15 Incredible facts about North Korea

Everyone has heard something about North Korea. This country is often mentioned in the news, including in the context of supporting the candidacy of Donald Trump for the presidency of the United States or plans for a lunar exploration program. But mostly the news from North Korea is not so peaceful: for example, it was recently reported that the country launched ballistic missiles into the sea.

North Korea is increasingly threatening the rest of the world, and the world is increasingly responding to these provocations. In July, the United States decided to equip the South Korean army with the most modern air defense system. A month later, Japan ordered all military personnel to be ready at any moment to repel the attack of North Korean missiles.

It seems that no one knows what North Korea's next move will be and what is actually happening inside the country, since the information is difficult to access or does not inspire confidence. But there are some interesting statistics and curious facts that give an idea of life in this closed state.

(15 photos in total)

Source: Business Insider

1. North Koreans born after the Korean War are about 2 cm shorter than the average South Korean

"According to an analysis conducted among refugees from North Korea, those born after the Korean War in the late 1950s are on average 2 cm lower than South Koreans," USA Today reported in 2013.

2. North Korea has its own time zone: Pyongyang time

In 2015, North Korea recreated its time zone — Pyongyang Time, which is 30 minutes behind the time zones of South Korea and Japan. The country switched to its own time zone on August 15, 2015 in honor of the 70th anniversary of the country's liberation from Japan. Pyongyang time was also used before the protectorate of Japan, under which Korea fell after the end of the Russian-Japanese War in 1905, and five years later Japan annexed Korea.

3. Kim Jong-un ordered all male citizens of the country to copy his hairstyle

A source from Pyongyang told the South Korean newspaper "Joseon ilbo" that the North Korean authorities issued an order that men should not wear hair longer than 2 cm, and women's haircuts should not be longer than a bob-square. Men were allegedly ordered to style their hair like Kim Jong—un, whose hairstyle is called "majestic" in the country, and simply terrible in the rest of the world. Women needed to take an example from the wife of the leader.

4. It costs 8 thousand dollars to escape from North Korea

Since Kim Jong-un came to power, the cost of fleeing the country has increased significantly. In 2015, fleeing to China cost about $8,000, which is much more than the average North Korean can afford, given that GDP per capita in 2014 was $1,800.

5. Kim Jong Il's annual cognac expenses were 500 times higher than the average income of a North Korean resident for the year

Kim Jong-il, the father of the current leader Kim Jong-un, who died in 2011, spent about 913 thousand dollars a year on Hennessy, if you count at the current exchange rate. The average annual income in North Korea as of 2013 is from one to two thousand dollars.

6. Bill Gates' net worth is four and a half times the GDP of North Korea

At the time of publication, the net asset value of the Microsoft founder was estimated at $78.2 billion. The Trading Economics portal estimated North Korea's GDP at $17.4 billion. The World Bank does not provide official data on this indicator.

7. If the capital of North Korea were an American city, it would be the fourth most populous

The population of Pyongyang is 2 million 863 thousand people according to 2015 data. This is more than the population of Houston, where 2.3 million people live.

8. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the North Korean national team scored a goal against Brazil

But I still lost with a score of 1:2.

9. North Korea can be compared in area with the state of Pennsylvania

Its area is 119 thousand 279 square kilometers. The area of North Korea is 120 thousand 538 square kilometers.

10. Only 19.5% of the area of North Korea is suitable for growing crops

This is 23.3 thousand square kilometers. In terms of area, this is comparable to the territory of the state of New Hampshire.

11. North Korea claims that the literacy rate in the country is 100% among men and women

According to the CIA World Directory, literate people are those who are over 15 years old and who can read and write.

12. In North Korea, less than 3% of roads are paved

There are 25,554 kilometers of roads in the country, of which only 724 kilometers are covered with asphalt. This is only 2.83%.

13. If you add up all the roads in North Korea, you can encircle Pluto 3.5 times

But the paved road is barely enough to travel the distance from New York to Cleveland.

14. Qatar's GDP per capita is more than 73 times higher than that of North Korea

In 2015, Qatar's GDP per capita amounted to 132.1 thousand dollars, and in North Korea — 1.8 thousand dollars.

15. Recently, North Korea topped the ranking of the most corrupt countries on a par with Somalia

According to the Corruption Perception Index for 2015, North Korea and Somalia shared the title of the most corrupt states. The rating included 174 countries, which were awarded points from zero (very high level of corruption) to hundreds (very low level of corruption). North Korea received eight points.