Peaceful life in North Korea despite the threat of war

Despite the war of words between Washington and Pyongyang leaders, life for North Korean people remains peaceful and quiet.

A boy uses a computer at the Sci-Tech Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea. Photo: AP

On April 15, during the celebration of the 105th birthday of late leader Kim Il Sung, North Korea showed off its powerful military equipment. A day later, Pyongyang continued to launch a medium-range missile into the sea but failed. At the same time, the US sent three aircraft carriers towards the Korean peninsula, apparently to demonstrate its power. US President Donald Trump warned that he was ready to "solve North Korea". In response, Pyongyang announced that it would conduct its sixth nuclear test when it saw fit, while threatening to respond brutally if Washington attacked, according to AP.

In Pyongyang, one of the first places to be devastated if war breaks out, where if conflict breaks out, casualties would be immeasurable, few people seem concerned about the "ghost of war" lurking at the doorstep.

On April 17, the zoo in the North Korean capital was still crowded and bustling. Children played carefree in the playgrounds. In the city center, families leisurely strolled under shady rows of apricot trees.

At the Kimilsungia flower exhibition held annually to celebrate the birthday of leader Kim Il Sung, a crowd of thousands gathered here. They happily and eagerly used their mobile phones to take pictures next to the purple orchids named after the founder of the country.

North Korea holds military parade to celebrate late leader's birthday

Chong Ok An and her family joined the crowd of people out on Sunday. Chong said she was "not afraid" because "as long as we have Marshal Kim Jong-un, we will win any battle."

Ms. Chong's answer reflects the influence of North Korean propaganda on its people, as well as the fact that they have heard so many stories about war over the past decades that they have become indifferent to news related to conflict.

On April 14, a day before the birthday celebration of late leader Kim Il Sung, people in Pyongyang seemed to be only interested in the important event about to take place. They took turnsto lay flowers at the foot of the statue of leader Kim Il Sung.

Jon Myon Sop, a worker at the bus station, said he was aware of the rising tensions on the Korean peninsula and the deployment of military assets to the region by the US and its allies.

"If the enemy wants to wage war against our leaders, we have nothing to fear because we will win,"Jon said.

Cho Hyon Ran, a tour guide, shared that North Korean people do not want war but are not afraid either, because Pyongyang has power, "North Korea is the strongest country in the world".

"You can see everyone laughing, singing, everyone celebrating the Day of the Sun. We are not afraid of anything," she stressed.

North Korean Views on Nuclear Weapons

When asked about North Korea’s failed missile launch on April 16, most Pyongyang residents said they had no idea. Some even refused to believe that the missile exploded after launch.

"Scientists tried to show off our country's power. I don't believe this missile launch failed," said a young man in the capital Pyongyang.

Interviewing some North Koreans at the Pyongyang metro station, BBC reporters often received answers that they "still feel safe even though the US is causing tension on the Korean peninsula because there is supreme leader Kim Jong-un".

One woman even asserted that North Korea's nuclear arsenal protects them from external threats. "We should have nuclear weapons. If we don't have nuclear weapons, other countries' weapons will fall on our country," she said.

Three North Korean girls chat while eating ice cream. Photo: Reuters

According to VNE