I was on the train in NYC yesterday and there was only sadness and despair in the eyes of the passengers. Some looked hostile and others completely apathetic. I am sure I could have died there and no one would have even looked in my direction. Dirt covered every area of the car; neglect and laziness or just budget cuts. The smell ran sour, never sweet, due to the miles of stagnant water, mold, dead things, garbage, and human stench. The train made several stops on it's transit between two stations, a stretch that could take anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes depending on the day. People pushed their way through to get onto the cars, no artwork was present save for the advertisements and the countless notices asking for you to be polite to your fellow riders. Over the PA system, a soulless voice once again reminded that one should avoid displaying their electronics, this to lower the risk of being robbed. Once out of the subway, I was greeted by a dead rat in a rat trap as a reminder of what we all are. I did this all in reverse on the way home.

That is false. You wouldn't notice in the metro (and in the streets, same) any especially negative feeling, in any way different from any other part of the world (except that, like somebody else pointed, in the latter place, the eyes are generally on mobile phone screens).

I know because I just came back from North Korea.

The western media like to portray authoritarian regimes as hell-like places where people is sad and militaries are all over, ready to shoot anybody at the minimum misstep.

In reality, within a certain frame, daily life is quite regular; everybody is busy with their own lives, not especially happy or sad. I stress "within a certain frame" - inner perception works within a frame, and of course, people needs to pay attention to the restrictive culture.

I'd rather say "tired", as most of the people are hardworking farmers, without access to any transportation mean except the bike.

Have you ever travelled any metro at rush hour?

Perhaps you're simply projecting those feelings because of what you know and heard about NK. I'd wager that the citizens don't live much differently in the day-to-day than you or I do, setting aside the propaganda and obsession with the Great Leader (lol) of course.

They had never seen foreigners in those metro stops before. Suddenly here are a few of them, and taking pictures to boot. To me, they just seem wary and maybe a little afraid.