northkorea

The History of the Camera… According to North Korea

If you've always wanted to learn about the history of the photographic camera as taught by the North Korean government, today's your lucky day! Here's a 15-minute educational video on camera history that was broadcast for children in the "hermit kingdom" (you can turn on English auto-translation in the video's settings).

Kim Jong-un Just Posed for His First Selfie

North Korean dictator Kim Jung-un is in Singapore this week for Tuesday's summit with President Trump, and of all the photos that have emerged of his visit so far, there's a curious one that has captured the world's attention today: Kim Jung-un's very first selfie.

Photographer Travels the Globe to Capture ‘The World in Faces’

Alexander Khimushin is a Queensland, Australia-based photographer who has been on the road for 9 years. During that span, he visited 84 countries. 10 months out of a year he's on the road shooting photos in remote places. He's currently working on a series titled "The World in Faces."

These Photos Got a Photographer Banned from North Korea

Photographer Éric Lafforgue has spent years traveling the world to shoot documentary photos for well-known publications. He was even given rare access to North Korea, where he shot thousands of photos showing citizens and government officials going about their daily lives.

After his 6th trip to the country in September 2012, however, Lafforgue was banned by the government for the photos he was sharing online.

Photographer Takes His Camera to the Skies Above Pyongyang, North Korea

Singapore-based photographer Aram Pan of DPRK 360 has spent the past few years creating groundbreaking images inside the borders of North Korea. His latest feat: becoming the first foreigners to fly over Pyongyang in a North Korea-built light airplane.

The 15-minute video above is Pan's documentation of this pioneering aerial photo shoot.

23 Portraits of Women Who Live in North Korea

For over two years now, Romanian photographer Mihaela Noroc has been traveling around the world with a camera in hand and shooting portraits of women in their environment for a project titled "The Atlas of Beauty," which we featured back in February.

The latest country Noroc traveled to in her journey was the hermit kingdom of North Korea.

DPRK 360: Photographer Captures Immersive 360° Panoramas All Over North Korea

About a year ago, we linked out to what we then believed to be the first 360-degree interactive panorama ever made of Pyongyang, North Korea. That interactive image was shot by photographer Aram Pan, but it was only the beginning.

Since then he's expanded in a big way, shooting over 40 interactive 360-degree panoramas all over the mysterious country for the DPRK 360 website and Facebook page.

Explore Pyongyang North Korea Like Never Before in Mind-Bending ‘Flow-Motion’ Hyperlapse

The 'Enter Pyongyang' flow-motion hyperlapse by JT Singh and Rob Whitworth debuted to the public two hours ago as of this writing, and already it has over 3,500 upvotes on Reddit and almost half a million views... ON VIMEO!

But one look at the hyperlapse and you'll understand why. Done in the same style as Whitworth's jaw-dropping Barcelona time-lapse this is these are the kind of status quo-shattering creations that genres like time-lapse ache for.

North Korea Revealed in Photos Captured on Google Glass

While Google Glass user Kenny Zhu was in North Korea this past April, he took advantage of the small and comparatively inconspicuous size of the device on his head to snap what appear to be the first images taken in North Korea using the wearable tech.

Korea–Korea: Compelling Photos Compare the Public Spaces of North & South Korea

The difference between the two Koreas is well-known. We understand that one country is almost entirely closed off from the rest of the world, while the other is modern and plugged in. We've even seen images from space that show how literally dark North Korea is.

And yet, it takes a compelling photo series/book like German architecture photographer Dieter Leistner's Korea--Korea to truly drive home the differences between these two pieces of the same peninsula.

Striking ISS Photo Shows How Dark North Korea is Compared to Its Neighbors

A new photo released by NASA and taken from the International Space Station shows just how dark North Korea really is, and we don't mean figuratively. Taken on the night of January 30th as the ISS was passing over the Korean Peninsula, a nearly completely blacked-out North Korea jumps out at you, surrounded by its well-lit neighbors.

David Guttenfelder on What It’s Like to be a Photojournalist Inside North Korea

In 2011, former AP president Tom Curly had the ambitious idea that the AP should establish a bureau in North Korea, and the photographer the agency ended up sending to the country is a man you should, by now, be very familiar with: David Guttenfelder.

Guttenfelder's images, both in newspapers and on Instagram, have given the whole world a peek behind North Korea's own Iron Curtain, and in the video above he explains the power of photography as if pertains to this secretive and isolated world.

Chinese Government Embarrassed After ‘Miniature Woman’ Photoshop Fail

If you're looking to make an argument for the inherent superiority of Western-style capitalism, consider how difficult it apparently is to find a competent Photoshop jockey in the Communist world.

The latest example comes from the Eastern provinces of China, where what was supposed to be a heartwarming record of regional officials honoring the elderly turned into an internationally recognized example of how not to doctor a photograph.

Is This Another North Korean Photoshop Goof Up?

The image above, which was published by Pyongyang's official news agency KCNA, seems to show Kim Jung-un and some of his underlings touring the site of a children's hospital. However, like so many of the photos released by KCNA in the past, its authenticity is being called into question.

Street Photog Visits North Korea to Shoot Everyday Life in the Mysterious Country

We've had precious few chances to get a glimpse into the secretive country of North Korea. With the exception of a few AP photographers working out of the DPRK who have taken to Instagram to share their work, photos of the people of North Korea are rare. It's not like your friends' Flickr streams often fill up with photos from their recent North Korean vacation.

That's exactly why Stockholm-based photographer Simon Röder wanted so badly to go there. And after some planning and a few obstacles, the street photographer was able to turn the trip into a reality, and come back with the photos to prove it.

AP Photographers Upload First Instagram Videos from Inside North Korea

Back in February, the AP's David Guttenfelder and Jean Lee were some of the first to begin uploading Instagram photos from inside the closed off country of North Korea. A rare look inside a normally very mysterious country, both of their Instagram accounts became the subject of many a headline.

Now, a few months later, the same two photographers are taking advantage of Instagram's new video capabilities to give us rare, unfiltered, 15-second glimpses of life inside Kim Jong-un's isolated country.

American Faces Death Penalty in North Korea for Photos He Took

Korean-American Kenneth Bae made headlines back in November when he was arrested while leading a tour group though the Rason Special Economic Zone in North Korea. The reasons behind the arrest have never been properly confirmed, but it seems that his detainment had something to do with photos he was taking while he was spending time in the country.

No headway has been made in the case since he was taken into custody, but a recent report by the Korean Central News Agency claims that Bae has "admitted that he committed crimes aimed to topple the DPRK," and that he will now be tried in North Korean supreme court for those crimes, the maximum punishment for which is the death penalty.