Several weeks ago I posted some daytime shots of the Pyongyang skyline. This is a similar view of Pyongyang, but at 1am in the morning.

Remember those joke postcards you could buy that were completely black and would say something like “Los Angeles at night”? That’s what Pyongyang reminded me of when I would stick my head out of the hotel window and peer into the complete darkness of the silent city across from our hotel. It felt like I was the only person there.

Incidentally, when I went down to the hotel gift shop to buy postcards for friends, I picked up the “Pyongyang at night” postcard set that ironically depicted the city in all its illuminated, blazing glory. Suffice it to say, they did not have any joke “Pyongyang at night” postcards, because that would have been to close to the actual truth.

The 3.2 million residents of Pyongyang receive only 1-3 hours of electricity per day. Keep in mind that only the crème de la crème – the citizens most loyal to Kim Jong-Il’s regime – are allowed to live in Pyongyang. Just three hours of electricity per day for the country’s elite.

North Korea’s electricity woes are starkly illustrated in the below satellite image of the Korean peninsula. Notice the difference between North and South Korea.

Credit: globalsecurity.org

As with everything else in North Korea, the electricity shortage is due to the actions of the U.S. Imperialists:

The U.S. should own responsibility for having caused such acute shortage of electricity in the DPRK and brought enormous economic losses to it and make compensation for them in any form.

This is an irreversible principled demand and a legitimate sovereign right of the DPRK, the victim.

If the U.S. does not fulfil its commitments but persistently pursues the policy of stifling the DPRK, the DPRK will be left with no option but to go its own way.

Then, it will be too late for the U.S. to regret for its act.

Not to worry, though, as it looks like the DPRK is going green and getting into wind power. I’m sure they will have a surplus of electricity in no time.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Related posts:

1. North Korea: Good morning, Pyongyang! When you’re on vacation in North Korea, you don’t get to sleep in. And really, how could you, when there are so many Kim Il-Sung monuments to pay homage to and ill-maintained roller coasters to ride? Thus, your morning in North Korea typically begins with a wake-up call at...
2. North Korea: The streets of Pyongyang A few random shots here and there. Ubiquitous propaganda Pyongyang Traffic Girl Another Pyongyang Traffic Girl Building on Kim Il-Sung Square Kim Il-Sung Square. Tower of Juche Idea in the background. Building on Kim Il-Sung Square School children Flags and decorations Pyongyang TV Tower Near the Arch of Triumph....
3. North Korea: The streets of Pyongyang, Part II More random shots. Kim Il-Sung Stadium. Capacity 50,000. Used mainly for soccer games. “Monument of Triumphal Speech” mural near the Arch of Triumph. Rush hour in Pyongyang Kaeson “Triumphant Return” Metro station Another shot of the Ryugyong Hotel (just couldn’t get enough of it). Kaeson Cinema If you enjoyed...
4. North Korea: The Itinerary Theoretically, if all goes according to plan and the North Korean government has approved my visa, this is my trip’s itinerary. I’m especially looking forward to the bowling. Tues 8th Sep AM: Bus from office to airport. PM: Flight JS152 from Beijing to Pyongyang, 13:00 departure, arrive Pyongyang 16:25,...
5. North Korea: Dining out in Pyongyang (or the most cooking I’ve done…ever) Dining like the Koryo kings of yesteryear in Kaesong, DPRK Some of the most frequently asked questions about my trip to North Korea are “Was there enough food? What did you eat? How was it?” One person even asked me if there was a McDonald’s. When I replied no,...