Ostensibly Ordinary: Pyongyang Photography - M1key - Michal Huniewicz

Pyongyang

Pyongyang A few steps on the platform and we were intercepted by our two guides, who wouldn't leave us until the end of the stay, except sometimes in the hotel. As you leave the train station, Pyongyang seems like an ordinary city, although quite extrordinarily clean and not very loud or busy. ISO 200, 24mm, f/3.2, 1/2500s.

In the Minivan

In the Minivan They didn't let us walk anywhere - within maybe a minute or two from leaving the train we were all squeezed into a minivan that would be our second home for the entire stay.

As you can see, it's now OK to take your smartphone with you, although there will be no reception and no wifi anywhere. Your phone will be thoroughly searched on your way out. ISO 200, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/500s.

From the Minivan

From the Minivan This was how most photos would be taken - through the minivan window.

Pro tip: Take your polarising filter with you to minimise reflections.

Pro tip from John Z Wetmore : It helps to wear a dark or black shirt, so the reflection is of black and doesn't show up. (Thanks, John!) ISO 200, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/640s.

Crowd

Crowd You have to be fast. Soon we noticed that while Pyongyang is meant to be a utopian showcase for foreign visitors like ourselves, there are more glamorous bits, and there are less glamurous bits. What's more, our mute driver was perfectly aware of this, so he would conveniently slow down whenever the surroundings were impressive, and speed up whenever they were less pleasant, to make them more difficult to photograph.

One of us said that taking photos in North Korea was therefore like Olympic archery. ISO 200, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/160s.

Brutalist Architecture

Brutalist Architecture A honeycomb of flats reminded me of socialist architecture in Eastern Europe. ISO 200, 48mm, f/4.0, 1/500s.

Pyongyang Cityscape

Pyongyang Cityscape

On the left, the Koryo hotel, supposedly on fire quite recently. [

On the right, the Ryugyong, aka the Hotel of Doom. The 330 m tall buildigs stands largely empty, as North Korea doesn't have the funds to finish its construction (started in 1987). [ This is what Pyongyang looks like from the Yanggakdo Hotel.On the left, the Koryo hotel, supposedly on fire quite recently. [ 1 ] This is where you will stay if you are Chinese - the Chinese are given a lot more freedom than anyone else. The hotel is in the city centre, and the tourists staying there can walk around the block on their own, and get away with crossing the streets (although it's officially not allowed).On the right, the Ryugyong, aka the Hotel of Doom. The 330 m tall buildigs stands largely empty, as North Korea doesn't have the funds to finish its construction (started in 1987). [ 3 ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/250s.

Yanggakdo

Yanggakdo Non-Chinese will be staying here, in the Yanggakdo Hotel, which happens to be located on an island. I believe I read somewhere (Pyongyang comic book?) that you used to be to leave the hotel and walk around the island freely, but that's no longer the case. You can leave the building and walk the small area in front of the entrance between the hotel and the parking lot (literally 5 metres by 20 metres).

Update: It has been brought to my attention that, at least historically, non-Chinese foreigners were allowed to stay in hotels other than Yangakkdo. ISO 1600, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/30s.

Juche Tower

Juche Tower Before entering North Korea we were told by our Chinese guide (who did not enter North Korea with us) what would happen if you decided to ignore the limitations and take a stroll outside of the allowed area. Provided they don't stop you immediately, you'd be arrested, threatened, and then forced to pay in order to be released (the person who actually did do it had to pay $10,000 USD). If you are American, all bets are off though. ISO 1600, 66mm, f/2.8, 1/40s.

Dear Leaders

Dear Leaders On of the people that was part of my group told the story of visiting Albania when it was still part of Communist Yugoslavia a Communist state (thanks to Igor Kolonić for pointing this out). As soon as they arrived in the hotel, their guide said, "Now we will take your passports away. Because you will no longer have your passports, you will not be allowed to walk on your own, since if you are wounded in a car accident, hospital staff will not know who you are."

In the hotel, our North Korean guide said "Because you no longer have your passports, you will not be allowed to walk on your own, since if you are wounded in a car accident, hospital staff will not know who you are." ISO 200, 48mm, f/7.1, 1/200s.

Reception

Reception Meet our guides. We could not leave the hotel area without them. She was clearly the good cop, and even sang a song for us. He was the bad cop, and we reasoned he must have had some military authority, as soldiers would salute him upon inspecting his papers.

His voice would tell us to go to sleep and wake us up with a morning call. ISO 280, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/40s.

What About Floor Five?

What About Floor Five? The rumour is, the fifth floor of the hotel is entire dedicated to the surveillance of the guests. Some people managed to visit it (the door is usually closed when you take the stairs), so it's worth googling. ISO 1000, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/40s.

Waitress

Waitress The waitresses serving us often seemed a little terrified.

This was our first night in North Korea. We dined in the hotel's basement, in a small room, debating whether it was bugged, and wondering whether we could trust one another (the whole group was 7 people). ISO 450, 56mm, f/2.8, 1/40s.

Flags

Flags And then this awkward moment happend in the hotel. Suddenly, the bad cop shows up. We all go silent.

"You want to know the one, most important rule of being in North Korea? The number one rule?"

We go, "Uh, yeah, sure".

Waitress interrupts him, whispers something, he excuses himself, disappears for two minutes, comes back.

"All right, breakfast's at eight", begins to walk away.

"Excuse me, you said something about the most important rule...?"

"The most important rule? Ha ha", hollow laughter, becomes totally serious. Then walks away looking indifferent.



I don't know. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/3200s.

Across the Bridge

Across the Bridge The city centre sports also these colourful skyscrapes, unlike any other buildings I've seen. Various bits of infrastructure, like the bridge, look seriously neglected though. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.

Blue

Blue I think they were really proud of this area, as they were taking us there constantly. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/4000s.

Electricity

Electricity

Although Pyongyang has two power stations, the electricity supply is in a perpetual state of emergency. Neither power station produces enough power to supply more than one district at a time. [

What does that mean for the Yanggakdo Hotel rotating restaurant? It only rotates very rarely! Blaine Harden, in his book about the only known prisoner to have successfully escaped from a "total-control zone" grade internment camp in North Korea, Shin Dong-hyuk, writes that the Kim family dynasty has failed to build or maintain a reliable national electricity grid, even though the mountains of North Korea are crisscrossed with swift, large and small rivers. Prior to the partition, 90% of the electricity on the Korean Peninsula came from the North. [ 4 Although Pyongyang has two power stations, the electricity supply is in a perpetual state of emergency. Neither power station produces enough power to supply more than one district at a time. [ 2 What does that mean for the Yanggakdo Hotel rotating restaurant? It only rotates very rarely! ISO 200, 66mm, f/2.8, 1/3200s.

Grand People's Study House

Grand People's Study House

Where once Marx and Lenin were displayed, now the two - with all due respect - usual suspects are smiling at us with kindness. In the centre of the capital - the Central District - at the Kim Il-sung Square, the Grand People's Study House stands big and proud, exactly in front of the Juche Tower on the other side of the Taedong River. The library inside that building has some foreign books [ 5 ], but one needs a permission to get them, because otherwise they would contaminate the North Korean minds with Western ideas. Also, did I mention that the official name of North Korea is Democratic People's Republic of Korea? [ 6 Where once Marx and Lenin were displayed, now the two - with all due respect - usual suspects are smiling at us with kindness. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.

The Badge

The Badge It seems that everyone living in Pyongyang has to wear this badge, and you cannot just buy it. Supposedly they may give it to you if you're obedient and don't ask stupid questions - or you can buy a counterfeit one in China.

Where are all those people coming from, I hear you ask. ISO 200, 26mm, f/2.8, 1/2000s.

Flowers

Flowers Not unlike the Old Testament gods, the Eternal President of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, expects worship. Hence an endless flow of people with flowers to place at the foot of his statue. Well, my dad was arrested by the Communists for opposing them, and I'm not bringing any flowers! ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600s.

My Flowers

My Flowers ... They even made me pay for them. Fine. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.

Father and Son

Father and Son Here they are, the father significantly more elegant than the son, who, unlike in real life, isn't wearing shoes with heels. Initially, he was wearing a coat too, but they replaced it with the parka. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.

Father and Son

Father and Son



(Ammar's home address upon request.) The place is called Mansu Hill Grand Monument, and you are informed that "visitors who take photos of the statues are required to frame both leaders in the entirety of their picture." [ 7 ] Well, my friend Ammar took a selfie where they were both showing in their entirety, and yet it was deleted on the border on our way out of the country. Because we are talented hackers and computer geniuses, we recovered it, and I can show it off here:(Ammar's home address upon request.) ISO 200, 24mm, f/4.5, 1/1600s.

Sweeping

Sweeping What's the last time you saw a kid in the West cleaning anything? Also, the statue on the left features a North Korean soldier stepping on an American flag. ISO 200, 24mm, f/7.1, 1/640s.

Supervision

Supervision

Since South Korea is no longer providing fertiliser, North Koreans are charged with collecting their faeces in winter for spring planting. This is used to produce toibee, a fertiliser in which ash is mixed with human excrement. Factories and public enterprised have been ordered to produce two tons of toibee. [ But then it doesn't seem like they volounteer to keep the place clean.Since South Korea is no longer providing fertiliser, North Koreans are charged with collecting their faeces in winter for spring planting. This is used to produce toibee, a fertiliser in which ash is mixed with human excrement. Factories and public enterprised have been ordered to produce two tons of toibee. [ 4 ISO 200, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/2500s.

Girls

Girls Shin Dong-hyuk recalls students working in winter - handling metal rods without gloves, which sometimes meant ripping skin from one's hands, and a punishment for complaining was sticking one's tongue to a freezing piece of metal so that it would stick. [ 4 ISO 200, 31mm, f/8.0, 1/640s.

Woman

Woman You see, when I thought of going to North Korea, I worried I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face seeing all that absurdity all around. But when you actually are in North Korea, it's just not funny. It's utterly horrible. ISO 200, 34mm, f/2.8, 1/4000s.

Volleyball Game

Volleyball Game Socialism supports sport activities, especially the team ones, to build a sense of community. Here, a group of people playing volleyball at the Kim Il-sung Square. ISO 200, 55mm, f/7.1, 1/1250s.

Little Horseman

Little Horseman We also saw this nice scene. ISO 200, 70mm, f/7.1, 1/1000s.

Shop Off-Limits #1

Shop Off-Limits #1 In North Korea, there are places you can visit and places you cannot visit, and the latter are far more numerous. Well, this is one of them. Usually, we were accompanied by our guides, one in the front, one in the back. But at one point they were both in the front, which allowed for a literally 15-second long detour into this ordinary shop for North Koreans. That gave me maybe 10 seconds to take this and the following picture, before being kicked out by the bad cop, and the atmosphere became rather unpleasant. I'm not sure if he saw me taking these pictures. ISO 450, 24mm, f/7.1, 1/40s.

Shop Off-Limits #2

Shop Off-Limits #2 That's more than $5 USD for those apples. But you never get to handle the local currency called Won. From you, they will accept Chinese Yuan, Euros, or the currency of the Great Enemy, allmighty Dollar. ISO 800, 24mm, f/7.1, 1/30s.

Pyongyang Times

Pyongyang Times Pyongyang Times is a weekly magazine that was launched in 1965, and is published in English and French. The front page is usually dedicated to the ruling Kim visiting various places and handing precious advice. The magazine claimed that "if the Olympic Games were to be held in South Korea, many sportsmen and tourists of the world would meet death, infected with AIDS", as so many people had been deliberately infected by American soldiers. [ 8 ISO 200, 32mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.

Encyclopedia of Kimjongilia

Encyclopedia of Kimjongilia This was in a shop with souvenirs: books (Kim Jong-il's aphorisms andsuch), postcards, posters, etc. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/40s.

Guide

Guide There were many guides in the shop. Some of the guides was watching over us inside, another making sure we don't leave the shop. ISO 200, 62mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.

Scultpure

Scultpure Social realism in sculpture. ISO 200, 40mm, f/8.0, 1/500s.

Through the Snow

Through the Snow They took us to this spot over and over again, maybe they were really proud of the mural. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/4000s.

Traffic

Traffic There was never much traffic in Pyongyang. How were we supposed to participate in a car accident? ... ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.

Tram

Tram The tram and buildings reminded me of Sarajevo ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/5000s.

Workers

Workers Workers carrying an object across the bridge. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/4000s.

Wee Wee

Wee Wee All the modest elegance and cleanness of Pyongyang... and now this! ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2000s.

Arch of Triumph

Arch of Triumph Built to commemorate the Korean resistance to Japan from 1925 to 1945, this is the second tallest triumphal arch in the world. The first tallest one is in Mexico. [ 9 ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/8000s.

Mural

Mural Another socialist mural in Pyongyang. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/4000s.

Men and Women

Men and Women Men and women in Pyongyang. We were told old marriages in North Korea were arranged. In fact, most marriages in the world are arranged. ISO 200, 60mm, f/2.8, 1/6400s.

Oppressive

Oppressive I find socialist architecture brutal and oppressive. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1600s.

Commute

Commute Inhabitants of Pyongyang commuting. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/2000s.

Red

Red Blocks of flats in Pyongyang. ISO 200, 24mm, f/3.2, 1/2000s.

On the Bus

On the Bus More commuters. ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/500s.

Blocks of Flats

Soldiers