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.
- 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.
A Reddit user claims he flew a drone into North Korea from China, capturing the totalitarian state’s nearly deserted streets and large 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
When you wonder why people accept their lives in North Korea, it's because they don't know it's not normal. This is what suppression of "misinformation" ultimately leads to. The solution is to engage with people you think are wrong, and make YOUR voice heard, not to shut them up. You don't have to get them to concede defeat; you just need to be more sensible to people to whom the topic matters. People are being trained by totalitarians to think, "I didn't get a concession of defeat, therefore I didn't win over anyone, therefore arguing is pointless, therefore there is no way to prevent people from believing this s**t other than suppressing it, therefore suppression of speech is the only way to advance my aims, therefore by suppressing others I can win." Every one of those thoughts is profoundly wrong, and reflects even more profoundly wrong thinking.
I agree a government should not suppress free speech. I don't think we need to equally allow all speech to be amplified on social media and just hope the truthful messages will also reach everyone's ears and be recognized as more sensible than the amplified mis/disinformation, especially when the incorrect information has been shown to cause violence or death. Let those messages be written in books, discussed at conventions or on podcasts, taught in classes for those interested (if an educational institution is willing), etc., and let the social media companies exercise a little responsibility along with their great power rather than blasting everything across the internet in the name of the principle of free speech being mistakenly applied to non-governmental organizations (at least in the US). Agree that engaging with people you think are wrong in a respectful way is important.
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The large buildings fronting main roads all look sort of impressive until you realize the roofs have no vents, chimneys, HVAC, etc. required for actual working buildings. Then look behind the large buildings to see small shacks people actually live and work in. This was taken in 2020, so depending on what month, it could have been during the peak of Covid and that may have reduced the normal amount of foot and bicycle traffic. But other photos of similar false-front cities in NK also show very little traffic.
I’ve lived in fully functional block of flats with no chimneys as the heaters were electric, bathroom and kitchen vent went straight out next to my window, covered by mesh barely visible from outside, and no aircon. The only thing on our roof was communal TV antenna. Not saying the buildings or even the whole city can’t still be fake.
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When you wonder why people accept their lives in North Korea, it's because they don't know it's not normal. This is what suppression of "misinformation" ultimately leads to. The solution is to engage with people you think are wrong, and make YOUR voice heard, not to shut them up. You don't have to get them to concede defeat; you just need to be more sensible to people to whom the topic matters. People are being trained by totalitarians to think, "I didn't get a concession of defeat, therefore I didn't win over anyone, therefore arguing is pointless, therefore there is no way to prevent people from believing this s**t other than suppressing it, therefore suppression of speech is the only way to advance my aims, therefore by suppressing others I can win." Every one of those thoughts is profoundly wrong, and reflects even more profoundly wrong thinking.
I agree a government should not suppress free speech. I don't think we need to equally allow all speech to be amplified on social media and just hope the truthful messages will also reach everyone's ears and be recognized as more sensible than the amplified mis/disinformation, especially when the incorrect information has been shown to cause violence or death. Let those messages be written in books, discussed at conventions or on podcasts, taught in classes for those interested (if an educational institution is willing), etc., and let the social media companies exercise a little responsibility along with their great power rather than blasting everything across the internet in the name of the principle of free speech being mistakenly applied to non-governmental organizations (at least in the US). Agree that engaging with people you think are wrong in a respectful way is important.
Load More Replies... The large buildings fronting main roads all look sort of impressive until you realize the roofs have no vents, chimneys, HVAC, etc. required for actual working buildings. Then look behind the large buildings to see small shacks people actually live and work in. This was taken in 2020, so depending on what month, it could have been during the peak of Covid and that may have reduced the normal amount of foot and bicycle traffic. But other photos of similar false-front cities in NK also show very little traffic.
I’ve lived in fully functional block of flats with no chimneys as the heaters were electric, bathroom and kitchen vent went straight out next to my window, covered by mesh barely visible from outside, and no aircon. The only thing on our roof was communal TV antenna. Not saying the buildings or even the whole city can’t still be fake.
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