North Korea, photos inside

News & Politics
1

http://www.earthnutshell.com/100-photos-from-north-korea-part1/

In a Nutshell: I visited North Korea in late 2014 for 16 days, just prior to the absolute lockdown caused by Ebola. Most tourists only experience the political smokescreen of Pyongyang; I had the privilege in visiting all corners on one of the longest tours ever executed (no pun intended) for foreigners into the hermit kingdom. It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. Upon exiting the country, my cameras were searched for over 2 hours in Sinuiju. Many photos were deleted. However, I had backups. Here are 100 photos (part 1) taken during my time in North Korea, enjoy.

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The morning skyline of North Korea’s capital city, Pyongyang. This photo was taken from the Yanggakdo Hotel. The pointed building is the unopened Ryugyong Hotel.
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The fleet of North Korean airline ‘Air Koryo’ at Pyongyang Sunan airport. Air Koryo is the only ‘one-star’ airline in the world, and until 2010 was banned from flying into the EU due to lack of safety standards.
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Mansudae Grand Monument, the most prominent monument in the country. Locals flood here to show their respect. Kim Il-Sung and his son overlook their city, and while Pyongyang sleeps off their (alleged) power shortages, they also drain all that remains to be lit up like a Christmas tree. You must bow, and you should leave flowers.
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Countryside town east of Kaesong along the DMZ. Sad, lonely and forgotten.
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Traffic ladies are iconic to North Korea and it’s a highly respected profession. Their movements are definitive and militaristic, saluting party delegates as they pass as pictured here.
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Our local guide giving us a recap on the Korean war in the beautiful preceding gardens to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum. Yes, that’s really the name of the museum.
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Music Appreciation Room. That’s what the sign said on the door. Photo taken in the Grand Peoples Study House, Pyongyang.
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The main ministerial building in Kim Il-Sung Square, Pyongyang. Translations: “Long live our glorious Songun (military-first) revolutionary idea!” and “Long live our Democratic People’s Republic!”
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The industrial city of Kaesong, in the south near the DMZ.
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The military checkpoint at Panmunjom within the DMZ. In the distance sits the infamous 160m flagpole amidst the empty propaganda village of Kijong-dong, you can see this from the South. It’s been used unsuccessfully to lure South Korean soldiers to defect to the North. In reality, it’s empty, and the lights are on timers giving the impression of activity.
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Why not send your child to summer camp in North Korea? In Wonsan, there is the International Children’s Union Camp. This photo is of the lobby. Signage here is in Korean, English, Russian and Chinese, and the camp can accommodate 1200 children.
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In countryside North Korea, buses, as we know them, don’t exist.
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Talented North Korean artists have become excellent at painting their leaders. Subject matter aside, the DPRK had some of the most spectacular art I’ve seen.
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Statue of supreme leader Kim Il-Sung on Janam Hill in Kaesong. The stairs set off an alarm if stepped upon. It’s the best vantage point of the city up here.
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Locals pictured going about their day in the east coast city of Wonsan.
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Men, women and children – they all fight for the cause. Here is a small section of one of the two 50 metres long Socialist Revolution monuments enclosing the leaders statues in Pyongyang. To give you an idea of scale, each person is on average 5 metres high. It’s massive.
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“Total concentration, total mobilisation. All head to the harvest battle!” A propaganda billboard central to the rarely visited city of Haeju in the south-west of North Korea. Very few tourists have been here.
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The edge of the harbour in the port city and naval base of Wonsan, on the east coast. Directly behind me sits the out of service ship; Mangyongbong-92. This vessel previously provided ferry transport to Japan – until North Korea admitted abducting Japanese citizens, followed by a permanent ban after firing missiles into their waters.
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Kim Il-Sung Square. If you’ve seen North Korea propaganda before, then you’ve seen this location. It’s where most military parades, mass dances and rallies are performed. The Juche Tower is in the distance.
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Even military officers traverse the streets of Pyongyang by bicycle. Cars exist few and far between, reserved only for the wealthy and elite.

2

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Propaganda art en route to the rarely visited south-west city of Haeju. The photo wasn’t very well received.
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The Museum of United States War Atrocities. It’s located in Sinchon, where a mass murder of North Korean civilians occurred at the hands of the United States during the war. If there were one place in North Korea to get upset over the one-sided propaganda, this would be it. It’s aggressive. The murals depicted here are graphic, brutal and depict Americans enjoying the torture of men, women and children using primitive methods. Facts are scarce. Intense stuff.
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Kim Il-Sung and his son look on as locals fish where possible to survive in Wonsan. Seafood is plentiful in this city.
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The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, otherwise known as the Mausoleum. Inside this building lie both leaders, embalmed inside glass cases. You must bow at the feet, both sides but not at the head. Entry is only possible after security clearance and access is underground via long travelators
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“Long live the Workers’ Party of Korea, the leader and the organiser of all victories of the Korean People!” Aesthetically, my favourite monument in North Korea, officially known as the Monument to the Korean Workers Party.
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Police officers having a discussion on the streets of Kaesong.
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The Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang, where most foreigners stay upon a visit to North Korea. It’s conveniently isolated on an island so you cannot leave and freeroam the city. Tourists are placed in rooms facing the best parts of Pyongyang existing to the right of this frame. It has been speculated for years the rooms are bugged.
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Our lunch, a Korean banquet, presented in small metal bowls traditionally served to royalty in Kaesong’s history.
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Young men just after showing their respects at the Mansudae Grand Monument on Mansu Hill. In the distance you can see one of the most recognisable icons, the Monument to the Korean Workers Party.
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Our female North Korean guide translating for the local guide at the Monument to the Korean Workers Party. Seemingly all female guides are incredibly beautiful. Coincidence? Unlikely.
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This building is within the proximity of the specialised Mount Kumgang Tourism region on the south-east border. To the left, a restricted road leading to South Korea, to the right, Mount Kumgang. We were told swiftly (as we passed) that the building is used as a meeting point for family reunification between North and South Korea. In reality, this road hasn’t been used since 2008 when a South Korean tourist was shot dead on a tour here.
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Tall buildings scatter the hillside like mushrooms, intimidating the port city of Wonsan.
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A Pyongyang Metro conductor awaiting a train to arrive. Contradictory to what rumours have long suggested, the people in the metro system are not actors. In response to this suggestion, the DPRK opened up both lines, and all stops to tourists in 2014. We visited all of them. It’s a hive of activity and a crucial service to Pyongyang.
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Flowers lay at the base of an exemplary propaganda monument inside the grounds of the Mansudae Art Studio, Pyongyang.

3

Entire place looks rather depressing…

4

Wow Pyongyang is beautiful if only the didn’t adopt communism, they would be at par with the south.

5

This is Will Ripley he is the official CNN journalist stationed in Pyongyang, North Korea. Follow him on twitter he has a lot of photos and stories

[SPOILER=“Will ripley (cnn)”]https://dennishouse1.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/ripley.jpg [/SPOILER]

6

why the spoiler?

7

The image is rather big it would have been a distraction to anyone reading the comments.

8

If only they would let the people just enjoy some long overdue personal freedoms then they would thrive. However whatever gibberish propaganda from west media about N. Korea, remember they have only responsible of less than 1% of the souls the west has killed globally and continue to kill. North Korea biggest problem was that they stood up against USA and they have nuclear weapons.

9

There is no way the Kim family can increase any freedoms, that would be asking for revolt.

10

North Korea is like that homestead around the corner, where they look like they have anything and everything a family needs in life, but there’s very little happiness within the homestead! That homestead where the father is such a terrible tyrant!

11

they have achieved a lot bearing in mind the sanctions by the west. Kudos for having a museum showcasing american attrocities, every country should have this

12

The author is being petty here:

Our female North Korean guide translating for the local guide at the Monument to the Korean Workers Party. Seemingly all female guides are incredibly beautiful. Coincidence? Unlikely.
Kwani anatakaje?

Si aende country yao aweke ma "chapa"nese kwa program, alaaa!

13

Huyo journalist ako biased…kuna hiyo message ya american democracy anajaribu kuonyesha iko missing…lakini kwani alitaka apewe guides sura mbaya?

14

@Da Vinci wewe pia ni ndume !!! Siku kumi na sita ukila hizo chakula naona hapo juu ?? Siku ntaenda majuu naona nikibeba soko ugali na mwiko…:D:D:D

15

I agree that north Korea is an amazing place stiffled by US imperialism. The streets look clean and spacious with many green areas.

Did you check out the recently inaugurated science and technology center?

www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/north-korea-kim-jong-un-6726217

16

Without US imperialism, North Korea would be an example worth emulating. Same thing with Cuba. Have you ever wondered why the world’s largest economy and superpower, with a population of 200 million,would feel threatened by a small island with a population of 10 million? Reason: Cuba followed an economic model that did not benefit imperialists. If it were left to operate freely, it would record so much success that other nations would be tempted to copy the model, thereby threatening imperialism.

17

I think there is a lot of sugar coating hapa, there are other cities in the North which are extremely poor, check out the documentary by this guy ndo muanze ati Oh US oh nini (BBC.Panorama.2016.Inside.North.Korea)

18

Just like pictures of any other country, there is a slant towards the more prosperous elements.

19

Thanks for sharing

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2624164/North-Korea-Starving-people-child-labourers-dilapidated-homes-appear-harrowing-new-images-taken-inside-rogue-state.html