North Korean Economy

Daily Life of North Korea Under a Centrally Planned Economy

Throughout reading the book Nothing To Envy Ordinary - Lives In North Korea Barbara Demick depicts the everyday lives that go on in the regime that has been created under North Korean communist power. The book shows many of the economic factors that took place in the beginning and current state of North Korea. With the extreme government regulation that North Koreans experience, there is a lack of basic human rights, poverty, and overall economic freedom. With most of the world establishing a capitalist system North Korea found itself in an economic struggle with a lack of exports leading to an increase in poverty that ruins their country and well being. According to the interviews …show more content…
Given the secrecy of the North Korean government many of its citizens have no idea about the outside world or even the reality of what happens around them domestically. The mere fact that many of the citizens within North Korea have no idea how babies are conceived just shows that human access to information is very limited in comparison to other areas of the world. The only benefit that this provides for the country is ignorant loyalty in support for their country. Given that much of the well developed and thriving world utilizes a democratic system of government with well supported freedom of speech, many issues get solved for different areas in an economic system. Because North Korea is a planned system they get to decide the fate for all areas of the economy and people are brainwashed to show loyalty to that. There is no freedom of religion, no freedom of speech, and absolutely no access to information. An example from the book in which Chang Bo’s job was to publish business reports that made the North Korean economy look as if it were operating effectively just goes to show that the communist government created full control of the information that was provided to its citizens. Some could make the argument that this limited information can benefit the government by keeping people in high spirits about what they are living in and in theory could work. However, if the planned economy cannot provide in the simplest goods and services then there is no point in wasting the time and energy lying to citizens rather than providing for them. In order for a country to grow into a well developed nation empowering the people that live within the country is the most important asset. But due to the lack of empowerment for the general population of North Korea the separation of classes is very high. The upper class gets to live very luxurious lives in comparison to