Travel

North Korea: The Grand Tour

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Carl De Keyzer Korean freighter moored on the Amnok (Yalu) River at Sinuiju, North Pyong’an Province. Across the river is the Chinese city of Dandong, Liaoning Province. Sinuiju, DPR Korea. © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Students pay their respects to a portrait of President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il; Science and Technology Complex. Pyongyang, DPR Korea. © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Father and son sit down for a rest in front of the April 25th House of Culture; Pyongyang. April 25th is the founding date of the Korean People’s Army, and the enormous structure is used for import (...)
Carl De Keyzer “Let’s drive out American Imperialism and Unite the Fatherland” reads a poster at the Sinchon US War Atrocities Museum; Sinchon, South Hwanghae Province. Political slogans are written in red, and b (...)
Carl De Keyzer Air force planes fly by, locals wait by the side of the street in Pyongyang to see the forces involved in a military parade. The sleek building in the background is a luxury restaurant and recreat (...)
Carl De Keyzer A swimmer watches a Korean movie on the screen; Munsu Waterpark, Pyongyang. The poster shows examples of men’s haircuts. Pyongyang, DPR Korea. © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer A mobile band performs music in front of the entrance to the Pyongyang Zoo, while under renovation; Pyongyang. Small bands often visit construction and work sites to encourage people. Pyongyang, DP (...)
Carl De Keyzer Warm-up room inside of the May Day Stadium, Pyongyang. The stadium was once home to the Arirang Mass Games, an enormous choreographed show, with over 100,000 participants depicting the revolutionar (...)
Carl De Keyzer A 3D photo exhibition on the DPRK by a foreign photographer, with refreshments; Pyongyang Cultural Exhibition Center, Pyongyang. Pyongyang, DPR Korea. © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Taking the Hyangdobong funicular train to the top of Mt. Paekdu, Ryanggang Province. In the DPRK, many companies and brands are named after Korean geographic place names — in this particular case t (...)
Carl De Keyzer Man carrying a mock-up AK-47 for a political rally; Kwangbok Street, Pyongyang. Political rallies are a regular part of life in the DPRK and involve citizens from across Korean society. Pyongyang, (...)
Carl De Keyzer A boy, his bicycle, and fishing gear at Jipsam Revolutionary Site, North Hamgyong Province. Angling is a popular activity and an annual competition is held in the capital each year. DPR Korea © Car (...)
Carl De Keyzer View of East Pyongyang — home of many of the city’s universities and hospitals — from the Tower of the Juche Idea. The red words in the foreground say ‘one heart’, and form half of a slogan reading (...)
Carl De Keyzer An oil painter touches up a scene of a bumper catch at sea; Mansudae Art Studio, Pyongyang. Mansudae Art Studio employees over 5,000 artists and is responsible for much of the DPRK’s public art. Th (...)
Carl De Keyzer Pyongyang citizens practice for a mass rally beneath the Tower of the Juche Idea, Pyongyang. Such rallies can involve tens of thousands of people, and take significant time and energy to plan, prac (...)
Carl De Keyzer Statues of Korean revolutionary fighters in the “Anti-Japanese Armed Struggle”; Samjiyon Grand Monument, Ryanggang Province. Between 1910-1945, Korea was a colony of the Japanese Empire. Those who (...)
Carl De Keyzer The revolutionary road to Mt. Paekdu, Ryanggang Province. In their lives, many Koreans will make a revolutionary pilgrimage to the mountain with their classmates or colleagues. These pilgrimages re (...)
Carl De Keyzer A child visiting the Three Revolutions Exhibition, Pyongyang. The silver-ringed sphere in the background is a planetarium. Pyongyang, DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Young ballerinas show off their skill while a picture of Mickey Mouse looks on at the Chongam Kindergarten; Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province. Disney characters are popular among young people and t (...)
Carl De Keyzer A waitress prepares the dining hall for a meal at Kyongsang Guest House, North Hamgyong Province. Once a major administrative centre, Kyongsang is now a small resort town overshadowed by its indust (...)
Carl De Keyzer Locker room in the May Day Stadium, Pyongyang. Like classrooms, offices, and living rooms, portraits of the DPRK leadership hang on the wall. Pyongyang, DPR Korea. © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Members of the Korean Women’s League perform flag waving to encourage morning commuters on their way to work; Pyongyang. The Korean Women’s League is a mass organization for housewives and retired (...)
Carl De Keyzer Electronic goods on sale at the Taesong Department Store, Pyongyang. Originally based on the Soviet style, Pyongyang’s department stores have diversified in recent years to operating their own rest (...)
Carl De Keyzer Monument to Party Foundation, Pyongyang. The symbol of the Korean Workers’ Party adds a writing brush, for the intelligentsia, to the traditional hammer and sickle of other communist parties. Pyong (...)
Carl De Keyzer A metro attendant signals the all clear; Pyongyang. The city’s older metro cars were originally imported from West Berlin. Today, domestically produced cars are being introduced. Pyongyang, DPR Kor (...)
Carl De Keyzer A mermaid performer at the Rungra Dophinarium, Pyongyang. The Danish fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen is available at bookstores in translation, while the Disney cartoon a (...)
Carl De Keyzer Roadside monument of an AK-47, near Kaesong. Political monuments are common, even in small towns and villages. Kaesong, DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Locals carry flowers to congratulate soldiers who have just participated in a military parade; Pyongyang. Viewing parades from Kim Il Sung Square is by invitation only, but citizens and tourists ca (...)
Carl De Keyzer A floral display put together by a unit of the Korean People’s Army at the Kim Ilsungia-Kim Jongillia Flower Exhibition, Pyongyang. The yellow text literally reads “One Hundred Battles, One Hundred (...)
Carl De Keyzer Party foundation day. A group of students walk together to the riverside. In the background is the Party Foundation Monument. Pyongyang, DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Korean People’s Army soldiers exit Pyongyang after a successful military parade; Pyongyang. While soldiers are completely serious during the parade itself, they take on a relaxed and festive attitu (...)
Carl De Keyzer Korean People’s Army soldiers exit Pyongyang after a successful military parade; Pyongyang. While soldiers are completely serious during the parade itself, they take on a relaxed and festive attitu (...)
Carl De Keyzer Student-organized mass dance at the Indoor Stadium, Pyongyang. Usually held on holidays, mass dances take place at locations around Pyongyang and other cities, and can have anywhere from a few hund (...)
Carl De Keyzer Girls’ dormitory at the Songdowon International Schoolchildren’s Union Camp, Wonsan, Kangwon Province. The largest summer camp in the DPRK houses domestic and international students, who can visit (...)
Carl De Keyzer Urim, or “Echo”, Waterfall, Kangwon Province. This secluded waterfall was only known to locals until the Korean People’s Army blasted a road through the remote area. DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - M (...)
Carl De Keyzer Passageway at the Songdowon International Schoolchildren’s Union Camp; Wonsan, Kangwon Province. The best students from schools around the country are selected to spend time at the camp, free of ch (...)
Carl De Keyzer Cafeteria at Changgwang Kindgergarten, Pyongyang. Many Korean work units and schools have their own on-site cafeterias. Pyongyang, DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Table tennis practice at the central atrium of the Dongmyong Hotel in Wonsan, Kangwon Province. This seaside hotel is frequented by Chinese business people and staff of the World Food Programme. Wo (...)
Carl De Keyzer A local guide leads the way at Songdowon International Schoolchildren’s Union Camp; Wonsan, Kangwon Province. The grounds have on-site dormitories, cafeteria, classrooms, a water park, botanical ga (...)
Carl De Keyzer Learning about traffic safety at Changgwang Kindgergarten. Pyongyang, DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer A young diva bellows out a song; Changgwang Kindgergarten. Pyongyang, DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Take the “Unification Express” — children watch a game from a model of a train; Changgwang Kindergarten. Pyongyang, DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Swimming lessons; Changgwangwon Health Complex, Pyongyang. There is a yearly swimming competition across the Taedong River, which bisects the capital. Pyongyang, DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Interactive language-learning lab at Doksong Primary School; Pyongsong, South Pyong’an Province. DPR Korea © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Pyongyang Ice Rink and the Ryugyong Hotel; view from the Changgwangsan Hotel. Pyongyang, DPR Korea. © Carl De Keyzer - Magnum © Carl De Keyzer | Magnum Photos
Carl De Keyzer Water ballet practice; Changgwangwon Health Complex, Pyongyang. Synchronized swimming performances are sometimes part of prominent national celebrations on major holidays; the national team compete (...)
Carl De Keyzer An artist’s depiction of alleged war crimes during the Korean War. The diorama depicts the American soldiers driving a nail into a Korean woman’s head; Sinchon US War Atrocities Museum, Sinchon, So (...)
Carl De Keyzer Rungna Islet. International Children’s Day (June 1). Vendors sell refreshments; Pyongyang. Recent years have seen an expansion of foodstuff products, including ‘eskimos’ (ice cream), candied and br (...)