The notoriously tightly controlled confines of North Korea may limit our looks inside the "hermit kingdom," but that didn't stop ABC News from prying open the country's culture through the lens of virtual reality.

Inside North Korea VR, narrated by veteran journalist Bob Woodruff, takes us on an immersive trip into the country, bringing viewers closer to the rigid order and state-mandated discipline that colors every aspect of the isolated nation.

The experience was developed by ABC in conjunction with California-based Jaunt VR and can be viewed using just a smartphone, the Jaunt app and a Google Cardboard device.

ABC reporter Bob Woodruff in North Korea. Image: ABC News

As the narrator and on-scene reporter, Woodruff begins in a spartan North Korean hotel in Pyongyang. Before moving outside, we're given a brief primer on the country, presented via a circular panel of moving images that instantly turn the mundane room into a kind of interactive museum.

Soon after, Woodruff embarks out into the streets, showing glimpses of North Korean life — at least the parts the local governmental handlers allow him to see. Later, we're plunged into the middle of a massive military march commemorating October's 70th anniversary of North Korea's Worker's Party.

The sounds, narration and musical score all combine with the 360-degree video to deliver a stark reminder of the regimented lifestyle most North Koreans endure.

A massive military march marking the 70th anniversary of North Korea's Worker's Party.

This is the second dip into the medium of VR for ABC, the first being Inside Syria, which was released back in September.

"We wanted to build off of the immersive and informative presentation of Inside Syria to develop a more multi-layered experience with Inside North Korea," Dan Silver, ABC News Digital executive producer, told Mashable. "The result was a more 'game-ified' experience where we were able to guide the users through — via Bob’s on-cameras, his [voice-over], tactical sound design, spot shadowing and textured archival material — and in turn infuse more detail and information."

Along with ABC, other mainstream news outlets like The New York Times are increasingly embracing VR as a means to enhance the news. However, even with the emergence of cheap devices like Google Cardboard, many news consumers are still playing catchup when it comes to VR.

The entire ABC News North Korea experience is available for free when you download the Jaunt VR app for iOS and Android phones.