While passing over East Asia high up in orbit, astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) were able to take a striking photo of North Korea literally enshrouded in darkness.
The photo was taken by astronauts from the Expedition 38 crew on Jan. 30 using a Nikon D3S camera highlighting a stark difference between North Korea and its surrounding neighbors. Surrounded by a brilliant network of bright lights, North Korea was virtually indistinguishable from the seas surrounding the Korean Peninsula.
Understandably, the most visible part of the country was its capital Pyongyang, which could be seen as a visible spot of light surrounded by darkness. Compared to cities in China and South Korea, however, Pyongyang's relatively dim light could easily fade into the background. Pyongyang is home to around 3.26 million people. However, the amount of light produced by the North Korean capital can only match the smaller towns of its neighbors.
"Coastlines are often very apparent in night imagery, as shown by South Korea's eastern shoreline," said Justin Wilkinson, a scientist from NASA. "But the coast of North Korea is difficult to detect."
North Korea's dark nights started back in the mid 1990s when much needed fuel that could be used for generating electricity stopped coming into the country from the former Soviet Union. Today, the average North Korean citizen uses up 739 kilowatt hours every year. To put in perspective, their South Korean counterparts use 10,162 kilowatt hours per year, indicating that North Korea's energy problems are serious.
Many governments and organizations have repeatedly offered both energy and food aid to the country in exchange for concessions regarding the North Korean nuclear program. However, the aid has consistently been refused due to the North Korean government's current stance against accepting foreign aid further exacerbating the country's energy problems.
Due to the country's isolationist position, gathering information about the North Korean way of life can be difficult. May of the relatively new photos of North Korea were taken from orbit using satellites or passing space stations.
For a North Korean citizen, walking around at night can be difficult and dangerous. Once the sun sets, North Koreans will not be able to watch TV or engage in many other social activities that require electricity. While civilians often have to deal with the darkness of the night, certain military facilities scattered around the country enjoy a surplus of energy. Many government buildings and Kim Jong Un's personal palace, and a small number of North Korean landmarks, also enjoy 24 hour electrical services.
