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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....
Alex Hill 7 years ago
How strict they are about photos is grossly, grossly exaggerated. Usually our guides let us take pictures of most places, and warned us in advance if we were going to certain museums, palaces etc. where it wasn't allowed.
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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.
Daria B 7 years ago
Yep! I've been in S.Korea since the start of the current decade, but from the history I learnt, I need to say the 1970s were an interesting decade. It is eell known how S. Korea was a poor 3rd world country in the 1960s, but thanks to the effort of the people, by the 1970s, they managed to get back on their feet and start recovering economically. Yeah, some may say it's thanks to financial help from abroad, but I assure you that hell was not for free. In the end, it's the efforts and smartness of the Korean people that help them become what they are today.
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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....
Alex Hill 7 years ago
How strict they are about photos is grossly, grossly exaggerated. Usually our guides let us take pictures of most places, and warned us in advance if we were going to certain museums, palaces etc. where it wasn't allowed.
Load More Replies... 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.
Daria B 7 years ago
Yep! I've been in S.Korea since the start of the current decade, but from the history I learnt, I need to say the 1970s were an interesting decade. It is eell known how S. Korea was a poor 3rd world country in the 1960s, but thanks to the effort of the people, by the 1970s, they managed to get back on their feet and start recovering economically. Yeah, some may say it's thanks to financial help from abroad, but I assure you that hell was not for free. In the end, it's the efforts and smartness of the Korean people that help them become what they are today.
Load More Replies...
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