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50 Illegal Photos Of North Korea That Kim Jong Un Doesn’t Want You To See
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Photographer Eric Lafforgue is one of the very lucky few that have had a chance to see what North Korea is really like. "Since 2008, I have ventured to North Korea six times," he said. "Thanks to digital memory cards, I was able to save photos that I was forbidden to take or was told to delete by the minders."
He's actually a regular Bored Panda user who is responsible for some of the most popular posts on our website, for example 'Highway To Yell In North Korea Which I Captured During The Last Trip' and 'I Introduced Polaroid To North Korea, And It Made People Open Up And Tell Their Stories.'
Lafforgue wasn't interested in the carefully orchestrated tourist trips to the mysterious country, revealing only fake North Korea facts. He wanted to go beyond that, to catch a domestic glimpse of the land and people that aren't under the complete control of the regime. "I was treated like any other tourist," Eric told Bored Panda. "They didn't allow me to take pictures of the police, the army, etc. But with a 300mm zoom lens and a seat in the back of the bus, I could take so many..." He shot thousands of pictures, showing citizens and government officials going about their everyday lives. "As soon as they were opening a new area to visit I tried to go and see it, documenting the life in North Korea."
After Lafforgue came back from his 6th trip to North Korea in 2012, however, the government discovered him sharing secretly taken North Korea photos online. They demanded him to take down the images. "I refused as I show all the aspects of the Hermit Kingdom: the good and the bad. Just like I do with any country I visit. I refused to make an exception for North Korea, and they didn't like this." Soon, the regime banned Lafforgue from crossing its border ever again.
"During homestay meals in the countryside, I could speak with the locals for hours, thanks to my guides. They told me so much about how they live, what they dream of, and so on. The main thing to know is that North Koreans are warm people, very curious about the visitors and very generous, even though most of them own nearly nothing."
Scroll down to see Eric's North Korea pictures for yourself.
Updated: our video team has gathered more information on those images and contacted Eric for additional footage. Check our video for more information.
More info: ericlafforgue.com | Instagram
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A Woman Standing In The Middle Of A Crowd Of Soldiers. This Picture Is Not Supposed To Be Taken As Officials Do Not Allow Army Pictures
When You Visit Families, The Guides Love It If You Take Pics To Show The World That Kids Have Computers. But When They See There Is No Electricity, Then They Ask You To Delete!
North Korea is so advanced they have computers that don't need electricity.
This Kind Of Picture Is Widespread In The West. The Caption Often Explains That North Koreans Eat Grass From The Park. The Guides Get Furious If You Take It
I have also read many times that on Sundays, most people must 'volunteer' to work, even if they want to sleep in, and this could mean "mowing" the grass in public areas, using their hands, because there is NO gas for lawnmowers. There are no lawnmowers.... so they do it by hand.
A Rare Example Of An Undisciplined Kid In North Korea. The Bus Was Driving In The Small Roads Of Samijyon In The North, When This Kid Stood In The Middle Of The Road
The Way You Dress Is Very Important In North Korea. In Town, You’ll Never Find Anybody Dressed Poorly. On This Day, Students Were Dancing In A Park. When I Asked To Take A Picture, The Girl Asked The Man To Straighten His Shirt
As Cars Have Become More Widespread In Pyongyang, The Peasants Are Still Getting Accustomed To Seeing Them. Kids Play In The Middle Of The Main Avenues Just Like Before When There Were No Cars In Sight
Lots of room to play kickball...............IF they HAD a ball.............
Pyongyang’s Subway System Is The Deepest In The World As It Doubles As A Bomb Shelter. Someone Saw Me Taking This Picture And Told Me To Delete It Since It Included The Tunnel
Perhaps The Most Ridiculous Prohibition I Faced: This Official Painter Was Working On A New Mural In Chilbo. I Took The Picture, And Everybody Started Yelling At Me. Since The Painting Was Unfinished, I Couldn’t Take The Picture
It Is Forbidden To Photograph Malnutrition
Even in malnutrition, he is wearing military cap and pin-button of his supreme leader.
When You Sleep In Kaesong, Near The Dmz, You Are Locked In An Hotel Complex Composed Of Old Houses. It Allows The Guides To Say “Why Do You Want To Go Outside? It’s The Same As In The Hotel.” No, It’s Not
It Is Forbidden To Take Pictures Of Soldiers Relaxing
Please be careful if you would like to do pictures of people faces where they might personally be prosecuted because you caught them in a bad situation , this is North Korea.
On A Little Lake On The Way To Wonsan, This Fisherman Uses A Tire As A Boat
The Pionners Camp Of Wonsan Is Often Visited By Tourists To Show The Youth From All Over The Country Having Fun. But Some Children Come From The Countryside And Are Afraid To Use The Escalators Which They’ve Never Seen Before
When Visiting The Delphinium In Pyongyang, You Can Photograph The Animals, But Not The Soldiers Who Make Up 99% Of The Crowd
Even on their time off, they must wear uniforms. Just like the schoolkids-- when they leave home, even on the weekends, to go to the shops or whatever, they must have on their school uniforms. This country loves uniforms!
Queueing Is A National Sport For North Koreans
I don't mind the queue, it represents order. But here meaning of this image is so different, they are shepherded like sheep's by a mindless leader. This shows desperation, unavailability of travel resources and failing of govt doings.
In A Christian Church, This Official Was Dozing Off On A Bench. You Must Never Show The Officials In A Bad Light
With the window behind him and the light in the ceiling, i think he's seen in a pretty good light. I mean look at his shining head; It's brighter than my future
A Visit To A Rural Home. Those Houses And The Families Who Live There Are Carefully Selected By The Government. But Sometimes, A Detail Like A Bathroom Used As A Cistern Shows That Times Are Hard…
Families carefully selected by Government?? what the hell? and what happens to those who govt rejects?
This Soldier Was Sleeping In A Field
At times I wonder if we try a little too much to show the dark side of the country. I am aware of how weird, cruel and wary the rules in North Korea are but I dont see anything wrong with this soldier sleeping on the grass.
The North Korean Officials Hate When You Take This Kind Of Picture. Even When I Explain That Poverty Exists All Around The World, In My Own Country As Well, They Forbid Me From Taking Pictures Of The Poor
Sure, these are children working.....laboring........but they are the lucky few, for they actually have on shoes and what appears to be clothes that are in pretty good condition, and are not torn, dirty, or ragged.... They even have bands for their hair and pigtails....
Only In North Korea: I Was At A Factory Shooting With My Tv Crew. We Were Followed By A Local Cameraman Who Filmed Throughout The Trip (On The Right). On This Day, The Government Sent Another Cameraman To Film Us All! Very Meta
That's filmception. Video shoot the video shoot of a video shoot.
It’s Not A Circus, They Are Workers In A Country With Low Safety Standards
One Night, On The Way Back To The Hotel My Bus Had To Take An Alternate Route Due To Street Closures. As We Passed By Old Buildings, The Guides Asked Me Not To Shoot With Flash. The Official Reason Was “To Avoid Scaring People”
I suspect that a flashing camera might indeed be scary for people who had never seen a picture being taken before, especially in the case of small children.
You Can Find All Kinds Of Food And Drinkin Pyongyang’s Two Supermarkets Where Things Are Sold In Both Euros And Wons. They Even Have Evian Water. Only The Elite Can Shop There
That is one beautiful dress, that shows we all are same inside no matter where are we from. She must be wife of some high-ranking govt. official to be able to wear such colors.
It Is Absolutely Forbidden To Take A Picture Of The Kim Statues From The Back. It Is Considered Very Rude
Brand New Restaurants Have Opened Along The Taedong River In The New Center Of Pyongyang. Only The Elite Can Afford To Eat There For The Equivalent Of Few Euros. The Sturgeon I Had Was Actually Very Tasty
This Man Was Taking A Rest On The Rocks By The Sea In Chilbo. My Guide Asked Me To Delete This For Fear That Western Media Could Say That This Man Was Dead. He Was Alive
"oh some hard pointy sharpy blunty rocks. What a comfy places to take my lunch nap"
When Times Are Hard (As They Usually Are Here), Kids Can Be Found Working For The Farming Collectives
Something You Can See Often In North Korea, But Still Forbidden To Photograph
It is illegal to photograph anything broken down (such as a broken down bus). It makes the country look poor and reflects negatively against the image the government thinks they project. The citizens are taught they are the greatest nation on earth and the world bows to their leader.
In The Art Center Of Pyongyang, We Experienced A Power Outage, A Daily Event The North Koreans Hate To Show. When It Happens, They Tell You It’s Because Of The American Embargo
Paranoia Is Too Strong In North Korean Minds. I Took This Picture At A Fun Fair Of A Tired Mother And Child Resting On A Bench. I Was Asked To Delete The Picture Since The Guides Were Certain I Would Have Said Those People Were Homeless
You say you were asked to delete some of these photos but you didn't so what happened when you refused to?
For A Long Time, Bans Against Black Market Sales Have Been Strictly Enforced. Grey Market Vendors Are More Common. They Earn A Little Money Selling Cigarettes Or Sweets
there's a lot of this in Tijuana, Mexico. I'm certain other countries experience similar situations.
There Are A Lot Of Tired People Since Many Have To Ride Their Bikes For Hours To Go To Work In The Fields. Taking Pictures Of Them Is Forbidden
Public Transportation Connecting The Main Towns Is Nearly Nonexistent. Citizens Need Permits To Go From One Place To Another. On The Highways, You Can Spot Soldiers Hitchhiking
Citizens need permit to go from one place to another??? Jeez. That's unreal. I wonder how long it will take for North Koreans to stand up against this mindless tyrannical govt. and start a revolution and throw the govt. out.
The Officials Took Issue With This Photo For Two Reasons: 1) The Teen Has His Cap Worn In A Strange Way (According To My Guide), And 2) There Are Soldiers In The Back
A Very Rare Picture Of A Wheelchair. In Six Trips, I Saw Only Two Of Them
This Is Never Supposed To Happen: A Broom Standing On The Base Of Kim Il Sung’s Statue In Mansudae, In Pyongyang
Is that Kim II Sung's suitcase and hat? Was he allowed to leave then like this before stepping on the platform?
Thousands Of North Koreans On The Day Of The Kimjongilia Festival, Queuing Up To Visit Various Monuments
Showing Poverty Is Forbidden, But Displaying Wealth Is Also A Big Taboo In North Korea. In A Park On A Sunday Afternoon, I Found This Car That Belongs To One Of Pyongyang’s Elite. The Owners Were Having A Bbq
They are obsessed with Mercedes. Kim Jon Il even tried to build his own brand, a copy of the C Class. Google "pyongyang 4.10"...
It Is Forbidden To Take Pictures Of The Daily Life Of The North Korean People If They Are Not Well Dressed. For My Guide This Man Was Not Well Dressed Enough To Be Photographed
Ahh - The military cap and pin-button of supreme leader is missing.
Taking Pictures In The Dmz Is Easy, But If You Come Too Close To The Soldiers, They Stop You
On This Day In Spring, People Had Put Some Carpets To Dry On The Banks Of The Taedong River. Since There Was A Kim Il Sung Statue In The Back, Taking Picture With Those Carpets Was Forbidden
What is not - forbidden? I wish you could hold a banana in one hand and taken a picture of that statue with both parallel in sight!
Perfection Is Key To Any Activity In North Korea. Only The Best Of The Best Are Selected To Perform In Front Of A Live Audience. This Acrobat Did 3 Flips For This Feat
Pyongyang Is Supposed To Be The Showcase Of North Korea, So Building Exteriors Are Carefully Maintained. When You Get A Rare Chance To Look Inside, The Bleak Truth Becomes Apparent
Something in common with Lithuania, and possibly many other countries - even IF the facade looks okay, the other sides are always in horrid disrepair, completely falling apart. The tourist (central) districts are full of LIES, which I find disgusting and infuriating as a local. We're supposed to be all modern and european, instead of a grimy, run-down waste of formerly-impressive architecture, and everyone's time... Everything is just so half-arsed these days, it's just WRONG.
I Went To Chongjin, A City In The North That Suffered A Lot From Hunger Few Years Ago. My Camera Was Confiscated For The Duration Of The Bus Trip. Once At The Hotel, I Understood Why When I Saw The People In The Street
Shortly after this picture was taken, Daniel Losinger died of starvation
Man Bathing In A River Near His Town
I saw people washing clothes in rivers in China; it's a free source of water and many still don't have washing machines or even running water in their homes, and can't afford to go to laundromats. Never washing themselves though, although I'm sure some still do...would be nasty as most of the waterways are so polluted.
Every Year, People From The Town Go To The Country To Help Out In Public Projects. On This Day, They Repainted Milestones. Before To Government Regarded Shots Like These As Positive, But Now They Understand That We Can Interpret This As Forced Labor
I interpret it as forced labor because it is. They know they can't refuse. "I have a headache" or "I want to stay home and read a book" isn't going to cut it as an excuse.
Money Is A Taboo Topic Of Conversation In North Korea. It’s Very Difficult To Understand How Much People Earn, The Cost Of Living, Etc… When I Took This Picture Of The Cashier Of The Brand New Fun Fair Counting A Lot Of Money, It Was Not A Good Idea!
On The Highways, You Can See Trucks Loaded With Coal, Since North Korea Has Big Problem Getting Oil Like During Ww2
This truck probably runs on a wood-gas generator, and the driver is waiting for the gas to build back up so he can continue on.
