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Everything belongs to the workers
(thelemmy.club)
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this post was submitted on 17 May 2026
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If I recall correctly, only Party members are allowed to own cars there. Thank God the Chinese have helped out a bit with this lately... though, so far, it’s only been a very small amount.
The same goes for free apartments in upscale neighborhoods. It seems to me that the Party there enjoys far more privileges than the Party did in the USSR.
Do you see what I’m getting at? People don’t strive to achieve success in life; instead, they dream of getting into the Party.
My parents were not Party members. That’s because, in the USSR, the Party was more about unnecessary hassles and responsibilities than it was about privileges—unless, of course, you wanted to climb the Party ladder rapidly. But my parents had no need for that; they were perfectly content with things just as they were.
As far as I know, car ownership isn't limited to party members, and all apartments are free in the DPRK. Those deemed critical enough can get better lodgings, but this is not exclusive to party members.
There are very few cars there—I’m not sure what to compare it to; even in the USSR in the 1960s, there were more. Almost all of the vehicles are state-owned. Check YouTube—you’ll see for yourself just how many cars are on the streets.
https://youtu.be/NUXAPSra3Ts
As for the free apartments, I was referring to the upscale residential complexes in major cities and the like. I saw a video about them online. Incidentally, you don't actually need to know Korean to communicate there, as almost everyone can get by in Russian. One young woman, in fact—speaking in Russian—specifically mentioned that those are "Party buildings." They are the most beautiful and modern structures in the city.
As for China, here is a look at a Chinese village—and not even one of the worst ones:
(I have nothing against it; I'm just showing.)
https://youtu.be/sT8ubmgeS6c
Regarding car ownership, it's rising dramatically even in the last year. At one point it was far more limited, but the DPRK's economy is booming and trade with China is rising.
As for apartments, I don't doubt that better apartments are made available to more critical workers and party members, this is similar to the USSR. The DPRK is constantly building new apartments, and as this happens the range with which people can get apartments widens.
As for China's rural conditions, I'm well aware of the urban/rural gap, and this is thankfully something the CPC is focusing on improving.