by Michal Huniewicz:
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.
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.