Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder was invited to Pyongyang in April to photograph celebrations taking place on the birthday of the late President of North Korea, Kim Il Sung.

He also got to take some incredible photos of Pyongyang and its outskirts, and was even invited to a press conference -- a veritable miracle for a Western journalist.

While he did tour the country with a chaperon, his images nonetheless paint an intriguing picture of what life in North Korea must be like.