But despite the gleaming images of Pyongyang’s new skyline, high-rise living in North Korea is not necessarily a symbol of luxury. Frequent power outages mean that elevators in residential buildings often do not function, making daily life difficult for those living in upper floors. As a result, younger residents are typically assigned higher apartments, while older residents are moved to lower floors to minimize the physical strain of climbing stairs, as witnessed by CNN during multiple visits to the country.