What trivia (and/or little-known facts) do you find interesting about North Korea?

 

• The Ryugyong Hotel (pictured below) was started in the late '80s. For a while, it would have been the world's tallest hotel. However it was never completed and has never been used.

• Even though Kim Jong-un is their current leader, they do not consider him their president. Kim Il-sung (who died in 1994) is known as the country's "Eternal President."
• Political crimes are in many cases worse than all other crimes. You could get sent to prison for a few months for robbery, but get sent to a gulag for life for making a joke about the government.
• When you commit a severe crime, they believe that there's bad blood for three generations, so they take your parents, siblings, and kids to be punished as well. They don't take your spouse because they don't share your blood.
• Propaganda is everywhere. According to "Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick this is an excerpt from a first grade math book: "Three soldiers from the Korean People's Army killed thirty American soldiers. How many American soldiers were killed by each of them if they all killed an equal number of enemy soldiers?"
• Contrary to popular belief, Americans can visit North Korea safely (at least for now). The only way to do so is by going on a state-approved tour, which will be accompanied by two North Korean "minders" to make sure you don't do anything bad. You aren't allowed to take pictures of ugly things.
• South Korea believes that all Koreans are one; if any North Korean is able to reach South Korea, they'll be given South Korean citizenship and some money to help them start out.
• In 1953 a North Korean air force lieutenant took a MiG-15 plane and flew it to South Korea. He was given $100,000. The plane was the most advanced in the Communist bloc, so the U.S. got a ton of intelligence by having it. There was no response to the U.S.'s offer to return it to North Korea.
• The North Korea-South Korea border is the most heavily defended border in the world. South Korean soldiers have to be very careful because North Koreans have been known to drag people across the border; after which they are subject to the whims of North Korea.
• In 1976 there was the axe murder incident. At the border between North Korea and South Korea there was a large tree that obstructed the view between outposts (security issue), so some unarmed personnel (both South Korean and Americans) were sent to trim the tree. As they were trimming, a group of North Koreans ordered them to stop because the tree was personally planted by Kim Il Sung. The trimmings continued so the North Korean soldiers murdered the personnel with axes and crowbars. Not to be intimidated, three days later the United States sent some teams to cut down the tree. This effort consisted of 23 vehicles, 60 engineers, 64 South Korean special forces trained in Tae Kwon Do. Circling around were 20 utility helicopters, 7 Cobra attack helicopters, B-52 bombers, and F-4 and F-5 fighters. An American aircraft carrier was also deployed for support. In response, North Korea sent 150-200 troops. There were no injuries and the tree was successfully cut down. This was just a summary of the crazy parts of the Wikipedia article found here: Axe murder incident