As the largest city and center of government and political life of North Korea, Pyongyang is unlike anywhere else in the country. For one thing, compared to the rest of the country, people are relatively prosperous, and enjoy a quality of life not available to anyone else in the DPRK.

This is largely down to politics: Pyongyang is populated by members of the ruling elite and party members being rewarded for their loyalty to the state, with plush apartments, good schools and favorable healthcare services. As such, the city is built to accommodate them.