Highway To Yell In North Korea Which I Captured During The Last Trip
Travelling on the highways in North Korea is a great experience, as it allows us to see the daily life of the country not controlled by the government like in Pyongyang. The highways connect the main towns of the counties and are totally car-free. This creates a very strange atmosphere since the roads are as large as airstrips, however in poor conditions with numerous bumpings and holes.
Everything is planned when you visit North Korea, even the bathrooms stops! According to the guide, it is too dangerous to stop on the highway to make a pee!
Some shops in the middle of nowhere welcome you with a relaxing moment where once again, you’ll be reading some propaganda on the walls. It will also allow your driver to buy cheap soju (rice alcohol) that they drink like Red Bulls but with different side effects!
More info: ericlafforgue.com
This post may include affiliate links.
Busy Day On The Highway...
Me: Can we make a bathroom stop?
My guide: No, it is too dangerous to stop on the highway.
Me: But we haven’t seen any cars for an hour!!
My guide: A stop is scheduled at half way!
Needs to fit the tanks I guess? Wonder why it's so dangerous.
Load More Replies...What a shithole country. How does a modern society allow this foolishness?
Yeah, because things here are so nice. children-f...b82d69.jpg
Yes, In North Korea You Can Bike Without Danger On Highway
Like the German autobahns, they're designed to move large numbers of men, vehicles and machines should war break out.
Load More Replies...A Kid With His Gooses On The Highway Side. Most Of The Time People Use The Highway For Their Daily Activities. Therefore They Got So Surprised To See Cars Or Buses On It
i think the submitter/photographer wrote the captions; english might not be his first language. check out his work, amazing! http://www.ericlafforgue.com/
Load More Replies..."A pair of mouse is mice; a pair of moose is meeeeeeeeese!" - Allen Sherman
It Is Forbidden To Enter Pyongyang With A Dirty Car, So After A Long Trip On The Highway, The Cars And The Buses Must Be Cleaned Before Entering The Town
It is a way to respect the town of the Leaders, according to my guide.
It is not a problem that the vehicle is so old that it nearly falls apart, the most important thing is, it should be CLEAN!
The father of Buddha Shakyamuni, kept the streets beautiful for his son too. Guess N. Korea is trying to make another buddha?
The Trips On The Highways Allow Us To See The Reality Of The Countryside, And The Lack Of Development. It Seems Time Has Frozen In The 50s
Fascinating. But I think "frozen time" is not the proper image here. Otherwise this would look new, just from the 50s. This is stagnation, neglect, and decay.
The Highways Are So Large That Even Planes Could Land On Them
Just landed on the Pyongyang-Kaesong highway. Please evacuate now. 2024-06-25...4c-png.jpg
The S. Korean city of Changwon is designed to become an airbase in 15 minutes. Most of the subway stations in Seoul and Busan are air raid shelters.
The city of Changwon, S. Korea. is designed to become an airbase in 20 minutes. TMost of the subway stations are designed to be air raid shelters too.
There Are No Tolls In North Korea, But You Cannot Leave Pyongyang Without A Special Authorization
Even for local people. The lack of public transportation is reducing the chances of escapes…
In The Middle Of Nowhere On The Highway, A Stop Is Planned By The Guides In Shops That Sell Alcohol
My bus driver loves drinking soju, the rice alcohol, just like our western drivers adore Red Bulls!
Not only that, but the 2nd set of korean characters phonetically says "Shop" as well.
Load More Replies...Buying Soju for government officials and bus drivers is like giving a tip. It's considered part of what is owed for the services. Taxi drivers are occasionally drunk in S. Korea too.
A Live Orchestra Playing At The Road That's Being Repaired
I feel sorta sorry for them... playing as a distraction while the road is being repaired
A Highway Junction Is So Rarely Used By Cars That Kids Can Even Dry Corn On The Road!
Getting on the highways is a very good way to see scenes of local life, even though the bus driver drives at a very high speed trying to hide the reality from foreign visitors.
Have seen similar things in China, but there the roads are quite trafficed.
In s. Korea, one sees rice and peppers drying on the side of major highways. Always wash rice that comes from Asia. In Thailand I saw rice being dried next to the exhaust fans of a chicken house.
All Along The Highway Near The South Korean Border, You Can See Those Huge Cement Blocks. They Can Be Used To Block The Highway In Case Of American Invasion
They're just very um, worried about the Americans. It's just due to history I guess.
Load More Replies...There will be no invasion, just dropping of nuclear ordinance until 'LiL Kim Jong Idongivafuk glows in the dark
Not so fast, sugar. S. Korea is an ally, will they really drop an atomic bomb so close to an ally? Not a smart political move, unless you're aiming for another world war, and ultimate apocalypse, when they all decide to use their nukes, h-bombs, or whatever weapon technology comes next.
Load More Replies...I Hardly See Cars On The Highways Of North Korea During All My Six Trips. Now I Am Lucky Enough To Spot An American… Hummer!
My guides are rather annoyed as they know how symbolic this car is in their country, where everything is rationed out… It is the first time that I hear them criticizing something from their system.
A Nice And Relaxing Room In A Highway
The Chair designer was going through a fried egg phase, of art design inspiration.
A Lot Of People Are Trying To Stop Cars, However They Have To Wait For Hours…
So, I ask my guide to stop for them as the tourist bus I have is empty. He refuses, explaining that it is absolutely impossible to do this.
Notice the uniform and notice how well fed that person is. If you know anything about NK, that should give you pause. Having been in more than a couple of former Soviet countries, the appearance of friendliness is usually more of a sham, sometimes a sinister one. Simple Western friendliness can cause the older people to flinch (followed about 10 seconds later by the beginnings of a smile when they realize nothing bad just happened); these people lived in a time where the only people who looked you in the eyes and smiled were usually people whose attention you didn't want to catch.
Load More Replies...A Small Souvenir Shop On The Highway. They Are Selling Some Apples. One Euro For One Apple! They Are The First Fruit I Ever Have During My Two-weeks Trip!
Not defending the high price.. but apples are a relatively new crop in the Koreas, and expensive in all of Asia. In S. Korea in 1997, cheap apples cost 2,000 won each , about $2.20 at the time. Lotte department store sold pretty apples for 15, 000 won each ( about $18 at the time )
He converted the price from their currency to Euro, I suppose
Load More Replies...In My Country, You Can Spot Wild Animals Crossing The Highways. Whereas In North Korea, You Can See The Local Kids Crossing The Large Roads
It could say that here too, as that's obviously a Korean word.
Load More Replies...Ironically, The Only Advertising Billboards You Can See In Pyongyang Are About… Cars!
I recall seeing in one of those TV programs about common people, they made this documentary style video report about an older lady, refugee from N. Korea, living in the south now. She found a job washing cars, and she was explaining how in the north, cars are a big deal and that, while she understands it's not the most honorable occupation in the south, she said she was very happy and proud to work as a car washer.
The Daily Life
Lots Of Holes Can Be Found On The Highways, So Lot Of Workers Are Trying To Fix The Road
Security is not the main concern, because the sign is put up just right next to the workers, not 200m before!
The reason why there are so many holes needing repair is because the quality and thickness of the highway is substandard. Note that the roads are asphalt, and not concrete. Since there are no cars causing wear and tear, looks are more important. Just a few days of regular travel as with Japan, or ROK, and the road would be a total wreck. In the glorious People's Republic looks are far more important, in order to show the world just how advanced, and wonderful things are in the North.
The Daily Life
Workers On The Highway Are Repairing The Road
The Kind Of Scene You Can See Along The Highway
An overloaded truck breaks down with a lot of smoke coming out… I had the chance to take these pictures just because... After lunch, my guides are enjoying the comfort of the bus seats and snoring…
This smoke is propably not due to breakdown but because the truck is powered by wood gas generator. They are really short on oil, you know.... Something like here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHbjqf4vi3c
Yep the smoke is from the right side behind the cab, matching the design of similar wood fueled trucks observed in the dprk.
Load More Replies...Lots Of Propaganda Billboards Can Be Seen From The Highway. A Big Investment Compared To The Transport...
"Let's make my country shine brighter for the Great General Kim Jung Il" or something along those lines
The Daily Life
The Daily Life
The Daily Life
A Sign Saying That Seoul Is Just 64 Km Away From North Korea
That doesn't say Seoul. It says Sok-Cho. You guys don't have any Koreans on your staff?
You do realise that the "staff" who do posts like these are users like yourself? So this article was written by a European, who speaks English as a second or even third language, who was probably told by his North Korean guide what that sign said. I do not think all these criticisms are really necessary, especially when one considers the actual situation.
Load More Replies...either way, Seoul's proximity to the border is one of main reasons why military resolution of NK problem is not easy. Its well in range of conventional 155mm+ heavy artillery. Which NK has insane amounts of. Even if you do intercept some shells (by iron dome or similar system, wheter ballistic, or DEW), you will not stop a saturation shelling and civilian casualties of such attack could be immense.
This post should be updated to reflect that this sign does not point to Seoul, but Sokcho for the Non-korean readers.
속초 (Sokcho) is a city on the east coast of South Korea, and in fact, there's a big community of North Korean defectors.
"independance, Peace, Reunification" On The Cement Blocks Of The Dmz Highway
The Daily Life
"Chung Guo" brand vehicles. Was a joint venture with BMW in the mainland until all the tech/skills were transferred.
China already owns Volvo and the cars yoh mentioned, at least lots of their parts, are now made in China, fyi
While Your Friends Go To Pee In The Toilets Of The Shop, Where There Is No Running Water, You Can Enjoy Some Propaganda On The Walls Of The Shop
wow. ill have to admit. North Korea is such a beautiful place, it is really preserved.
I'm surprised the powers that be haven't changed the country's name: maybe to KIM-land
Interesting. I wonder what the resources which were put into the highway might have done if they had been better allocated.
Seriously? I hated living in America but I'd still go there over NK anytime. Wouldn't even want to travel to NK.
Load More Replies...wow. ill have to admit. North Korea is such a beautiful place, it is really preserved.
I'm surprised the powers that be haven't changed the country's name: maybe to KIM-land
Interesting. I wonder what the resources which were put into the highway might have done if they had been better allocated.
Seriously? I hated living in America but I'd still go there over NK anytime. Wouldn't even want to travel to NK.
Load More Replies...
