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How North Korea's privileged elite prosper while ordinary people starve

The Hermit Kingdom's haves and have-nots
The elite get to live in Pyongyang
The rest of the population are barred from the capital
The elite can earn thousands of dollars a month
While the rest of the population scrape by on just $2 or $3 (£1.45 or £2.15)
Ordinary people are forced into unpaid labour
The elite have constant access to fine food
A leader's diet
The rest of the population have barely enough to eat
The elite worry about their waistlines
The rest of the population fret about famine
The elite reside in upscale apartment blocks
Kim has 17 palaces to choose from...
...and a superyacht for holidays
The rest of the population live in rundown, no-frills housing
The elite enjoy swish en suite facilities
The rest of the population have to use public bathrooms
The elite has access to desirable black market goods
The rest of the population have no such luck
The elite follow the latest fashions
The rest of the population have more important things to worry about
The elite drive cars and ride battery-powered bikes
The rest of the population use bikes and ox or horse-drawn carts
The elite drive on smooth asphalt roads
The rest of the population struggle on dirt tracks
The elite don't have to cope with crippling power cuts
The rest of the population experience regular outages
The elite own multiple cellphones
The rest of the population are banned from owning cellphones
The elite have (restricted) access to the internet
The elite pamper their pet dogs
The rest of the population are more likely to eat the animals
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Torsten Pursche/Shutterstock

The Hermit Kingdom's haves and have-nots

Earlier this month North Korea declared victory against COVID-19, lifting restrictions that were implemented in May. But that doesn't mean that the secretive nation's problems are over. From flooding to food shortages, North Korea is battling a host of issues that are forcing the majority of its population into poverty – all while the privileged elite enjoys lives of luxury. So just how unequal is North Korean society? As Kim Jong-un unveils a new 80-storey skyscraper in Pyongyang, read on to discover the shocking gap between rich and poor in the notorious rogue state. All dollar amounts in US dollars. 

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lovemoney staff

19 August 2022

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