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Ordinary North Koreans seem afraid to express any views, however orthodox, on such matters. They make do on an average salary of $41 a month, most of which goes for food (a raincoat costs around $32 and a black-and-white TV $160). Rents are negligible or nonexistent. Consumer goods are generally drab and in short supply. Only imported Volvos, Toyotas and Mercedes racing through the quiet streets suggest a world of plenty beyond the walls of Kim Il Sung's socialist fortress. But North Koreans do not publicly acknowledge that possibility. As one movie commentary put it, "Now where can you find such a paradise, good for people to live in?"
