Life in North Korea: Shocking Truths About Dictatorship & Survival

North Korea remains one of the most secretive and oppressive regimes in the world. While its government presents itself as a socialist paradise, the reality for its 25 million citizens is a life of extreme control, propaganda, and fear. Every aspect of their lives—where they live, what they wear, what they study, even their hairstyles—is dictated by the government.

Image Source : BBC

For decades, the Kim dynasty has ruled with absolute authority, using fear, brutal punishments, and propaganda to maintain power. North Korea’s economy is in ruins, its people suffer from chronic food shortages, and any form of dissent is crushed with extreme brutality. Yet, despite these challenges, a silent revolution is taking shape, led by North Korean women who are slowly breaking the government’s grip through underground markets and exposure to foreign media.

This blog provides a detailed look into the reality of life in North Korea, covering the dictatorship’s control mechanisms, the suffering of its people, and the signs of a slow but inevitable change.

Total Control Over Daily Life

A Nation Isolated from the World

North Korea is physically and digitally cut off from the outside world. Satellite images at night show a dark void where the country lies, surrounded by the bright lights of China and South Korea. This reflects the regime’s strict control over information and movement.

The internet is nonexistent for most citizens. Only a state-controlled intranet is available, featuring a few government-approved websites.
All TV and radio broadcasts are government-controlled, filled with state propaganda.
International phone calls are banned, and all domestic calls are monitored.
Owning or watching foreign media is a crime that can result in execution or forced labor.

Image Source : Aisa Times

The government carefully curates the information available to its people, painting the outside world as corrupt and chaotic while portraying North Korea as a strong, independent nation under the leadership of Kim Jong-un.

The “Guilt by Association” Policy

North Korea enforces one of the most brutal laws in the world: the “Guilt by Association” rule. Under this system, if one person commits a political crime, their entire family—up to three generations—will be punished. This means that if a grandfather is accused of treason, his children and grandchildren will also be imprisoned, regardless of their innocence.

Case Study: Shin Dong-hyuk
Shin Dong-hyuk was born inside a political prison camp because his uncle had defected to South Korea. He grew up in Camp 14, one of the regime’s most notorious forced labor camps, where he:

Was starved, tortured, and forced to eat rats and grass to survive.
Betrayed his own mother and brother in exchange for food, leading to their execution.
Endured months of torture after being accused of plotting an escape.

Image Source : DailyNK

At 23, he successfully escaped and fled to South Korea, where he shared his story, revealing the horrors of North Korea’s prison camps. His experiences were documented in the book Escape from Camp 14, exposing the regime’s brutality.

Dictating Personal Appearance: The Fashion Police

In North Korea, even a person’s hairstyle and clothing are regulated by the state.

Only 15 hairstyles for men and 15 for women are allowed.
Kim Jong-un’s haircut is banned—no one else can have the same style.
Blue jeans, ripped jeans, and branded T-shirts are illegal, as they are considered symbols of Western influence.
Red lipstick is banned, as the government believes it makes women appear too attractive.

Image Source : Newsfeed – Time

To enforce these strict rules, the government employs “Fashion Police”, who:

Patrol the streets to ensure compliance.
Cut up the clothes of violators on the spot.
Issue fines and even arrest individuals for breaking dress codes.

The state also produced a propaganda series titled “Let’s Trim Our Hair in Accordance with the Socialist Lifestyle”, claiming that long hair is unhealthy and reduces intelligence.

Forced Labor and Political Prison Camps

North Korea operates some of the most inhumane labor camps in the world, where between 80,000 and 120,000 prisoners are subjected to forced labor.

Prisoners work up to 18 hours a day in mines, factories, and farms.
Food rations are so small that many die from starvation.
Public executions are common, often for minor offenses like stealing food.

Image Source : The Guardian

A former prisoner described how:

“We were so hungry that people would eat rats, grass, and even scraps from animal feed just to survive.”

If a war or rebellion occurs, guards have orders to execute all prisoners to erase evidence—a tactic reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s concentration camps.

The Rise of Jangmadang: A Silent Revolution

Despite the extreme oppression, a slow but significant change is happening in North Korea, led by its women.

During the 1990s famine, when the government failed to provide food, citizens took matters into their own hands. They created underground black markets known as Jangmadang, which have since become essential for survival.

Women run 70% of these markets, as men are forced into state-assigned jobs.
Foreign media is smuggled in, exposing citizens to new ideas.
Corruption is increasing, allowing people to break government rules by bribing officials.

Image Source : CBC

These markets are not only providing food and income but also challenging the government’s monopoly over economic and social life.

Is North Korea’s Dictatorship Beginning to Crack?

For over 75 years, the Kim family has ruled North Korea with fear and propaganda. However, cracks in the system are becoming visible.

Rising Corruption – Government officials are increasingly accepting bribes, weakening state control.
Information Leaks – Smuggled media is revealing the truth about the outside world.
Economic Instability – The government can no longer fully control the economy, as underground markets flourish.

North Korea’s rigid class system, strict punishments, and propaganda are losing their power. While change will not happen overnight, the growing access to outside information, the rise of independent markets, and the increasing distrust in the regime suggest that the dictatorship may not last forever.

Image Source : CNN

The world must continue to support defectors, document human rights abuses, and spread awareness about the reality of life in North Korea. Change is slow, but history has shown that no dictatorship lasts forever.

Conclusion

North Korea remains one of the most oppressive regimes in the modern world, where its people live under constant fear and control. From forced labor camps to extreme censorship, every aspect of life is dictated by the government.

Yet, change is happening beneath the surface. Women-led markets, smuggled information, and growing corruption are signs that North Koreans are quietly resisting. While the country is still far from freedom, these small shifts indicate that the dictatorship’s grip is not as unbreakable as it once seemed.