North Korea celebrated the 85th anniversary of the founding of its army Tuesday, a significant date on the country’s calendar.
The day is marked with a public holiday, and despite the USS Michigan, one of the US‘ most powerful submarines, arriving in South Korea Tuesday in an apparent show of force, there was no sign of tension in Pyongyang as North Koreans took to the streets to celebrate.
CNN is in the country now and captured some of the holiday activity.
Mansugyo cafe is buzzing with people enjoying the seven different kinds of beer on offer and making the most of a rare day off.
This popular „beer parlour“ was famously visited by President Kim Il Sung and his son Kim Jong Il in 1974.
The cafe has been around for decades and offers up local delicacies, like dried pollock, washed down with a beer made entirely of rice.
In the supermarkets, there’s very little choice in what food people can purchase, with only a few local products available. Most shops carry the same cans, and shelves are largely stocked with goods imported from China.
And despite North Korea being a socialist country, while some goods are distributed freely, many are still purchased with cash.
If you’re in Pyongyang and have the cash, „Junko“ bar is the place to go.
