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AYESHA SITARA

 Beyond the Kim dynasty, which has ruled North Korea for almost 70 years, the nuclear programme and the propaganda, 25 million Koreans live in the “hermit kingdom”, and they want the same things as anyone else: to give their children the best education possible; to picnic in parks and green spaces; to enjoy fashion and the funfair; to dance, laugh and be merry.
Since my first visit to the country, in 2012, I have returned on several occasions, whenever a new destination has opened up for tourists, or when a tourist itinerary that includes schools, colleges, libraries or science parks (rather than revolutionary sites) has launched. My most recent trip was in September, a few days before Pyongyang conducted its sixth nuclear test.
A visitor to North Korea can see only what their minders permit, but each time I return, I hope to discover everyday life beyond the headlines. I am rarely disappointed.


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North Korea

North Korea exposed: images of everyday life in the world’s most reclusive nation

A family dances to music in Moranbong park, a popular spot in central Pyongyang. Locals gather here for barbecues and picnics and it is a favoured backdrop for wedding photos. Locals are thrilled when foreign visitors join in with the dancing.

A swimming pool at the Munsu Water Park, in Pyongyang.

A man walks his dog, Bobo, near the Arch of Triumph, in Pyongyang. Pet ownership is prohibitively expensive for many North Koreans but those who can afford to keep an animal often do so, as pets are considered a status symbol..

Bumper cars at Pyongyang’s Kaeson Funfair offer a rare opportunity for women to get behind the wheel as they are generally not permitted to drive in the country. Among the fair’s other attractions are a roller coaster, a pirate ship and restaurants, and it is possible for visitors to mingle with locals here.

A boy holding toy guns rollerblades in Kim Il Sung Square, which is often used for military parades. The square is bordered by the Taedong River on one side and some of the iconic buildings of Pyongyang, such as the Grand People’s Study House, on the other.

A day out at Pyongyang Central Zoo. The zoo’s exhibits have included gifts from China’s Mao Zedong, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi. More recently the zoo has received animals presented by Russia and Holland. The park is open to the public every day.

A piano lesson beneath the portraits of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il at the Steelworks Kindergarten in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province. The school is famous for nurturing talented musicians and dancers. Visitors to the school are treated to an hour-long performance.

A pool table at the Munsu Water Park in Pyongyang.

Staff at Pyongyang’s Yanggakdo Hotel make use of the basketball court during their evening break. Situated on an island, the hotel is one of the few where foreign visitors are permitted to stay in Pyongyang.

A worker prepares a gun at a rifle range at the base of the 130-metre-high Suyangsan Waterfall, near Haeju, in South Hwanghae province. Korean won only is accepted here.

North Korea: Kim Jong-un’s snappy new suit makes him look like a ‘banker, wearing Armani’

A snappy grey suit donned by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s for his New Year’s address has got analysts wondering whether the reclusive regime is deploying a new wardrobe as part of a diplomatic makeover for 2018. Photo: Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a military parade held in Pyongyang to mark the 105th birthday of late founder Kim Il-sung on April 15, 2017. (Yonhap News/Newscom/Zuma Press/TNS)

A combination image of file photos released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un giving his New Year address from 2013-2018. KCNA/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. SOUTH KOREA OUT.

North Korean defectors show symptoms of radiation exposure, Seoul says

North Korean defectors testify about global humans. Photo: AFP

Son of North Korea hijack victim still campaigns for father’s return nearly 50 years on – but pleas fall on deaf ears

Hwang In-cheol (third left) on the Friendship Bridge in Panmunjeon with members of Seoul-based charity Teach North Korean Refugees and supporters in 2016 as he campaigns for his father’s return. Photo: Hwang In-cheol

Handout image shows Hwang In-cheol outside the DPRK Mission office in Geneva, posting a letter requesting information and repatriation of his father. On a winterÕs morning in 1969, Hwang In-Cheol's father Hwang Won, a producer for Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, was on a domestic South Korean Flight, when it was hijacked and flown to North Korea. Hwang Won has no been seen since. [07JANUARY2018 FEATURES] CREDIT / Courtesy Hwang In-Cheol

Handout image shows Hwang In-cheol protesting in Seoul sometime in the early 2000's. On a winter’s morning in 1969, Hwang In-Cheol's father Hwang Won, a producer for Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, was on a domestic South Korean Flight, when it was hijacked and flown to North Korea. Hwang Won has no been seen since. [07JANUARY2018 FEATURES] CREDIT / Courtesy Hwang In-Cheol

Handout image shows Hwang In-Cheol (R) with his mother, grandmother and sister after his father was abducted. On a winter’s morning in 1969, Hwang In-Cheol's father Hwang Won, a producer for Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, was on a domestic South Korean Flight, when it was hijacked and flown to North Korea. Hwang Won has no been seen since. [07JANUARY2018 FEATURES] CREDIT / Courtesy Hwang In-Cheol

Handout image shows Wang In-cheol in London after he made a speech at the House of Commons in Westminster, London. On a winter’s morning in 1969, Hwang In-Cheol's father Hwang Won, a producer for Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, was on a domestic South Korean Flight, when it was hijacked and flown to North Korea. Hwang Won has no been seen since. [07JANUARY2018 FEATURES] CREDIT / Courtesy Hwang In-Cheol

Handout image shows Hwang in-cheol (L) with his father and sister. This picture is the last picture he took with his father before he was abducted by the DPRK. On a winter’s morning in 1969, Hwang In-Cheol's father Hwang Won, a producer for Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, was on a domestic South Korean Flight, when it was hijacked and flown to North Korea. Hwang Won has no been seen since. [07JANUARY2018 FEATURES] CREDIT / Courtesy Hwang In-Cheol

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Shunning propaganda and the threat of war, a photographer provides a rare snapshot of day-to-day life in the pariah state


North Korea exposed: images of everyday life in the world’s most reclusive nation

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Shunning propaganda and the threat of war, a photographer provides a rare snapshot of day-to-day life in the pariah state

Shunning propaganda and the threat of war, a photographer provides a rare snapshot of day-to-day life in the pariah state