Some middle-aged and elderly friends go to North Korea to visit, and when they come back, they always say that it gives them a long-lost sense of intimacy, as if they are in our 80s. In reality, however, North Korea is very different from ours in the eighties, and this familiarity is only a superficial similarity. Today, the quality of life of the North Korean people, living environment, dress, product design, technological level and degree of mechanization, for example, still seem to be stuck or even not at the level of our 80s.
So today, let's talk about what we can do in China, but not in North Korea.
Since the end of 1978, we have stepped into a new era of reform and opening up. We have implemented the policy of guaranteeing production to households, implemented the contract responsibility system, and opened up the farmers' market so that farmers can freely produce agricultural products. At the same time, we also allowed the establishment of private enterprises, and for a time, all kinds of restaurants, clothing stores, grocery stores, factories, barber shops, transportation enterprises, etc., sprung up and became valuable assets for private ownership.
The State has also carried out in-depth reforms in the judicial field, abolishing the crime of speculation, reinstating the lawyer defense system, and explicitly recognizing the inviolability of private property. In addition, the state actively attracts foreign investment and introduces foreign advanced technology and management experience.
In just over a decade, we have solved the problem of food and clothing, and the commodity market has prospered unprecedentedly. All this has demonstrated the tremendous power of reform and opening up, and has also witnessed the great process of our country moving from poverty to prosperity and strength.
First, we cannot ignore the fact that North Korea still adheres to a closed economic system and has not carried out reform and opening up. The country's economy as a whole is still a planned economy, and the existence of private enterprises is not allowed. Whether it is a restaurant, a hotel, a barbershop, a travel agency, or a shop, a supermarket, a playground, a cinema, a factory, it is a state-owned unit, there are no private owners. This means that all employees are fed the national meal and their work is closely linked to the national program. Therefore, in the DPRK, it is impossible to set up a private enterprise.
After years of reform and opening up, the Chinese market is prosperous, rich in materials, and a dazzling array of all kinds of goods, as long as it is legal, you can choose at will. However, North Korea's economy has not been able to prosper due to the lack of reform and opening up. Since 2006, North Korea has been subject to long-term United Nations sanctions and blockades for conducting nuclear and ballistic missile tests in defiance of international opposition. At present, the DPRK is extremely short of materials, and the rationing system has been implemented for a long time, and grain, oil, rice, flour, sugar, meat and non-staple foods are all distributed by **. People look thin and have a relatively short lifespan, living 12 years less than their Korean counterparts and being 10 centimeters shorter on average.
The second, in China,"The customer is God"The slogan is familiar, this is the service industry in order to develop, in order to make money, naturally attentive to customers. When customers have any dissatisfaction, they can make complaints, give opinions, and even make criticism and suggestions for improvement. In North Korea, the foreign-related service industry also shows a friendly side, because the income and benefits of foreign-related services are much higher than those of in-home services.
However, for those waiters who serve ordinary people, they are both employees of the state and owners of enterprises. They need to be quick-handed, smiling, attentive, hospitable, and put themselves in their shoes. However, some waiters are so distracted that they ignore the needs of the guests.
In fact, whatever service they provide, it has no impact on the waiter's own standard of living and income. This also explains why the superiors have repeatedly ordered waiters from all walks of life not to beat and scold customers.
Third, in China, except for monopolies involved in people's livelihood, other enterprises have the right to set their own prices. As long as the price is clearly marked, whether it is 10 yuan pants or 1000 yuan pants, it is the freedom of the enterprise. In North Korea, all prices are set by the state, and neither arbitrary nor arbitrary price increases are allowed, ensuring price stability throughout the country.
Fourth, in China, you can easily strike up a chat with anyone, including blonde foreigners, if you want, as long as you behave appropriately and don't bother people. In North Korea, the situation is very different. There, the interaction between ordinary people and foreigners is strictly restricted, unless you work in a foreign-related agency.
Fifth, on Chinese soil, foreign tourists can freely walk into all kinds of restaurants to enjoy food, enter supermarkets and shopping malls to meet shopping needs, and integrate with the lives of locals. In North Korea, however, the picture is quite different. There, foreigners can only taste local food at designated foreign-related restaurants, find a place to live in foreign-related hotels, and buy goods in foreign-related shops. They are explicitly forbidden to set foot in the places where the locals live, maintaining a certain distance and boundaries.
Sixth, in China, foreign tourists can easily use their local currency to make purchases, and experience the convenience of being like a fish in water. In North Korea, however, the situation is quite different. There, foreigners have no access to North Korea's currency and can only rely on the dollar, euro and yuan for various consumer activities. This kind of regulation is like walking in the desert, which makes people feel a lot of inconvenience. But this is also the unique currency management system of North Korea, which makes people sigh at its strictness and understand its uniqueness.
Seventh, in China, the choice of birth or not is in the hands of every mother. The use of contraceptives is also a free choice. In North Korea, however, the use of contraceptives has become a taboo that defies the law, like an invisible shackle that restricts people's reproductive rights.
Eighth, in China, you can choose what you want to wear, whether it's jeans, ripped pants, low-rise pants, cropped pants, miniskirts, backless outfits, yoga pants or tights, everything is up to you. But if you set foot in North Korea, then you have to follow the rules there, and you have to dress and behave modestly. The fashionable outfits you take for granted will be seen as undignified in North Korea. Not only that, but your hairstyle must also comply with state regulations, with clear instructions in the barbershop. Men can't have long hair, beards, or braids, and punk heads can't either. Neither men nor women are allowed to dye their hair or nails because there are no nail salons in North Korea. In public places, both men and women must be serious and refrain from intimate behaviors such as hugging, kissing, holding hands, etc. Makeup should not be too heavy. There are special people on the streets who are responsible for checking and correcting these acts, and they belong to the Korean Socialist Patriotic Youth League.
Ninth, in China, career choices after graduation are full of freedom and possibilities. You have the right to decide what field you want to work in, what company you want to do, or even what you want to do with your career. It's a two-way path between you and your employer, and it shows you the endless opportunities in your life. In North Korea, the distribution of work is state-led. Whether you become a farmer, a production line worker or a service worker, it is planned in advance by the state. Under this system, the individual's career choices are greatly limited, and the possibilities for life are relatively few.
Tenth, in China, you need to choose a place to live and buy a house, and fully consider your own economic situation. In North Korea, housing is allocated based on one's origin, family situation, social status, and contribution to the country. A very small number of elites, such as scientists, artists, international competition winners, and **high-class**, may be accommodated in Pyongyang's high-end residential buildings, which are even equipped with elevators. In contrast, the housing conditions of ordinary North Koreans are relatively modest.
Eleventh, on Chinese soil, we can enjoy the charm of American and Korean film and television dramas, which bloom with a different brilliance in multicultural exchanges. In stark contrast, however, is North Korea, a country with so strict restrictions on cultural exchange that it acts as an impregnable iron curtain to keep out the outside world's film and television culture.
Twelfth, in China, we can enjoy the convenience of the Internet and have extensive and in-depth exchanges with people all over the world. Here, information is transmitted unhindered, and cultures collide with brilliant sparks. In North Korea, the picture is quite different. There, the mystery of the Internet has not been revealed, and the isolation from the outside world seems to have built a high wall. Although it is protected from the virus, it also blocks access to foreign information, making it seem as if people are on an island and cannot see the world in the world.
Thirteenth, in China, the concept of equality between men and women is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and many men are actively involved in family life, not only taking care of the children, but also taking care of the house. In North Korea, the role of men is usually not involved in family care and household chores, and their roles are more focused on the workplace and public affairs. This phenomenon reflects differences in the division of roles between men and women and in the distribution of family responsibilities in different countries and cultural contexts. In China, with the progress of society and the renewal of concepts, more and more men have begun to take on family responsibilities and become active participants in taking care of children. In North Korea, however, the traditional division of gender roles still dominates, with men's roles in the family being relatively less involved in care and household chores.
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