North Koreans are "waiting to die", a shocking new report from the BBC has just revealed. Starvation and execution are constant threats in the so-called 'Hermit Kingdom', where desperate civilians are trying to survive in a state that has forbidden most people from earning proper pay while restricting vital imports of food in the wake of COVID. 

Most outsiders know very little about what really goes on inside the super-secretive pariah nation. What we do know is gathered from the reports of experts, defectors, and people who've risked their lives to tell their harrowing stories.

From black market dealings to state-sanctioned haircuts, read on for 29 eye-opening facts about everyday life in North Korea. All dollar amounts in US dollars.