Photographs of everyday life in North Korea

Double vision

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Using binoculars on Chinese territory, it's possible to observe activity in neighboring North Korea. Here, two women can be seen crossing the bridge that connects Namyang with Tumen, in China.

A bridge once crossed

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

A garment is used to bundle together strands of a barbed wire fence erected near a closed bridge spanning the Yalu river.

Always observed

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Seen from the Chinese side of the Yalu river, a couple in North Korea contemplate the icy waters under the shadow of an observation tower.

Working in wet, freezing conditions

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Braving freezing conditions, North Koreans pan for gold along the banks of the Yalu river. To help protect themselves from the sub-zero temperatures, they wear rubber suits.

Looking for something precious

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Gold prospectors gather on the banks of the Yalu river in bone-chilling weather, and can be seen panning for the precious metal from the Chinese city of Lianjing.

Strolling through Hyesan

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

A lone woman provides a point of focus as she walks among the drab, monochrome landscape that is Hyesan. The North Korean city faces Changbai, in China.

Postcard from North Korea

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!


In Dandong, China, along the banks of the Tumen river, visitors take souvenir snapshots of themselves with the landscape of their secretive neighbor providing a suitably austere backdrop.

Treading water

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

A North Korean citizen collecting water from the Yalu river. The frozen landscape makes the job particularly difficult.

Basic laundry duties

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Two North Korean people washing clothes at the river's edge, a scene observed from the Chinese side of the Yalu.

A selfie on the North Korean border

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

A man takes a selfie with North Korea in the background. A bridge that once connected the two nations lies in ruins.

Little activity in a small village

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

From Chinese territory, curious observers can get a glimpse of the small North Korean village of Hyesan.

Fishermen being watched

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Chinese anglers trying their luck on the Yalu River under the stark outline of a North Korean watch tower.

Look at him looking at you

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

A North Korean border guard stationed near Hyesan stares back into Chinese territory.

Under constant observation

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Seen from China, a North Korean soldier and two civilians gather on the banks of the Yalu river.

Alone by the river

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

The Chinese side of the Yalu river also affords observation of life near the North Korean city of Sinuiju.

Under Chinese scrutiny

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Appearing as though underneath the Chinese flag, which is hoisted over a bridge across the Yalu River, a North Korean fisherman steers his simple watercraft.

A cold journey home

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Riding past a collection of houses almost abstract in design and devoid of color, a lone North Korean cyclist follows an icy path home.

Catch of the day!

Double vision, A bridge once crossed, Always observed, Working in wet, freezing conditions, Looking for something precious, Strolling through Hyesan, Postcard from North Korea, Treading water, Basic laundry duties, A selfie on the North Korean border, Little activity in a small village, Fishermen being watched, Look at him looking at you, Under constant observation, Alone by the river, Under Chinese scrutiny, A cold journey home, Catch of the day!

Chinese fishermen navigate their small boats along the North Korean banks of the Yalu river.

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