Women in brightly coloured bathing suits throw sand on the beach, as others stand with their bicycles in the background. In June 2013 it was reported that, as part of his plans to turn North Korea into a 'world class' tourist destination, leader Kim Jong-un ordered the transformation of the industrial port of Wonsan into a beach resort town

Explaining how he got inside the secretive state, he explained: 'I sent several mails and faxes to multiple North Korean contacts, all of which are easily available online if you do a search. Then one day someone actually replied and I met their representative. It was a lot easier than I expected.'

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'It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I didn't want to do a sneaky, undercover project as I didn't want to get into any trouble,' he said.

He decided to set about planning a trip in 2012, by writing and asking permission to do a photographic project.

'I have been curious about North Korea for many years. The average person has probably seen more photos about outer space than of North Korea. It's one of those great mysteries that I wanted to discover for myself and I figured it might just be possible,' Mr Pan told MailOnline.

Unlike other tourists who have visited the country, Mr Pan did not have to hide the photos and video he was taking from inside the country - he simply asked for permission.

Photographer Aram Pan stands in front of a bronze monument. He has now been on two visits to North Korea and plans to go on a third this autumn

Mr Pan, a commercial photographer by day who specialises in 360 degree panoramic virtual tours for real estate, hotels and automobiles, has now been on two visits to North Korea and plans to go on a third this autumn.

'I was supposed to book my first trip in August 2012. Unfortunately I was suddenly unwell and had to postpone my first trip to August 2013. Later when I approached the local travel agency (Universal Travel Corporation) specialising in North Korea tours with my proposal, the manager was very excited about it and immediately offered to sponsor my first trip.



'After that first trip, the manager of a second travel company (DPR Korea Tourism) based in Malaysia offered to sponsor my second trip.

'Currently, talks are already underway to plan a third trip this autumn and I’ve been told that more travel agencies in Singapore and Malaysia are already interested in marketing exotic tours to North Korea.'

A stunning view from Mount Kumgang, a 1,638-metre-high mountain in Kangwon-do, North Korea

A woman in a pink gown gets her hair dyed at an old fashioned hairdressers. Mr Pan said: 'People seem to go about their daily lives and everything looks so incredibly normal.'

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'The things I've seen and photographed tell me that the situation isn't as bad as I thought,' Mr Pan explained after he saw healthy looking men and women play volleyball together on the beach

'Coming back from my second trip, many things still puzzle me. I've travelled from Pyongyang to Hyangsan to Wonsan to Kumgangsan, to Kaesong and back. The things I've seen and photographed tell me that the situation isn't as bad as I thought,' he said.

'People seem to go about their daily lives and everything looks so incredibly normal. Some of my friends tell me that everything I've seen must be fake and all that I've photographed are a massive mock up.



'But the more I think about that logic, the more it doesn't make any sense… would anyone mock up miles and miles of crops as far as my eyes can see and orchestrate thousands of people to seemingly go about their daily lives?'

In the late 1990s, North Korea suffered a major famine that is thought to have led to between 500,000 and 600,000 deaths.



However, despite starvation no longer being a fact of life in North Korea, the most commonly cited cliche about the country is still that it is 'destitute' and 'starving'.



Fireworks explode during the climax of the Arirang Mass games 2013. The Stadium is undergoing renovation so there will be no Arirang Mass Games for 2014

Young girls hold up red flowers at the Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang, a gymnastics and artistic festival held in the Rungnado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea

Sights: A woman stands with a black umbrella (left) and a horse statue (right) at the tomb of King Tongmyong. The sacred site was built when King Jangsu transferred his capital from Hwando Mountain Fortress to Pyongyang in 427 AD. The Royal Tomb of King Tongmyong is one of 63 tombs that exists in five zones of North Korea

Mr Pan believes that to fake everything on such a massive scale would mean North Korea's organisation skills are 'far beyond that of any developed country'.

He was escorted throughout his time in the country but said he had no schedule to follow and was given the ability to move around 'quite freely'.

He has also reasoned that none of his photographs or video were confiscated or deleted.

His stunning photos show the streets of North Korea's capital Pyongyang, the countryside, the beaches and the famous Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic Performance Arirang.

The city of Pyongyang seen from the Yanggakdo Hotel, where Mr Pan was staying

A sunny afternoon in Kaesong Town. The city is near Kaesong Industrial Region close to the border with South Korea and contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace

Landmarks: The Tower of the Juche Idea (left) is a monument in Pyongyang named after the ideology of Juche introduced by its first leader Kim Il-Sung. It was built in 1982 and the Tower is sited on the eastern bank of the River Taedong, directly opposite Kim Il Sung Square. Kumgang Reunion Centre (right) is 'the place where families from the North and South side meet'

