul 7 years ago
You were shown only what they wanted you to see. I totally agreed!
Alusair Alustriel 7 years ago
I watched the video with big interest. I'm relieved that Jacob made out of North Korea safely. It's difficult to comprehend that South and North relatively not long ago were the same country. I feel really sorry for the Northen Koreans and the brainwashing they have been given. It struck me that they think the skyscrapers are fake. The level of belief in their Supreme Leader is beyond imagination.
gazetacentrum 7 years ago
Even if someone paid me a lot of dollars - I would not go to North Korea. Life and health is more valuable ...
Marzo Florida 7 years ago
I bet North Korea has some beautiful aspects and landscapes in it... but I think that whats going on between the U.S. and North Korea has something to do with the making of this article
Wala Abuleil 4 years ago
I’ve been interested in Korean shows. I watched a show that shows how living is so different and looking at these pics is very similar to the show. Its crazy how different and divided it is.
Player 0001 7 years ago
If you want to get a deeper view of North Korea beyond just this small representation of photos then check out this large collection of photos along with a narrative to put things into their proper perspective. http://www.earthnutshell.com/category/north-korea/
Chris Taylor 7 years ago
Obviously biased but f**k NK and dictatorships anyway they should realise their power and overthrow the man baby in charge.
Enis Önerdem 7 years ago
It is a fanatic point of view and it is not fair. North subway and South central station compared, city street and country street etc. is shown. I am sad about Bored Panda showing such a failure on objectivity. I don't like north or south better but photos are unfairly compared. It looks good for a BORING PANDA.
Irene Walton 7 years ago
So incredibly sad, I hope it will change one day, I know a lot of these people are starving. Great job making this
Vincent Jay 7 years ago
Perhaps the worst part of all this is that the North Korean people are so isolated that they don't know that life is better outside the north.
Linda Goodman 7 years ago
Official history aside, seems Korea was split as a sick social engineering experiment. Seems the whole world is one big social engineering experiment to those with too much power and little humanity.
Conor Nolan 7 years ago
Hi Jacob, could we use your pictures online, for the Daily Mail, please? Many thanks
Agnes Jekyll 7 years ago
It must be terrifying to live in the North. Everything you said and did would be monitored.
Lyric Karter 7 years ago
I already knew some of these @, not because I'm Korean (I'm Spanish), by because of all the K-Dramas XD
ルンバ 火星 7 years ago
Unfortunately both Korea and North Korea are funny Koreans of the heads in the same brainwashing nation. North Korea always wants food, and Korea is a beggar nation wanting money.
honggu Jeong 7 years ago
I remember watching a part of NK with binocular while i was doing my Military service and can't forget the devastated grey and bald mountain. Since it was winter, i only saw 2 people on the street and i felt them like a robot with no imotion and lifeless movement. It was the first scenery of NK i've ever seen. Back in the day, i couldn't believe that it was same country 64years ago and told myself " it won't be or never be easy to make "ONE" united country because every single situations even mountain or the ground were absolutely different with one in S.korea. I am in my 20's and perhaps i am one of the generations that will be responsible for the unification of Korea but honestly that will be a kind of huge agony in the future...both in social and financial part. However, it might be extremely happy if the country is unified in the end.
zef rose 7 years ago
So easy to create such lovely propaganda. 60 years ago, the US bombed North Korea to the ground and killed one third of the entire population, before dividing it off from the South and leveling sanctions that undermined every attempt to rebuild and regain their health and prosperity. Nevertheless, they persisted. They rebuilt, with no help, except a bit from the Chinese. Look up the city of Pyong Yang, N. Korea and look at those pictures. Then look up Camp Casey, S. Korea, center of the occupation of one country by another. The pictures in this article represent only the very worst of North Korea and the very best of South Korea, and I have no doubt about the ease of creating an article which reveals the exact opposite. You can create such a photo essay as this with any two countries very easily, excepting some of the Middle Eastern countries that we have recently bombed into extinction. Be careful of hating North Korea. They have bombed no one, attacked no one, unlike the US.
SriGanesh.Ninja 7 years ago
You have created an amazing project, the NK photoshoot is a rebellious task - i seen some videos where they won't allow you to take photo. Many countries are turning into North Korea - like India, in a way improving to digital and armed forces and in other policitans making the countries more corrupted. We cannot oppose the govt or the policitians - as the governed by the corporates. For natural resource like water and farming land are converting into muliplex - new projects which will make the land not useful for farming. When we make a stand against them - they use force to beat us all the young generations. From those others are concentrated in earning only money - greed. Even we cannot oppose them in Social media - they get reported or fb system get us. Those who dare are mentioned as "Anti-Indian".
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