North Korean soldiers walk in an early morning mist with
their rifles and spades along the North Korean-Chinese border
News stories about North Korea have been quite frequent recently, with their test launch of a rocket over Japan, withdrawal from nuclear disarmament talks coupled with a threat to restart their nuclear program, reports that their nuclear attack capabilities may be larger than previously thought – and their recent arrest and indictment of two U.S. reporters on its border with China. Even with all this attention, photographs from North Korea are still restricted and hard to come by. One way around that has been for photographers to peer inside from across the border, a pastime that has also spurred a level of curious tourism in both neighboring South Korea and China. (Pics)
Collected here are a some recent photographs, looking into reclusive North Korea from the outside – and some of the reactions these observations induce.
A man on a Yalu River touring boat uses binoculars for a closer glimpse of life in the North Korean border town of Sinuiju
North Korean border guards pause on the bank of the Yalu River
North Korean farmer collecting water along the the banks of the Yalu River
North Korean soldier plays a guitar
Fishing vessels are docked on the banks of the Yalu River
North Korean workers walk towards a factory in the city of Hyesan
People push carts
Men ride their bicycles on the banks of Yalu River
A woman views North Korea from China in a watchtower on Tiger Mountain Great Wall
A North Korean soldier looks up as he patrols the border near the Chinese city of Dandong
North Korean border patrol speedboat anchors in the middle of the Yalu River
North Korean boys throw stones at a passing boat from the riverbank
A North Korean soldier plays with his spade
A visitor walks on “Broken Bridge” in Dandong
lights are turned on along the Yalu River bridge, also known as the no-name bridge
North Korean men ride on a truck as they pass a military guardpost
A North Korean officer gestures upon seeing his soldiers chatting with local Chinese over the North Korean-Chinese border
Off duty soldiers play basketball
North Korean women work in front of a building with a picture of late leader Kim Il-sung
Workers smile as Chinese visitors wave to them from a passenger boat
A soldier looks on as she stands guard along the waterfront of the Yalu River
North Korean border guards throw stones towards the photographer as they work on a field
Border guards walk over a railway bridge
A woman carries water she collected from the Yalu River
A woman collects water from the icy Yalu River
A boy walks next to his geese near the North Korean town of Sinuiju
A North Korean border guard reacts to the photographer
A man walks his ox cart
A woman pushes her wheelbarrow across a dry landscape on the banks of the Yalu River
A woman cycles on a bridge along the waterfront
False artillery emplacements, built with stones and branches
North Korean children tussle along the North Korean banks of the Yalu river
Words reading “If (our) party decides, we will do it!” are seen on a field near Hyesan
A North Korean soldier points a gun at the photographer
A North Korean soldier looks over his shoulder as he patrols the North Korean-Chinese border
A North Korean soldier stands watch from behind her guard post on the waterfront of the Yalu River
Via Boston.com
