Since I try to read all impartial accounts about everyday life in DPRK, I noticed several things that are important for this discussion.
First of all, North Koreans cannot travel freely even from cities they live in, they need some kind of permit. Tons of people travel all the time, so I guess that permit is not so hard to obtain, either legally or to buy it on the black market (just guessing for the latter). But the very fact that you need a permit to leave the town and visa to leave the country gives a person a certain mindframe and I guess nobody is questioning it, so it just doesn't need to be justified by authorities.
Secondly, I read several accounts about North Koreans travelling to China. I guess it can be done, but there is a catch - they never issue a visa for the whole family, so if you want to travel abroad, you have to leave someone behind and have to state the exact date when you'll be back and report to local offical upon return. It is a deterrent for defectors. Probably getting a visa or a passport isn't so easy and invokes a certain scrutiny, so majority of people just leave it be.
The keyword here is the mindframe - they just don't think that way or maybe even think that travelling abroad is not so important because they have their own landmarks, places to be, seaside, etc. And it surely is expencive for them.
reply
share