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North Korea - scenes from the life (33 photos)
In September last year, North Korea, the last Stalinist state in the world, celebrated its sixtieth anniversary. In this closed society, where there is an extreme degree of totalitarianism and for the citizens is very easy and can even be absolutely impossible to get news from the outside world. Also almost impossible to get objective information about how people live in this country. Most of the photos of North Korea, which fall in the media or makes itself a totalitarian system, or approved by it (all the people visiting the DPRK are limited in movement in the country). However, considering all these photos, you can get a glimpse of life in present-day North Korea. The compilation, except photo provided by the North Korean news agencies, also has pictures taken at the border, and the famous photographer Eric Laforgue, who recently visited North Korea and held there for some time, shares his impressions.
View of the North Korean village, used for propaganda purposes, from the observatory Yeolsoe 62 km north of Seoul on August 27 2008. (REUTERS / Jo Yong-Hak)
A man rows a boat along the shore of the Yalu River. On the background can be seen one of the destroyed bridge that once linked China and North Korea. Picture taken September 12, 2008 near the town of Qing Cheng, 50 kilometers north of the Chinese border city of Dandong. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Girl-soldier goes on a rural road. Photographer Eric Lafforgue: "I do not know how and where they go and what they do, but when I was in the countryside, then met a lot of strolling soldiers ...". (Eric Lafforgue)
Residential houses along the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. Picture taken 10 September 2008. (AP Photo / Yonhap, Baek Seung-yul)
Boat carrying North Korean soldiers, floats on the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng, 50 kilometers north of the Chinese border city of Dandong. 12 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Amateur of the "Association of the Yalu River swimmers" floating near the border town of Sinuiju on the Chinese border September 12, 2008. In the warmer months, every day hundreds of Chinese swimmers swim in a narrow Yalu River, which separates their country from North Korea. Many of them cross the 500 meter river and rest in the Korean coast. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Korean down the stairs. On the background is visible abandoned industrial complex on the banks of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng. Picture taken 12 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Girl soldiers patrolling the shore of the Yalu River, looks out from behind a tree. Picture taken near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng, near the Chinese border city of Dandong September 12 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
In these photos, taken with a tourist boat, you can see North Korean soldiers, sitting at an army barracks. The shore of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong at 13 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Eric Lafforgue: "Freeway in North Korea - huge and running. They are so broad that there could land the plane. You can often see children playing right in the middle of the road. Founded problem here - is security, because as children and the elderly are not used to seeing cars, they can cross the road in the most unexpected places, not looking around. But highways goes exclusively military transport. Quite often, these machines break down and stand on the roadside. Occasionally at great speed rush novёhonkie Mercedes belonging to high-ranking North Korean officials. (Eric Lafforgue)
Two North Korean soldiers look towards South Korea in the village of Panmunjom, located in the demilitarized zone. Picture taken in the Thursday, September 11 2008. (AP Photo / Lee Jin-man)
Three North Korean girls pass by his house on the banks of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng. September 12, 2008. In August 2008 the UN World Food Programme called for the country to separate the political concepts of the concepts of humanitarian assistance and to collect 60 million. Dollars. United States, to help North Korea avoid the biggest since the 1990s the food crisis. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Korean woman washes in the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng. 12 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Military Family rides a scooter along the shore of the Yalu River near the town of Qing Cheng. 12 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Eric Lafforgue: "View of Pyongyang Hotel Yanggakdo. You can find the famous photo of the Korean Peninsula, made from the satellite at night, which shows the difference in luminance between the north and south. In North Korea, there is no street lighting, and home people use very low power lamps. Day of the capital of North Korea also looks surreal, like the night. Due to the fuel crisis there is practically no nightlife. Sanctified only monuments during public holidays. Every hour from 6 am to midnight, heard from speakers patriotic song. Tourists are strictly forbidden to leave the hotel and walk around the city, despite the fact that Pyongyang is a safe city. Those are the rules. " (Eric Lafforgue)
View of the streets of Pyongyang. On the horizon in the center of the photo is visible Ryugyong Hotel, Venue skyscraper 330 meters, whose construction was suspended in 1992. Eric Lafforgue: "On Sundays in Pyongyang traffic is prohibited, except vehicles belonging to the army and the government. Officials argue that it is necessary to prevent environmental pollution. "
Senior North Korean officials are taking part in a rally to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the DPRK. Photo courtesy of the official news agency of North Korea on September 8, 2008. On a huge national flag and the portrait of the founder of the "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung. On the right side the inscription: "Celebrate the 60th anniversary." North Korea Foundation Day - September 9th. (REUTERS / KCNA)
North Korean civilian and military on the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of North Korea in Pyongyang, September 9, 2008. Photo courtesy of the official news agency of North Korea 10 September 2008. (REUTERS / KCNA)
In this photo provided by the Chinese news agency "Xinhua", female soldiers marching on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, while civilians are bright garland, forming a big picture. 9 September 2008. (AP Photo / Xinhua, Zhang Binyang)
North Korean military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. 9 September 2008. (AP Photo / Kyodo News)
Female calculation anti-aircraft during the parade at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. (AP Photo / Kyodo News)
Thousands of North Koreans gathered to watch and participate in the military parade on the main square of Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung. 9 September 2008. (AP Photo / Kyodo News
Group North Korean soldiers in a moment of relaxation. Eric Lafforgue: "Shoot a smiling soldier - not an easy task! (In the proposal pun: "shoot» - shoot and shoot.) & Quot; (Eric Lafforgue)
Military talking to a woman during a mass games in Pyongyang on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. (AP Photo / Wally Santana)
More than 100,000 people participated in the mass games in Pyongyang on 13 August 2008. (AP Photo / Wally Santana)
Female gymnasts participate in the mass games in Pyongyang on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. (AP Photo / Wally Santana)
Hundreds of young women involved in the mass games in Pyongyang on September 12 2008. (Eric Lafforgue)
Eric Lafforgue: "Ray of Light during the Mass Games" Hail and prosper our country. " I think more people participated in the presentation than watching him! It was an amazing sight. (Eric Lafforgue)
Furthermore Mass Games in North Korea also held a mass dance. In the photo - girl participant mass dance April 15, 2008 Eric Lafforgue: "More than 100 thousand dancers standing on a giant square. Viewers invited to join them. Live music was played. The show lasted for an hour and then turned off the light, and less than 5 minutes the square was empty, and everyone went home through the dark streets of Pyongyang. " (Eric Lafforgue)
Girl performs patriotic songs during a concert at the school Mangyongdae. 17 April 2008. (Eric Lafforgue)
A child on a background of a residential building in Pyongyang. April 12, 2008. Eric Lafforgue: "In all children with their parents participated in rehearsals mass games. Therefore, all the houses and streets were completely empty. It looked very strange ... ". (Eric Lafforgue)
Korean young people holding colored books card, with which formed the background picture during Mass Games 12 September 2008. (Eric Lafforgue)
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View of the North Korean village, used for propaganda purposes, from the observatory Yeolsoe 62 km north of Seoul on August 27 2008. (REUTERS / Jo Yong-Hak)
A man rows a boat along the shore of the Yalu River. On the background can be seen one of the destroyed bridge that once linked China and North Korea. Picture taken September 12, 2008 near the town of Qing Cheng, 50 kilometers north of the Chinese border city of Dandong. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Girl-soldier goes on a rural road. Photographer Eric Lafforgue: "I do not know how and where they go and what they do, but when I was in the countryside, then met a lot of strolling soldiers ...". (Eric Lafforgue)
Residential houses along the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea. Picture taken 10 September 2008. (AP Photo / Yonhap, Baek Seung-yul)
Boat carrying North Korean soldiers, floats on the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng, 50 kilometers north of the Chinese border city of Dandong. 12 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Amateur of the "Association of the Yalu River swimmers" floating near the border town of Sinuiju on the Chinese border September 12, 2008. In the warmer months, every day hundreds of Chinese swimmers swim in a narrow Yalu River, which separates their country from North Korea. Many of them cross the 500 meter river and rest in the Korean coast. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Korean down the stairs. On the background is visible abandoned industrial complex on the banks of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng. Picture taken 12 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Girl soldiers patrolling the shore of the Yalu River, looks out from behind a tree. Picture taken near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng, near the Chinese border city of Dandong September 12 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
In these photos, taken with a tourist boat, you can see North Korean soldiers, sitting at an army barracks. The shore of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong at 13 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Eric Lafforgue: "Freeway in North Korea - huge and running. They are so broad that there could land the plane. You can often see children playing right in the middle of the road. Founded problem here - is security, because as children and the elderly are not used to seeing cars, they can cross the road in the most unexpected places, not looking around. But highways goes exclusively military transport. Quite often, these machines break down and stand on the roadside. Occasionally at great speed rush novёhonkie Mercedes belonging to high-ranking North Korean officials. (Eric Lafforgue)
Two North Korean soldiers look towards South Korea in the village of Panmunjom, located in the demilitarized zone. Picture taken in the Thursday, September 11 2008. (AP Photo / Lee Jin-man)
Three North Korean girls pass by his house on the banks of the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng. September 12, 2008. In August 2008 the UN World Food Programme called for the country to separate the political concepts of the concepts of humanitarian assistance and to collect 60 million. Dollars. United States, to help North Korea avoid the biggest since the 1990s the food crisis. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Korean woman washes in the Yalu River near the North Korean town of Qing Cheng. 12 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Military Family rides a scooter along the shore of the Yalu River near the town of Qing Cheng. 12 September 2008. (REUTERS / David Gray)
Eric Lafforgue: "View of Pyongyang Hotel Yanggakdo. You can find the famous photo of the Korean Peninsula, made from the satellite at night, which shows the difference in luminance between the north and south. In North Korea, there is no street lighting, and home people use very low power lamps. Day of the capital of North Korea also looks surreal, like the night. Due to the fuel crisis there is practically no nightlife. Sanctified only monuments during public holidays. Every hour from 6 am to midnight, heard from speakers patriotic song. Tourists are strictly forbidden to leave the hotel and walk around the city, despite the fact that Pyongyang is a safe city. Those are the rules. " (Eric Lafforgue)
View of the streets of Pyongyang. On the horizon in the center of the photo is visible Ryugyong Hotel, Venue skyscraper 330 meters, whose construction was suspended in 1992. Eric Lafforgue: "On Sundays in Pyongyang traffic is prohibited, except vehicles belonging to the army and the government. Officials argue that it is necessary to prevent environmental pollution. "
Senior North Korean officials are taking part in a rally to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the DPRK. Photo courtesy of the official news agency of North Korea on September 8, 2008. On a huge national flag and the portrait of the founder of the "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung. On the right side the inscription: "Celebrate the 60th anniversary." North Korea Foundation Day - September 9th. (REUTERS / KCNA)
North Korean civilian and military on the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of North Korea in Pyongyang, September 9, 2008. Photo courtesy of the official news agency of North Korea 10 September 2008. (REUTERS / KCNA)
In this photo provided by the Chinese news agency "Xinhua", female soldiers marching on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, while civilians are bright garland, forming a big picture. 9 September 2008. (AP Photo / Xinhua, Zhang Binyang)
North Korean military parade at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. 9 September 2008. (AP Photo / Kyodo News)
Female calculation anti-aircraft during the parade at the Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang. (AP Photo / Kyodo News)
Thousands of North Koreans gathered to watch and participate in the military parade on the main square of Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung. 9 September 2008. (AP Photo / Kyodo News
Group North Korean soldiers in a moment of relaxation. Eric Lafforgue: "Shoot a smiling soldier - not an easy task! (In the proposal pun: "shoot» - shoot and shoot.) & Quot; (Eric Lafforgue)
Military talking to a woman during a mass games in Pyongyang on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. (AP Photo / Wally Santana)
More than 100,000 people participated in the mass games in Pyongyang on 13 August 2008. (AP Photo / Wally Santana)
Female gymnasts participate in the mass games in Pyongyang on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. (AP Photo / Wally Santana)
Hundreds of young women involved in the mass games in Pyongyang on September 12 2008. (Eric Lafforgue)
Eric Lafforgue: "Ray of Light during the Mass Games" Hail and prosper our country. " I think more people participated in the presentation than watching him! It was an amazing sight. (Eric Lafforgue)
Furthermore Mass Games in North Korea also held a mass dance. In the photo - girl participant mass dance April 15, 2008 Eric Lafforgue: "More than 100 thousand dancers standing on a giant square. Viewers invited to join them. Live music was played. The show lasted for an hour and then turned off the light, and less than 5 minutes the square was empty, and everyone went home through the dark streets of Pyongyang. " (Eric Lafforgue)
Girl performs patriotic songs during a concert at the school Mangyongdae. 17 April 2008. (Eric Lafforgue)
A child on a background of a residential building in Pyongyang. April 12, 2008. Eric Lafforgue: "In all children with their parents participated in rehearsals mass games. Therefore, all the houses and streets were completely empty. It looked very strange ... ". (Eric Lafforgue)
Korean young people holding colored books card, with which formed the background picture during Mass Games 12 September 2008. (Eric Lafforgue)
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