Elite North Koreans Seeking Out Forbidden Fortune Tellers Amid Turbulent Times

Elite North Koreans Seeking Out Forbidden Fortune Tellers Amid Turbulent Times
A woman uses a mobile phone to record footage as a propaganda troupe perform a flag-waving routine outside the central railway station in Pyongyang on Sept. 27, 2017. ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images
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Strict information control in North Korea prohibits residents from getting information from anything but official sources.

While South Korean dramas are a particularly sought-after indulgence, some cadres worried about getting caught up in one of Kim Jong Un’s purges or falling out of favor amid interparty jockeying are looking for reassurance from an unlikely illicit source—fortune tellers.

Matthew Little
Matthew Little
Author
Matthew Little is a senior editor with Epoch Health.