THESE are the pictures North Korea doesn’t want you to see.

The shocking photos show families living in poverty under the rule of Kim Jong-un and a glimpse into everyday life in the secretive country. The were taken by photographer Eric Lafforgue, who managed to sneakily take a few snaps, despite being told by his minder not to take any pictures, and if he did, to delete them, The Sun reported. Mr Lafforgue, 52, has been to North Korea six times but was banned from the country on his latest visit for taking several “forbidden” photographs — and it wasn���t the first time he’s been banned, as he previously told news.com.au. Luckily, he saved some of the photos onto a memory card in a bid to show the world what life in North Korea is like behind the staged state-released images. The pictures show not only shocking levels of deprivation but also the country’s bizarre and strange rules. Eric revealed that he was forbidden to take photographs of the poverty in the country, despite it being clear to see. He went to Chongjin, a city in the north but had his digital camera confiscated — and when he arrived there, he said he could see why officials would want to hide poverty levels from the outside world. NORTH KOREA GALLERY In other areas he snapped images of people eating grass, and young children working in fields. Another picture shows kids helping out in “public projects”, which is an annual community event. However, here it can be interpreted as forced labour as people are forced to do menial tasks — as seen in one of his photos, where women children are painting milestones. He said that power cuts happen every day — but the North Koreans don’t like anyone to know, blaming the issue on the “American embargo”. He was told to delete a picture of a girl using a computer at her home, because it demonstrated that there was no electricity. But North Korea were keen to show the world that children in the country have fun, painting a very different picture from the harsh reality shown in some of Mr Lafforgue’s photographs. Mr Lafforgue was allowed to visit some families in their homes — but only ones that had been carefully chosen by the government. Despite the decor there were small signs that said “times are hard”, and in one house, a family appeared to be using a bath as a cistern. Is is forbidden to take photos of soldiers and officials, especially if they are unflattering. In one part of his visit to a dolphin display he was told he was allowed to take pictures of the animals but not of soldiers, despite there being so many in the audience. He managed to grab one photo of an official sleeping in a church — which he says is probably one of the main reasons why he is banned. North Korea is widely accused of having one of the worst human rights records in the world because residents are strictly managed by the state. All aspects of daily life are controlled, including employment and travel. Amnesty International has also accused North Korea of holding people in prison camps and forcing them to work in poor conditions, mainly for behaving in a way that is seen as hostile towards the government. This includes being critical of the way the country is run — and the State Security Department allegedly deporting these people to the camps with their family with no trial and little or no chance of ever being released. Earlier this week it was revealed that millions of North Koreans are hooked on Breaking Bad style crystal meth. Kids, cops and Kim Jong-un’s top aides are all addicted to the drug, which is even used as a pain killer because residents don’t have access to proper healthcare. This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission. Pyongyang Postcard