Inside Kim Jong-un's Shocking Life Of Luxury While North Koreans Go Hungry

The Hermit Kingdom's haves and have-nots

From flooding to food shortages, North Korea is battling a host of problems that are forcing the majority of its population into poverty – all while the privileged elite enjoy lives of luxury.

So just how unequal is North Korean society? Read on to discover the shocking gap between rich and poor in the notorious rogue state. All dollar amounts in US dollars. 

The elite get to live in Pyongyang

North Korea's songbun system classifies each and every citizen. There are reportedly five designated castes in total. The privileged elite – which represents just 10% of North Koreans – enjoy 'special' or 'nucleus' status, and only members of these high castes are allowed to live in the capital Pyongyang.

The rest of the population are barred from the capital

Meanwhile, most North Koreans fall into one of three disadvantaged social statuses or lower castes, which range from 'basic' and 'complex' to the ominous 'hostile'. These people are banned from living in the capital and receive no special privileges such as additional food rations or phone permits. Insiders say the songbun system is based on two factors: your current position in society and your family's history, both in terms of its social position and its loyalty to the country's leadership.

The elite can earn thousands of dollars a month

The upper echelons of the Pyongyang elite can take home thousands of dollars a month, while the average resident of the capital earns $30-$40. Housing, food, and other essentials are subsidized to the point of being free for the elite, who enjoy generous rations, so this payment is more like an extra allowance than a basic salary.

While the rest of the population scrape by on just $2 or $3

On the other hand, the vast majority of the population earns next to nothing and has no special ration privileges. Many people bribe officials so they can moonlight in their spare time, such as by running a food stall or working in a clandestine factory, to earn an extra $10-$40 a month on average. Even this is still barely enough to survive.

Ordinary people are forced into unpaid labour

North Korean people are often forced into unpaid labor. In 2021 the nation started building a wall at the border with China in its Ryanggang province to prevent the smuggling of goods, as well as the spread of COVID-19. North Korea wanted the wall to be finished by 10 October 2022, the anniversary of its Party Founding Day.

It's not clear whether the nation achieved this deadline but we do know that it expanded its workforce beyond military and youth personnel to include married women aged from 20 to 60, according to Radio Free Asia. The women were expected to make 10 cement blocks per day. While forced labor is common in North Korea, it's been reported that on this occasion there was some backlash as frail, older women were conscripted to do the physical work.

The elite have constant access to fine food

With their ration books bulging, North Korea's spoilt 10% have constant access to fine food – much of it free of charge. The elite can also dine at Pyongyang's top restaurants. Lavish Korean barbecue banquets are popular and the capital even boasts a fried chicken joint and pizzeria, as well as European-style cafés.

A leader's diet

Kim spares no expense when it comes to his own diet. He’s been known to order in top-quality pork from Denmark, caviar delivered from Iran, Chinese melon and steaks of Kobe beef, a Japanese delicacy. He even managed to spend a whopping $921,712 on Brazilian coffee alone in 2016. Kim also reportedly spends thousands of dollars each year on importing liquors into the country for his elite circle. In 2016 the leader spent $33,000 on American spirits. He certainly prefers more expensive brands of alcohol like Hennessy, which can cost up to $2,145 for the best bottle. He has also reportedly spent $95,394 on German wine.

The rest of the population have barely enough to eat

Meanwhile, the rest of the population get by on extremely small rations, which were slashed to just 300g per person a day in May 2019 following the worst harvest in more than a decade. Things have got decidedly worse now that Kim Jong-un is admitting the nation is facing food shortages. In a rare admission in 2021, the leader revealed that the nation would have to "wage another, more difficult 'Arduous March' in order to relieve our people of the difficulty, even a little." 'Arduous March' refers to a period of extreme famine experienced in North Korea during the 1990s. But even in times of good harvest North Korean citizens are said to only live off 500g of food per day. 

The elite worry about their waistlines

Their supreme leader may be on the larger size but the North Korean elite are surprisingly body-conscious. Working out is a popular pastime in Pyongyang, presumably to burn off all those calorific banquets, and the capital has more than its fair share of gyms and health clubs.

The rest of the population fret about famine

Obesity certainly isn't a problem away from the capital. Millions of North Koreans died during the major famine that hit the country in the 1990s and chronic hunger is a fact of life. Estimates suggest as much as 78% of the population are undernourished, and 40% of children and most pregnant women are malnourished.

The elite reside in upscale apartment blocks

Pyongyang's Mansudae neighborhood is nicknamed 'Pyonghattan' and boasts the capital's most luxurious accommodation. Apartments feature all mod cons, and are sold illegally among the elite for anything up to $250,000. That said, other high rises are far less luxurious. According to North Korean defector Jung Si-woo, who was quoted in NBS News: "In North Korea, the poor live in penthouses rather than the rich, because lifts are often not working properly, and they cannot pump up water due to the low pressure." He commented that the 80-story skyscraper that opened in Pyongyang in 2022 served only "to show how much [North Korea's] construction skills have improved, rather than considering residents' preferences."

Kim has 17 palaces to choose from...

There’s not one definitive answer to the question “Where does Kim Jong-un live?” That’s because he has a staggering 17 palaces scattered throughout the state to choose from – and even his own private island.

...and a superyacht for holidays

And when Kim's not on dry land, he's likely to be found on his luxurious 180-foot superyacht. In 2022, satellite company Planet Labs released photographs of the floating mansion over Hodo Peninsula, a private bay near Kim's Wonsan family home. The Supreme Leader disappeared for 19 days in July and 12 days in August 2022, sparking assumptions that he'd escaped the country's catastrophic flooding by retreating to the peace and quiet of his superyacht – which is believed to boast a football pitch, water slide, and theme park-style rides. It's not news that Kim is a big fan of theme parks; the future dictator was known to have made several top-secret visits to Disneyland in Tokyo as a child in the 1990s. 

The rest of the population live in rundown, no-frills housing

Most North Koreans make do with poorly maintained houses or tenement apartment blocks with very little in the way of creature comforts or basic utilities such as central heating or running water. Many people have to collect firewood in order to cook or heat their homes, and fetch water from public taps.

The elite enjoy swish en suite facilities

Running water is a prerequisite in Pyongyang's upmarket apartments – after all, the residents need a constant supply for their washing machines, dishwashers and hot tubs – and many apartments feature second en suite bathrooms.

The rest of the population have to use public bathrooms

With running water a rarity in most homes outside the capital, the vast majority of North Koreans have to use public bathrooms. Even an outside toilet is considered a relative luxury away from Pyongyang.

The elite has access to desirable black market goods

There's no shortage of high-end goods waiting to be snapped up in Pyongyang. The city's ever-increasing number of luxury black market stores, which are largely tolerated by the dictatorship, sell everything from imported electricals to gourmet foods.

The rest of the population have no such luck

Consumerism is almost non-existent away from the capital. With very little disposable income, most North Koreans spend any extra cash they earn on food for their families. Even if they did have the money to spend, there are very few black market stores outside Pyongyang in which to splash the cash.

The elite follow the latest fashions

Although a fairly strict dress code is enforced, many Pyongyang residents follow the latest fashions, with Western brands such as Nike and Gap popular among young people. Meanwhile, high-end labels such as Christian Dior and Chanel are de rigueur for the upper echelons of the elite. Kim Jong-un himself regularly hits headlines due to his distinctive fashion sense, with wardrobe standouts including a leather trench coat and 1950s-style suits.

The rest of the population have more important things to worry about

Away from Pyongyang, fashion is low down on the list of priorities for most people, who are more likely to be concerned with getting enough food to eat or stockpiling enough firewood to avoid freezing to death in the country's harsh winters. Rather than leather, most North Koreans wear clothes made from vynalon, a synthetic fiber that's been produced in the country since the 1950s.

The elite drive cars and ride battery-powered bikes

Senior government officials and military officers are permitted to own cars, and it's not unusual to spot luxury vehicles on the capital's roads. Elite citizens lower down the hierarchy are fond of battery-powered bikes imported from China.

The rest of the population use bikes and ox or horse-drawn carts

Cars and battery-powered bikes are few and far between away from the capital. Most North Koreans have little or zero access to motorised means of transport, and are limited to using bicycles and ox or horse-drawn carts to get around or transport goods.

The elite drive on smooth asphalt roads

Although traffic levels are on the low side, the roads in North Korea's showpiece capital are meticulously maintained, with armies of workers on hand to deal with any potholes or cracks in the asphalt.

The rest of the population struggle on dirt tracks

It's a very different story outside Pyongyang. Away from the capital, North Korea's road network is mostly made up of dusty dirt tracks. According to the CIA World Factbook, out of a total of 15,878 miles of roads, only 450 miles are properly asphalted.

The elite don't have to cope with crippling power cuts

Power outages do tend to occur in the capital from time to time. However, members of the upper echelons of the elite have access to generators, so their homes and offices have an uninterrupted supply of power.

The rest of the population experience regular outages

Away from the capital, the few who are lucky enough to have electricity installed in their homes receive a very limited, intermittent supply. Blackouts are extremely common and many people in rural areas rely on candlelight after dark.

The elite own multiple cellphones

There are millions of phones in North Korea but far fewer users. Phone use is restricted to members of the elite and VIPs tend to own more than one handset – it's often cheaper to buy a brand new prepaid phone in Pyongyang than top up credit on an existing phone.

The rest of the population are banned from owning cellphones

The vast majority of the North Korean population are barred from owning phones. Some people may have limited access to public landlines but all calls are strictly vetted by the authorities.

The elite have (restricted) access to the internet

According to estimates, less than 1% of North Korean society has access to the internet. Most of the people authorized to use the world wide web work for the government, while everyone else makes do with a domestic intranet called kwangmyong.

The elite pamper their pet dogs

Pedigree lap dogs are much sought-after status symbols in the North Korean capital. Imported pooches from China, especially extra-small Chihuahuas and Malteses, can fetch big money on the black market. But these beloved family pets have fallen foul to Kim Jong-un's erratic policymaking. According to the New York Post, North Korea has implemented an "on-again, off-again policy of no pet dogs since the late 1980s because of capitalist connotations." In 2020, for example, the dictator ordered that pets in Pyongyang be handed over as they were believed to represent "bourgeois ideology." This rule didn't apply to Kim's own pedigree dogs, however, which reportedly include German shepherds and Shih Tzus.

The rest of the population are more likely to eat the animals

The controversial consumption of dog meat has a long history in North Korea and, outside the capital, people are forced to survive on very little. Needless to say, away from Pyongyang a stray dog is more likely to end up on the dinner table than be preened and pampered as a pet...

Now discover how North Korea makes its money