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In the department stores of Pyongyang, you will find a whole host of items for sale. These places are, on the whole, relatively well-stocked - even carrying what looks like versions of IKEA furniture (though one would rightly question the legality of them being there). One of the more curious items for sale, however, is a little red book. Hardback and, at first glance, no different from any other diary or notepad you might find elsewhere in the world. Yet these little red books serve a special purpose: they are used for carrying out one's “life review” (saenghwal ch'onghwa). For this reaso...

In the department stores of Pyongyang, you will find a whole host of items for sale. These places are, on the whole, relatively well-stocked - even carrying what looks like versions of IKEA furniture (though one would rightly question the legality of them being there). One of the more curious items for sale, however, is a little red book. Hardback and, at first glance, no different from any other diary or notepad you might find elsewhere in the world. Yet these little red books serve a special purpose: they are used for carrying out one's “life review” (saenghwal ch'onghwa). For this reaso...

Copy to Clipboard Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-il, and North Korean army officers (Getty Images) In some cultures, geographical locations play an important role in their mythologies and it is no different for the Koreans. The Baekdu Mountain (also spelled Paektu) is located on the border between North Korea and China (where it is called the Changhai Mountain). The mountain is nothing but an active stratovolcano (one that is shaped like a cone) and is the highest mountain in the Changbai and Baekdudaegan ranges. However, for Koreans, from both North and South Korea, the mountain possesses a mythical ...