Few nations spark people's curiosity as much as North Korea. The East Asian country, ruled by the third-generation totalitarian leader Kim Jong-un since 2011, is notoriously private, and little is known about its residents' lifestyles.
The nation closed its borders in 2020. Before that, the few tourists who managed to visit it couldn't use their phones to photograph whatever they pleased. Photos could only capture tourist sights, as anything beyond that could potentially expose people to legal complications.
Highlights
- A Reddit user says he flew a drone into North Korea, capturing images of deserted streets.
- The photos show less than ten pedestrians on wide, empty streets, with portraits of North Korean leaders on massive buildings.
- Since the pandemic, North Korea fortified its border against all cross-border movement and humanitarian aid.
However, a Reddit user claims to have captured life in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after flying a drone across the border it shares with China.
The post, which received over 138,000 upvotes, shows a series of photos allegedly depicting the nation's nearly deserted streets and massive buildings.
Image credits: r/pics
The images show the portraits of North Korean Founder Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il decorating the outside of a large building.
Meanwhile, other photos capture the wide yet empty streets with less than ten pedestrians in sight.
In the middle of the road, someone dressed in a blue uniform appears to be in charge of controlling the sparse flow of traffic.
Since the start of the pandemic, North Korea has been using "expanded fences, guard posts, strict enforcement, and new rules, including a standing order for border guards to shoot on sight," according to a report from the Human Rights Watch (HRW) released on March 7.
By fortifying its northern border with China and Russia, the government has "stopped almost all cross-border movement of people, formal and informal commercial trade, and humanitarian aid," the report adds.
The images show the portraits of North Korean Founder Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il decorating the outside of a large building
Image credits: r/pics
Image credits: r/pics
The document describes the human rights abuses that take place within the country, including widespread violations in detention and prisons, routine brutality against anyone considered to pose a threat to North Korea's political system, widespread use of forced labor, and abductions of foreign nationals.
The government is also accused of subjecting its citizens to "chronic but avoidable malnutrition, stunting, illness, and starvation caused in part by diversions of essential resources to military programs."
Perhaps the most bizarre restriction is the prohibition to wear jeans. The ban is part of a larger fight over what's considered to be the influence of US imperialism in the communist country.
When the BBC show "Garden Secrets" aired on North Korean TV, the regime issued an order to blur green-fingered broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh's jeans, The Guardian reports.
Photos capture the wide yet empty streets with less than ten pedestrians in sight and few vehicles
Image credits: r/pics
Image credits: r/pics
In 2022, the US government-funded Radio Free Asia said the government was cracking down on "capitalist" fashion and hairstyles, including skinny jeans and T-shirts bearing foreign words, as well as dyed or long hair.
People reacted to the photos on Reddit, expressing confusion about the small number of people and vehicles on the street.
"Am I tripping, or is there no street drainage at all? Definitely no traffic lights. Looks like a concrete model of a city," someone wrote.
"I'm always amazed at the creepy emptiness going on there," another person added.
People described the town as "lifeless"
Image credits: r/pics
"It's so lifeless looking. I feel so bad for their people," a separate Redditor wrote.
A fourth person wondered, "Where are the people? Are they only props that come out whenever the Dear Leader needs his ego stroked?"
"How were you able to fly your drone so deep inside (what's the flying range)? And didn't the N. Korean military radars or someone on the ground detect the drone and attack it (to take it down)?" someone else inquired, to which the Redditor who shared the images responded, "The city is just across the border about 2km."
Others worried for the drone owner's safety, writing, "That seems not very smart."
"Guy singlehandedly invaded N. Korea," somebody else said.
"This won't create an international incident, but you can be sure both governments will be working to figure out who it was," another individual suggested.
"That seems like a very dangerous game," someone pointed out
