A lot of foreign travel in the DPRK is done through authorized travel companies that can only go to specific areas. Like just having a visa doesn't mean you can drive wherever you want, you still have to arrange for things like hotels and whatnot and that's all gonna fall into whatever the internal rules dictate.

The Jinghu HSR (Beijing-Shanghai corridor) has made flights between those two cities unprofitable. It's cheaper, more convenient, and the door-to-door is faster than going through security and all the other bullshit associated with plane travel.

They are 1318 km (819 mi) apart. A soft sleeper ticket costs 500 CN¥ ($74 USD) and a seat is about 1/3 that price.

It would be crazy to hear their perspectives on things.

https://youtu.be/ktE_3PrJZO0

I'd ask them if they have those 9999 in 1 LCD Brick Games.

No, stories of people people defecting to South Korea are really overblown by SK media. Most people who defected did so during the 1990s Korean famine.

The few people that do defect do so in order to reunite with separated family. They find themselves third class non-citizens, unable to obtain housing or employment, socially outcast, and exploited by the SK media and government for propaganda purposes.

Koreans: Vacation abroad and then come back home.

Westerners: (Confused screaming.)

I think that the "escape from North Korea" narrative is probably similar to the "escape from Cuba" narrative.

Are there chuds in DPRK who would like to escape because they think they can go become a small business tyrant in the US or somewhere else? Of course. Every country has reactionaries.

Is every person in DPRK wishing they could escape so that they can go become a small business tyrant in the West? No, I think most people who live in DPRK and also Cuba, actually enjoy living in their countries and their country's social system.

What about the economic hardships in DPRK and Cuba? The economic hardships in the DPRK and Cuba are caused by decades of sanctions created by the United States. People in DPRK and Cuba blame the United States for the economic hardships, not their own government. People in DPRK know that the United States places sanctions on many countries including DPRK, Cuba, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, etc.

Do people in DPRK actually like Kim Jong Un? Probably yes. Imagine you were born in North Korea. Less than 100 years ago, the United States invaded Korea and slaughters hundreds of thousands of civilians and destroy thousands of homes. Now there is a leader of the country who has successfully deterred the United States from invading again through investing in nuclear armament. Why wouldn't you like the leader who is deterring another US invasion?

Some background to add to everyone else's comments. T'albungmin are the defectors.

Nope. SK does pay defectors well for stories against the DPRK, and doesn't allow them to return tho.