Two architects have built a full-scale mock-up of a North Korean apartment in Seoul with the aim of recreating the kind of accommodation lived in by middle class people in Pyongyang.
Calvin Chua of Singapore and Yim Dong-woo of Seoul hope their project will generate interest because it is forbidden for South Koreans, with rare exceptions, to travel to North Korea.
So the pair instead opted to bring a piece of Pyongyang to Seoul. This project was planned long before the crisis between North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump.
Yim explains that he wants to give an insight into the living conditions and way of life of North Koreans to the South Koreans visitors. North Korea is one of the most isolated countries in the world and has been ruled by three generations of Kim’s family since 1948.
The show flat has only three rooms: a living room with a European-style dining table overlooking a balcony, a children’s room and a kitchen – critics say that it is not fully reflective of the harsh reality of life in North Korea
Noticeably absent in the show flat are the ubiquitous loudspeakers that can be found in nearly all Pyongyang houses which broadcast incessant propaganda all day long to the 2.5 million inhabitants of the capital
North Korean defectors work as guides in the exhibition – some like the woman identified only as Mrs Moon (above) say the apartment is more or less what they remember, although important aspects of life in the north are misrepresented
The presence of a dining table in the exhibition has also surprised North Korean visitors to the exhibition because the tradition is to share meals around a coffee table, sitting on the floor
The show apartment has a commanding view over the South Korean capital Seoul but significantly comes without the less pleasant aspects of life to which residents of Pyongyang regularly have to endure
On the walls above the sofa of the exhibition are two frames (above) representing white silhouettes of previous North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. The architects had to leave the frames empty because it is strictly forbidden to reproduce the faces of North Korean leaders in South Korea
Critics say the apartment does not fully portray the harsh realities of life in the north – in particular the ubiquitous loudspeakers that can be found in all Pyongyang homes that broadcast propaganda all day to the 2.5 million inhabitants of the capital.
The apartment is furnished and decorated by studying information and pictures that the architects found on the internet. Chua was even able to travel to Pyongyang as a through his links with London’s Architectural Association.
Finding the right material such as linoleum, wallpaper, and furniture was not difficult since most of them are made in China, which is North Korea’s biggest supplier.
Kim Jong-Un launched a construction program in 2012 to change the face of the capital with brand new buildings built in record time. A crazy race against the time started and ended with the collapse of a building in the residential district of Phyongchon in May 2014, killing hundreds of people.
It was considered a price worth paying in the drive to make Pyongyang the showcase of the country and pamper the North Korean elite with brand new apartments.
For decades Pyongyang has been synonymous with dilapidated buildings – a reputation for which the authorities are trying to dispel by embarking on a major housing construction effort
While most North Koreans are only allowed to watch Russian and Chinese movies or endless propaganda reports, a small minority within the ruling class avoid this brainwashing thanks to USB keys and DVDs showing the latest American or South Korean blockbusters that are smuggled into the country
Different kind of products mostly manufactured in China – North Korea’s main supplier of food items – are on display in the Seoul show flat
Critics say that North Korea has paid a heavy price for its housing construction boom – in May 2014 an under-construction building collapsed, killing hundreds of people
Exhibition organizers hope their display in Seoul (above) will generate interest because it is forbidden for South Koreans, with rare exceptions, to travel to North Korea
The show flat has only three rooms: a living room with a European-style dining table overlooking a balcony, a children’s room and a kitchen totaling 36 square meters.
South Korean visitors to the mock-up admitted to being a little surprised by the dull look of the apartment.
An architectural student said: ‘The layout is quite close to my own apartment in Seoul. The size of the pieces is the same.’
A young woman, in her thirties, is more skeptical: ‘I would not keep much of the furniture displayed, except for the wardrobe that seems functional. Everything looks so old and impersonal. I feel like I’m in a Chinese apartment. ‘
Her husband confesses that he recently became interested in his northern neighbor after the nuclear threat: ‘I never had the curiosity to search for what a house in Pyongyang looked like.’
This is the case of many South Koreans who are totally uninterested in the North.
‘The exhibition has been visited by some of about 300,000 defectors from North Korea who now live in South Korea. Many have criticized the apartment, finding it very different from the ones they used to live in.
Some have pointed out that life in Pyongyang is never easy because power cuts are an ever-present reality and repeated difficulties such as elevator breakdowns in 30-storey buildings are daily nightmares.
It is also doubtful whether the apartments accurately represent life for the majority of people in North Korea, because the more up-market areas of Pyongyang are mostly reserved for privileged and faithful citizens who dutifully support Kim Jong-Un. Opponents are systematically exiled to rural areas or imprisoned.
Apartments like those in the Seoul display are distributed to deserving middle-class families, but even then are only partially equipped.
Generally a wardrobe and a bed are provided to newlyweds, but they will have to buy items such as sofas with their own hard-pressed savings.
A north Korean flat – officials in Pyongyang insist that most people’s properties are well equipped – but foreigners are only allowed to visit such apartments if their visit is planned well in advance, while the homes on display stick perfectly to propaganda with everyone having access to the same facilities
This flat in North Korea – complete with the obligatory Kim pictures – appears to be considerably less comfortable than the show flat on display in Seoul
A small minority of upper class North Koreans on the other hand can order furniture that accords with their taste, and have a wide choice.
But exhibition organizers insist that the disparities between social classes in Pyongyang are reflected in the decor of the apartments.
Most homes in North Korea are sadly much less well-equipped than the authorities are prepared to admit – many people in rural areas use pig manure to save money on cooking fuel
The bedroom on display in the Seoul exhibition (above) has been criticized for being much less basic than comparable rooms in Pyongyang
A Hello Kitty table set on display in the Seoul exhibition – In Pyongyang, the elite may be familiar with such famous brands and luxury goods, but the overwhelming majority of people are likely to be unaware of their existence
A typical middle class North Korean home (above) complete with a military jacket and basic furniture. Anything more than a bed a dresser are likely to be considered by most people as luxuries
A South Korean visitor looks at a North Korean calendar in the Seoul show home – critics say the pictures on the wall are a fantasy, because nobody would dare to pin anything other than officially approved images in their homes
Water is a valuable commodity in North Korea with many people keeping supplies in their baths – if they are fortunate enough to have one in their homes
On the walls above the sofa of the exhibition are two frames representing white silhouettes of previous North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. They are featured in all North Korean apartments and offices. Kim Jong-Un is not yet represented.
The architects had to leave the frames empty because it is strictly forbidden to reproduce the faces of North Korean leaders in South Korea, a form of censorship that has surprised some people.
Critics have also pointed out that the exhibition wrongly displays various maps and photos alongside the two frames. They say this would be impossible to do in North Korea where only pictures of family celebrations such as marriages are allowed to be displayed on walls.
The architects are accused of being unwilling to show the more problematic side of everyday life in North Korea, including the headache of getting fresh water. Such is the extent of the problem that the few bathtubs that do exist are used to store water. Likewise hot water and reliable electricity supplies are also rare commodities.
The presence of a dining table in the exhibition has also surprised North Korean visitors to the exhibition because the tradition is to share meals around a coffee table, sitting on the floor.
Critics point out that the content broadcast by the television in the exhibition – touristic footage of Pyongyang – is misleading because most North Koreans are only allowed to view Russian and Chinese movies alongside the endless state propaganda reports.