Millions of North Koreans voted to elect 700 members to the country's nominal parliament. Citizens were presented with just one state-approved name per constituency.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/Dita Alangkara
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North Koreans went to the polls on Sunday to approve the state selection of hundreds of members to the national legislature.
The country's leader Kim Jong Un, recently returned from his second denuclearization summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi, was among millions of North Koreans who voted. Kim is running for 're-election' in his Pyongyang district.
Pressure to conform
Given the absence of competition in the country's election process, the vote is seen by outsiders as nothing more than a rubber-stamping exercise. Taking part is compulsory and turnout is usually reported by the state news agency at 99 percent or higher.
Citizens, who regard voting as a duty and responsibility, may in theory oppose a candidate by crossing out his or her name before casting the ballot. This is unheard of, however, in a country where the pressure to conform is strong.
Kim Jong Un casting his voteImage: Reuters/KCNA
Solid support
Photos and profiles of the candidates are posted before each election. "No one votes against the candidate," said Jin Ki Chol, the chairman of an election committee in central Pyongyang.
"Everyone knows the candidate well. She has been serving them well for the past five years, so they support her."
Election day has a festive mood when voters traditionally wear brightly colored national dress Image: picture-alliance/AP/Dita Alangkara
Denuclearization
Sunday's vote took place a day after reports suggested North Korea is reactivating parts of its missile program. Satellite images from a key facility near Pyongyang cited by US news outlet NPR appeared to show an operational launching station.
NPR said the images of Sanumdong, where North Korea's first inter-continental ballistic missiles and space rockets were produced, were taken days before the high-stakes Trump- Kim summit in Hanoi, which ended in failure.
Vietnam welcomes the Trump-Kim summit
Entrepreneurs in Vietnam have embraced the meeting between US President Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Here are just some of the ways locals are making the most of the Trump-Kim summit.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/MAXPPP/Kyodo
A Mercedes for Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong Un traveled from Pyongyang and across China in his armored train, but then disembarked at the Vietnamese border and boarded a limo provided by the Vietnamese government. He arrived to Hanoi few hours ahead of Donald Trump, who traveled by plane.
Image: Reuters/K. Kyung-Hoon
'Durty Donald' and 'Kim Jong Yum'
The Durty Bird restaurant in Hanoi is selling Trump- and Kim-inspired burgers. The venue's co-owner and head chef, Colin Kelly, told the Guardian the "Durty Donald" was as "extravagant" as Trump, with double-beef and double-bacon topped with strands of yellow chicken and some Russian dressing. The "Kim Jong Yum" is made of smoked pork belly, wild boar, kimchi mayonnaise and crispy fried kimchi.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Dinh
'Rock It, Man'
If a Trump or Kim burger doesn't take your fancy, perhaps a summit-inspired cocktail will. Here a bartender in Hanoi places the finishing touches on a "Rock It, Man" cocktail, inspired by Trump's tweet where he called Kim a "little rocket man" after North Korea carried out a ballistic missile test.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Dinh
Presidential hair
Le Tuan Duong, the owner of the Tuan Duong Beauty Academy hair salon in Hanoi's Dong Da district, has been offering haircuts in the style of Kim and Trump. Those who choose the Kim look — the more popular of the two — get their hair molded and slicked back just like the North Korean leader, while those want a Trump hairdo have their hair dyed in the president's distinctive blond hue.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/MAXPPP/Kyodo
Novelty T-shirts
Other entrepreneurs are trying their luck with novelty T-shirts, a wise option for those who want a memento that will last — unlike a burger or a cocktail. There is a wide range to choose from and they can be found at lots of small road-side shops.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
A Trump-Kim Summit tour
Young Pioneer Tours has put together a "Trump-Kim Vietnam Summit Tour." The company's media officer, Matt Kulesza, told DW the tour would follow the summit, and the company would be chatting with journalists and using their contacts to get the inside story of what’s happening at the meeting. It will also include visits to key historical sites in Vietnam. He said three people had signed up so far.
