--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She was a manager at Department Store…" description: "\"“She was a manager at Department Store Number One in Pyongyang, which was regularly featured on the television news, showing shelves laden with colourf..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/441/hyeonseo-lee-20795_korea_she-was-a-manager-at-department-store-nu_2636610.jpg" --- # She was a manager at Department Store Number One in… ![“She was a manager at Department Store Number One in Pyongyang, which was regularly featured on the television news, showing shelves laden with colourful produce. But when I visited her there she told me that the goods on the shelves were for display only, to impress foreign visitors. The store had…” quote by Hyeonseo Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/441/hyeonseo-lee-20795_korea_she-was-a-manager-at-department-store-nu_2636610.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/441/hyeonseo-lee-20795_korea_she-was-a-manager-at-department-store-nu_2636610.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/441/hyeonseo-lee-20795_korea_she-was-a-manager-at-department-store-nu_2636610.jpg) > ““She was a manager at Department Store Number One in Pyongyang, which was regularly featured on the television news, showing shelves laden with colourful produce. But when I visited her there she told me that the goods on the shelves were for display only, to impress foreign visitors. The store had no stock to replace what was sold.”” [Hyeonseo Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyeonseo-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The store pretended to have abundant goods to impress outsiders, but actually lacked real stock, revealing deceptive appearances. **In simple terms:** The store faked abundance for visitors. Key Takeaway Beware of appearances that hide scarcity. Themes deception economics propaganda consumerism Mood cautious critical inquisitive Type observational analytical When to use this quote - tourist visits - foreign aid assessments - media reporting - policy analysis Key Concepts illusion state control public perception Questions to Reflect On - How do appearances influence trust? - What are the risks of relying on staged displays? A Different Perspective The narrative may oversimplify complex supply issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Korea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korea/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Pyongyang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pyongyang/) ## Related quotes > [Pyongyang possesses thousands of artillery pieces 30 miles from Seoul. Just one retaliatory salvo could decimate South Korea's capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-blinken/pyongyang-possesses-thousands-of-artillery-pieces-30-miles-from-seoul/) [Antony Blinken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-blinken/) > [“Sooner or later, all talk among foreigners in Pyongyang turns to one imponderable subject. Do the locals really believe what they are told, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/sooner-or-later-all-talk-among-foreigners-in-pyongyang-turns-to-one/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“The North Korean capital, Pyongyang, is a city consecrated to the worship of a father-son dynasty. (I came to think of them, with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-north-korean-capital-pyongyang-is-a-city-consecrated-to-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [My one concern is that Hu Jintao may overestimate how much power China has in Pyongyang. They have - they do have influence, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/my-one-concern-is-that-hu-jintao-may-overestimate-how-much-power/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [Hyesan people have money, the most after those in Pyongyang, because it's near the border with China. Illegal smuggling businesses and Chinese trading companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/hyesan-people-have-money-the-most-after-those-in-pyongyang-because-it/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [“Even in former days, Korea was known as the 'hermit kingdom' for its stubborn resistance to outsiders. And if you wanted to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/even-in-former-days-korea-was-known-as-the-hermit-kingdom-for-its/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Among the elite in Pyongyang, one of the most coveted signifiers of status is an electric rice cooker.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaine-harden/among-the-elite-in-pyongyang-one-of-the-most-coveted-signifiers-of/) [Blaine Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaine-harden/) > [The accession to power in Pyongyang of Kim Jong Un, son of Kim Jong Il and grandson of Kim Il Sung, is a unique…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/the-accession-to-power-in-pyongyang-of-kim-jong-un-son-of-kim-jong-il/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [“European who served for many years as a diplomat in Pyongyang, with postings there off and on from the 1970s into the 1990s, likened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-k-martin/european-who-served-for-many-years-as-a-diplomat-in-pyongyang-with/) Bradley K. Martin > [“Playing pool with Korean officials one evening in the Koryo Hotel, which has become the nightspot for foreign businessmen and an increasing number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/playing-pool-with-korean-officials-one-evening-in-the-koryo-hotel/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I brought Muhammad Ali to North Korea in 1995. I tried that once. It didn't work out quite that well for me as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bischoff/i-brought-muhammad-ali-to-north-korea-in-1995-i-tried-that-once-it/) [Eric Bischoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bischoff/) > [In a Pyongyang restaurant, don't ever ask for a doggie bag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-a-pyongyang-restaurant-don-t-ever-ask-for-a-doggie-bag/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“North Korea is a famine state. In the fields, you can see people picking up loose grains of rice and kernels of corn, gleaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/north-korea-is-a-famine-state-in-the-fields-you-can-see-people/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [I'll always be on the move for peace in the Korean peninsula. If necessary, I will fly straight to Washington. I will go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moon-jae-in/i-ll-always-be-on-the-move-for-peace-in-the-korean-peninsula-if/) [Moon Jae-in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moon-jae-in/) > [“The green spaces in Pyongyang were immense and many in number, but not as immense as the monuments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/the-green-spaces-in-pyongyang-were-immense-and-many-in-number-but-not/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) ## More by Hyeonseo Lee > [“The strength of my parents’ feelings for each other, however, was a worry to my grandmother. She warned them that if a couple loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyeonseo-lee/the-strength-of-my-parents-feelings-for-each-other-however-was-a/) [Hyeonseo Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyeonseo-lee/) > [“He’d valued his dignity more than his own life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyeonseo-lee/he-d-valued-his-dignity-more-than-his-own-life/) [Hyeonseo Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyeonseo-lee/) > [“It was the dilemma all three of us had. Every choice we made cut us off permanently from someone we loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyeonseo-lee/it-was-the-dilemma-all-three-of-us-had-every-choice-we-made-cut-us/) [Hyeonseo Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyeonseo-lee/) > [“This was the first time I had ever known that North Korea has gay people. 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I had turned eighteen and was old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyeonseo-lee/every-so-often-the-authorities-registered-voters-in-order-to-find-out/) [Hyeonseo Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyeonseo-lee/) > [“At the end of that first year at secondary school the ceremonies held on the anniversary of the Korean War affected me deeply and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyeonseo-lee/at-the-end-of-that-first-year-at-secondary-school-the-ceremonies-held/) [Hyeonseo Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyeonseo-lee/) > [“Afterwards, wedding photographs were taken, as was customary, at the feet of the great bronze statue of Kim Il-sung on Mansu Hill. 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It is more like leaving another universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/leaving-north-korea-is-not-like-leaving-any-other-country-it-is-more/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [All the people in Korea are cheering me like I'm a gold medalist or something, so I have a responsibility to my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psy/all-the-people-in-korea-are-cheering-me-like-i-m-a-gold-medalist-or/) [PSY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psy/) > [During the periods when South Korea played a more active role, the inter-Korean relationship was more peaceful, and there was less tension between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moon-jae-in/during-the-periods-when-south-korea-played-a-more-active-role-the/) [Moon Jae-in](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moon-jae-in/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. 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I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/north-korea-is-still-my-homeland-my-country-i-suffered-on-the-outside/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [The Globe reports that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il raises money by selling fake Viagra pills. What it is about this guy? None of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/the-globe-reports-that-north-korean-dictator-kim-jong-il-raises-money/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [At independence Kenya's economic indicators were equal to those of South Korea, but 45 years down the road, Korea's economy is 40 times that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raila-odinga/at-independence-kenya-s-economic-indicators-were-equal-to-those-of/) [Raila Odinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raila-odinga/) > [“If you took some North Korean songs and replaced Kim Il Sung with God or Jesus it would sound exactly like a Christian hymn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-kim/if-you-took-some-north-korean-songs-and-replaced-kim-il-sung-with-god/) Mike Kim > [Pyongyang possesses thousands of artillery pieces 30 miles from Seoul. 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Governments are realizing the power of this medium to organize people and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergey-brin/we-ve-seen-a-massive-attack-on-the-freedom-of-the-web-governments-are/) [Sergey Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergey-brin/) [Browse all 949 Korea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/korea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She was a manager at Department Store Number One in Pyongyang, which was regularly featured on the television news, showing shelves laden with colourful produce. But when I visited her there she told me that the goods on the shelves were for display only, to impress foreign visitors. 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