The Less Depressive Side of North Korea: Girls, Beaches, and … Weird Restaurants?

When the photographer Aram Pan went to North Korea, he thought he’d only see gray, depressive cityscapes, with equally sad-looking people living there. You know, just like every documentary in the world told us.

He always wanted to see North Korea with his own eyes, so he started sending them emails begging to let him in. And when he finally got in, he couldn’t believe how different it all looked from those documentaries.

Inside the communist enclave Pan saw lively streets with markets, people having fun on the beach and just hanging out. He claims that none of what he saw was a farce or a mere “decoration”, as he was allowed to move freely and would have noticed if something was wrong.

1. This is Munsu water park in Pyongyang: colorful water slides, pools and artificial waterfalls. As you can see it’s wildly popular among the citizens.

2. All suited up, there Korean gentlemen are just enjoying a sunny day and having some ice cream. Nothing like the “starving North Koreans” you see on TV.

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