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I Took And Smuggled These Out Of North Korea – Illegal Photos Kim Doesn’t Want You To See
I visited North Korea and took these photos, most of them illegal, so you could get a more candid look into the most mysterious country on the planet.
I was told I would be detained in case photos like these were found (“You took many photos. Too many,” – said my guide), but I managed to smuggle them out of the country, which was very stressful.
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Authority – military is present everywhere in Pyongyang
The difference between North Korea (left) and China (right) is staggering
And it becomes even more apparent at night
You have several of these to fill in on your way in
First photo I took in North Korea. Photography from this train is illegal
People waiting to sell human waste to be used as fertiliser
“(The Korean Workers’) Party is never going to forget the comrades of Rakwon [city]”
North Koreans can only travel within the country when they receive a permit
North Korean soldiers
Dignity
Arrival in Pyongyang. I believe this was staged, as there were no other trains that day, so those elegant looking travellers had no reason to be there
Pyongyang – we were intercepted by our guides, who we could not leave during the entire stay, and who’d tell us when to sleep and when to wake up
North Korean street photography
Brutalist architecture of Pyongyang
Cityscape from the Yanggakdo hotel
The hotel officially has no floor 5, and you can only reach it by stairs
The door is almost always closed, but if you manage to get in, the place is full of propaganda posters, and people speculate it’s used for spying on the guests.
We did not get to interact with the locals almost at all. Most waitresses seemed slightly terrified of us
Kim Il-Sung’s square. This is one of the places they want you to photograph
Those allowed to live in Pyongyang are privileged, and wear a badge that is impossible to buy (you can get a fake one in China)
You are only allowed to photograph these statues if both bodies are featured in their entirety. There was an endless stream of North Koreans bringing flowers and bowing
I had 15 seconds to take this picture. This shop is for the locals only, and I was kicked out of it by my guide soon after taking this photo, but he didn’t see me taking it
Some of the souvenirs you can buy
The city is clear of rubbish
There was hardly any traffic, but they took our passports away and forbid us to go anywhere on our own in case we participate in a car accident…
Workers
The city was clean and elegant, but then I saw this
Socialist murals
Finally, people commuting to work
Thanks for watching, two more sets of photos are coming soon!
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What do you think ?
MiklósNagy 8 years ago
And now a poor guide sent into a prison camp along with his whole family for letting his turist taking illegal pictures.
RobertoGolović 8 years ago
His comments try to bring drama to every shot, yet there is none. For example: the "staggering" difference between a small town in NK and a larger one i China. It is normal to have small buildings too, you know. Obviously they have skyscrapers as well, just in different cities as can be seen from other photos.
MindiJohnson 8 years ago
I have to agree with this comment to some degree. Especially in the shot that he referenced. However, the image of the street with only 2 cars was a bit creepy. The shop for locals was kinda odd, too.
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MirceaT 8 years ago
This remind me of Romania, 26 years ago. The same gray buildings, empty streets and stores with no food to be sold. North Korea was the inspiration for Nicolae Ceausescu and the result was disastrous, a surface bigger than the Venice was destroyed to allow construction of blocks for workers and the ugliest structure ever built: The House of People (the actual Parliament Palace), the home of the Communist Party.
DeyanaKamburova 8 years ago
Could as well have been Bulgaria, though our regime was not quite as rigid as yours from what I know...
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MiklósNagy 8 years ago
And now a poor guide sent into a prison camp along with his whole family for letting his turist taking illegal pictures.
RobertoGolović 8 years ago
His comments try to bring drama to every shot, yet there is none. For example: the "staggering" difference between a small town in NK and a larger one i China. It is normal to have small buildings too, you know. Obviously they have skyscrapers as well, just in different cities as can be seen from other photos.
MindiJohnson 8 years ago
I have to agree with this comment to some degree. Especially in the shot that he referenced. However, the image of the street with only 2 cars was a bit creepy. The shop for locals was kinda odd, too.
Load More Replies... MirceaT 8 years ago
This remind me of Romania, 26 years ago. The same gray buildings, empty streets and stores with no food to be sold. North Korea was the inspiration for Nicolae Ceausescu and the result was disastrous, a surface bigger than the Venice was destroyed to allow construction of blocks for workers and the ugliest structure ever built: The House of People (the actual Parliament Palace), the home of the Communist Party.
DeyanaKamburova 8 years ago
Could as well have been Bulgaria, though our regime was not quite as rigid as yours from what I know...
Load More Replies...
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