I saw a NYT article today that just felt the need to link to this image of the DPRK as a means of pointing out the failings of socialist states (in a totally unrelated article, not surprising). I know that they're not providing the context both current and historical for why there is this disparity between the two Koreas, but I lack the knowledge or resources to effectively combat this blatant propaganda.
I know this photo has been around for a while, and I figured there might already be some myth-busting written somewhere I'm not aware of.
The obvious implication from this photo is:
"Socialism is when No Electricity". 
all the light shooting off into space is waste, so when you're not lighting up a fuckload of billboards and you design your street lights efficiently there won't be so much light pollution.
there's a bunch of rural poverty of course but it's dishonest to talk about that without talking about the trade embargo
Yes, but it's not like the DPRK has figured out some amazing solution to block most light pollution that no other country, not even China, has access to.
not having billboards lit up all night is probably worth a lot. I'd imagine they also don't keep the lights on in office towers either.
it certainly doesn't explain all of it but idk we don't really have pictures like this of anywhere else from, say, the 1950s