After a one month trip to Pyongyang and North Korea I am sharing my thoughts on my impression of the locals view on the world and society. I was happy to find that despite living in an oppressive regime, people are still able to live their lives as kind and humble human beings. Their information is censored, yet they still know a lot of things about the world and about other countries. In their worldview, Japan and the US are the main reasons for why Korea is divided. The North Korean civilians seem to largely want to unify with the South. One person I met claimed that the best solution would be for a two state government, where they North can keep the system they call socialist and the South can keep the system the North refers to as capitalist. This two-state government would be in charge for a decade or two while the two countries move closer to each other. This solution is in line with many Academic takes on the topic (such as Lankov).

Due to years of isolation, North Korea has developed in a different direction from many other East Asian countries. In central Pyongyang you do not see poverty and mainly interact with the middle class. Therefore the perspective you get on the country is obviously limited. But you still get to see an important part of the North Korean society where education is cherished (along with subordinance to the government). On the streets of Pyongyang, there are plenty of trees and greenery, and there is no advertisement or company brands anywhere.