I spent 12 days in North Korea and took these amazing panoramic photos of the country!

Anyone else think OP sounds like some kind of shill? I'm the first person usually calling other people out for claiming a person is a shill, but OP's account is three years old, has almost no activity, and yet their history is nothing but pro-NK propaganda. The text underneath their pictures reads like pure NK Tourism press release propaganda. I mean, I guess this could be just another take on the ordinarily all-negative North Korean bashing (usually for good reason), but OP is either extremely naive or is spreading propaganda. The comments aren't just descriptive, they go into straight up "Dear Leader/Glorious Party" ass-kissing territory.

Like, what in hell is this?

Here are some of the shots for everyone to enjoy and experience the beauty of the DPRK. A self-reliant country in which emphasis on education as it’s main priority is indeed a special country to live in. North Korea may not be your ‘modern’ or ‘wealthy’ country in Western standards, but it is in fact unique in it’s own way and the people are one of the most friendly I’ve ever met throughout my travels to many places. The country is also extremely clean and I can honestly tell you that it sits just next to Japan in terms of cleanliness. A pure and plastic surgery-free North Korea has one of the most beautiful Korean girls in the world. Put North Korea in your list of exotic destinations to visit.

I loved this comment:

The view was magnificent and the crops were all growing healthily.

Ah yes, the bountiful North Korean harvest, so good of you to mention it!

OP, if you're not a shill, you might want to actually research the country you've visited twice instead of blindly accepting the Party line. "The people are so happy and educated and fed and everything is clean and modern and everything is just great!". "Why are the streets completely empty? Because everyone is hard at work because in their culture work is just so revered because North Koreans are much harder workers than South Koreans! I'm sure the streets are just bustling from 6pm-9pm, giving everyone time to leave work, get their rations, and be home before the necessary curfews!".

Thank you! I was searching for this comment. It screamed north Korean propaganda to me.

Describing what I saw is propaganda?

Um, no. I'm not going to reiterate the good examples that were listed in the comment above mine. They weren't just "your observations" they were your biased opinions added in.

Right. And theirs aren't biased. Congrats

Thanks. This is so obviously propaganda, just look at all the comments OP is making. Everything is positive, when specificly asked for negativity '1 out of 30 meals wasn't delicious'.

Hmm.. I'm sorry you felt that way. I wrote about all my experiences about my travels. I don't go bashing other countries unless they are really treating me really badly. People were asking me how their food tasted like, I answered that I enjoyed their food, is that wrong?

No it's not. I just used it as an example that you seem to have an extremely positive view of NK. Which makes it look like you are a shill when you can't seem to say anything negative about the experience.

I'm sharing landscape photos I took while I was there. What sort of negative things would you want me to say?

It just seems disingenuous when you compare it to anyone else's view of the country.

It is a tough and tricky topic to bring up anywhere around the world. People always tend to lean towards politics when it comes to the DPRK. That's why I try my best to bring back photos that I have put so much effort in to share with everyone from a traveler and a photographer's point of view. I do expect criticism along the way, but not to the extend of these harmful and accusing way I have just experienced from this reddit post. But I am all open to any questions about my experiences in the DPRK. I'll try my best to answer :)

There was this group that rode motorcycles through NK not too long ago and except the farmers poverty, they said people were happy and all was (relatively) fine.

https://youtu.be/JNVCdL908ko

There was this group that rose motorcycles through NK not too long ago and except the farmers poverty, they said people were happy and all was (relatively) fine.

Those bikers would have been told exactly where they were and were not allowed to go. They have a very carefully curated and monitored tourist experience in that country, there is just no way that a bunch of people would be allowed to just mount up and go wherever they wanted to, whenever they wanted in that country.

they said people were happy and all was (relatively) fine.

The last thing North Koreans are going to do is voice displeasure to tourists.

Look for yourself, it was a pretty cool mini doc.

https://youtu.be/JNVCdL908ko

Wow, they actually rode their motorcycles into North Korea? That's awesome. They even visited Mount Paektu. I went there as well. It was beautiful

Dude seems legit to me while reading all his responses to people's questions in here.

I'm just sharing my travel experiences. For those who doesn't like the DPRK, they can read about my other posts to other parts of the world.

yes don't worry, many ppl here are a product of western imperialistic propaganda. I also enjoyed your pictures too. We don't get to see many nice pictures of NK here.

Thank you very much for your compliments. I'm glad you enjoyed my photos. I wasn't aware that my photos could bring in so many negative feedback.

Here are some of the shots for everyone to enjoy and experience the beauty of the DPRK. A self-reliant country in which emphasis on education as it’s main priority is indeed a special country to live in. North Korea may not be your ‘modern’ or ‘wealthy’ country in Western standards, but it is in fact unique in it’s own way and the people are one of the most friendliest I’ve ever met throughout my travels to many places. The country is also extremely clean and I can honestly tell you that it sits next just to Japan in terms of cleanliness. A pure and plastic surgery-free North Korea has one of the most beautiful Korean girls in the world. Put North Korea in your list of exotic destinations to visit

You seem quite pro-North Korea. Was there anything you saw in your travels that didn't sit right or wasotherwise upsetting/unnerving?

Also, define 'self reliant'..don't they get tons of aid from other countries?

I think what I meant was their mind set. In their minds, they are taught to be self reliant. It is a strong mindset for them to sustain in a world where bigger and richer countries are surrounding them. Otherwise, it would be chaotic

Hmm.. if you think I am pro-North Korean, then what else can I say? I said this before. I'm just sharing my travel experiences with everyone. I managed to capture many landscape photos because that's what I look out for whenever I travel. I went to Yogyakarta, I took landscape photos. I went to Bagan, I took landscape photos as well. Since North Korea doesn't have much exposure of landscape photography, I just thought my sharing could let those who are interested to learn more and see how beautiful their country is putting aside politics and hatred.

Don't get me wrong, those are beautiful pictures that show a side of the country I really hasn't seen before. Very pretty and peaceful. Hard to rectify though with the fact Kim had thousands of his own people in death camps for things like their estranged cousin running away.

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed my photos :)

OP drank the kool aid. I laughed at most of the shit this guy wrote. Its landscape is beautiful, sure. Nothing else he said is even factually true.

I'm a landscape photographer. I tend to look out for beauty in landscapes whenever I travel. If you're interested, I have a series of landscapes from Myanmar. A lovely country as well

Were your electronic devices searched to see what you were bringing in and out of the country?

No, on my first trip in 2014, nothing was searched. They only recorded down the model of my phone and my name after immigration. I was still allowed to bring in my phones and cameras and everything else. On my 2nd trip in 2015, they wanted to check my hard disk for something, but nothing happened and they allowed us to pass.

Are you sure they weren't planting something on your hard disk..?

Hahaha.. No I don't think so. I think they are more wary of what you bring in more than what you bring out.

Looking at your photos, which btw are beautiful, I saw that most of them look deserted. Did you find that unnerving that there weren't many people walking around? And perhaps you have your own interpretation explaining why?

Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed my photos. Yes, indeed I also noticed that it was quite deserted. From my understanding, the North Koreans function in a much different way than us. During the weekdays, they work. I'm guessing they are all in their offices. The most crowded places I've been to is the Pyongyang Metro and during the public holidays. Additionally through some research, I found out that one of the priorities of Kim Il-Sung was to limit the population. Authorities maintain a restricti of movement into the city, making it atypical of East Asia as it is silent, uncrowded and spacious.

Like, I've never been to North Korea but all I've read and watched have lead me to believe those buildings are also mostly empty like the streets and most people live in poverty therefore can't afford to live in the city. Was your trip very strict on where you went?

Nope, those buildings aren't empty at all. I did try to notice the buildings around when I was there, I'm quite sure they are people staying inside them. My trip wasn't as strict as I thought. Our guides were absolutely lovely people and they didn't make us feel uncomfortable at all. They were also quite a curious bunch and asked us a lot of questions as much as we asked them too.

Sounds like friendly guides are really important! So far you've only talked about the good experiences, what were some things you didn't like about your time there?

Indeed. There weren't much that I didn't like when I was there. Well, there is this lack of souvenirs to buy for friends and I'm not used to a lot of bowing to statues. In their society, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are very much respected, I'm just not used to it, but with all respect, I still bow when told to, to show respect.

You went to NK...and the only bad thing you saw was lack of souvenirs......I...I cant even.....this is either the best trolling ever or your completely fucking bonkers.

I said I wasn't used to bowing to statues as well if you read carefully. I got tired of bowing by the middle of my trip. Some tourists from other tours even decided not to bow at all.

So, you're saying that their businesses, economy, and everything else shuts down after business hours and on the weekends? Are there no restaurants or other jobs that are functional outside of regular business hours, no service industry, then?

Malaysia and many other Southeast Asian countries' official working hours are 5 days a week. I'm sure shops are still open during weekends. I'm just pointing out that the DPRK are also functioning normally with a 5 day per week schedule. Other services like restaurants, the metro, etc still opens after working hours and during weekends too. How does your country function then?

Our streets are never deserted, because the people who work at shops and restaurants on the weekends are out doing things during their time off, which is often during the 9-5 business hours.

I guess their cities are not as crowded as ours. I'm not a North Korean, I can only tell you what I saw and heard.

I just read both of your links and to be perfectly honest it reads like a propaganda peice for an authoritarian dictatorship. Was this really your intention?

No, that wasn't my intention. I'm a Malaysian and English isn't my first language. I'm sorry if you read it the wrong way. I was just trying to compare it with most of the negative images seen in the western media. I brought back landscape photos that I tried my best to capture and wanted to share them with everyone. I'll be glad to answer any questions about my trip. :)

Did you have to be followed around by a handler/guide everywhere?

Yes, at all times. They are our tour guides throughout the trip. It may sound bizarre to us, but we were allowed to go out anywhere and anytime, as long as we had their permission and they followed us.

So you weren't allowed to go anywhere. You just didn't ask to go anywhere they would say no.

Most probably if you think so. But so far through my experience during twice my trips. The places I've asked to go to were all allowed, so it doesn't really bothers me that much. I even asked if I could go out for a walk at night and was allowed to.

But that means you did not/could not access most of North Korea. If you doubt me take a third trip and try to visit most of the small border towns with China. They'll let you see the few they have staged but not most of them as your perception of poverty in NK would be significantly impacted.

Hmm.. I'm sure most countries has poverty. Even my own country.

Yes but factually speaking North Korea is the poorest nation on earth. Much of the illegal trade necessary to maintain the population's needs occurs in those towns. In the cities you'll see well dressed well fed people with some education. The extreme poverty is in the rural areas and you cannot go there.

You do not have freedom of movement in NK unless you run the place.

That might be true. I would also think that one of the main reasons why they are bound to illegal trade would be due to the sanctions imposed on them by the UN.

And what country do your come from?

I wrote it up there. I'm a Malaysian

What was the most memorable encounter you had with the people North Korea?

There were a lot of memorable encounters but one of my favourite was that I was talking to a North Korean girl and she knew about Disney cartoons and Hannah Montana... until my wife ruined her by showing pictures of today's Miley Cyrus to her on her tablet. Talk about wrecking balls.

Was the journey difficult or was there a difficult way to get in the country or did it take very long? Was there much bureaucracy. And did you had to have attention when you traveled throught the country?

I don't feel that the journey was difficult at all. Once you get a tour agency to arrange your trip, it would be rather easy. I flew in to Pyongyang through Beijing because they have scheduled flights daily. While I was there, I had 2 tour guides who followed me all the time and were my translators. It was bizarre but it was really fun to talk to them.

Did you been worried that you would be arrested for some odd reason like the people you hear in the media who get a long prisonment punishment?

As a matter of fact, I wasn't worried at all. I was a bit scared on my first day when I landed in Pyongyang. But after interaction with the tour guides and the North Koreans, I found out that they were as human as you and me. Thereafter, I was never worried throughout both my trips to the DPRK.

Wait are you saying that as long as you tried to be polite and did not inappropriately discuss sensitive issues with them there wasn't a concern? next thing you'll tell me I have nothing to fear from the Transportation Safety Administration in US airports as long as I'm not packing weapons or joking about bombs.

I don't understand why I needed to discuss sensitive issues with them. I wasn't doing anything wrong, why would I be worried? I went to the DPRK because of my curiosity and I enjoyed the sceneries and cityscapes that I myself experienced. I was there as a tourist, not to ridicule them.

That was sarcastic. I didn't realize that you were Malaysian when I wrote that reply. Sorry for confusing you.

I was suggesting that as long as you weren't rude or discussed sensitive subjects it would be unlikely that the NK authorities would bother you.

Ah. I'm sorry I didn't catch your sarcasm. My apologies. :) Yes, you are absolutely right. Being respectful in the DPRK is the same as traveling to any other country

Did you drink any margaritas ?

No I didn't. We did go to the brewery and had a couple of beers with the North Koreans

How was the beer?

It was delightful. Tasty as a matter of fact

North Korean beer is actually quite famoues when you are in South Korea. Cause some South Korean beer lovers feel ashamed that the best Korean beer comes from the North. However, these days, there are not many places anymore in Seoul that sell North Korean Taedonggang Maekju. Personally, I only know two. It tastes good.

Ha what? I'm no expert, but I don't think North and South Korea trade products. They are like in a constant state of war.

They actually traded a lot til the Kaesong Industrial Complex was closed. But now, they still trade some things.

See this for the beer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taedonggang#Availability

The wikipedia article unfortunately has no sources, but the beer still is sold. But it is quite expensive. That's right. Still cheaper than beer in a club in Gangnam...

I definitely drank Taedonggang Maekju in Seoul.

Did you like their beer? Was it expensive to drink it in Seoul?

Yes, I like it. It is about 7000 Won for I think 500 ml.

Wow, that's quite expensive. But if you like it, it's worth it. But becareful, it seems like if you like something North Korean here, people will say you're spreading propaganda

They're doing a microbrew....

That would be awesome. Have you tried their beer?

What gear did you use? I'm going to London in a few weeks and wanted to try something like this :)

I used my Nikon D800 with a wide angle 16-35mm lens. Wow, London must be beautiful. What are you planning to take photos of?

To piggyback, what software do you use? I really like your editing style, specifically the sky transitions from warm to cooler colors.

I used Adobe Lightroom for all my photos. But I did not alter any colours. The warm to cool colours are shots taken during sunset hours when I was in Pyongyang

What was one thing that shocked you about North Korea, besides the obvious?

It was when one of the North Koreans asked me this "Why do young people nowadays still believe in superstition and religion?"

Which is ironic considering the official NK stories of the Kim family and the miracles they have performed.

I wouldn't be able to verify that. When we hear stories about their leaders while we were there, we did not hear any about miracles or unicorns or rainbows as portrayed by the western media.

Nah I'm more speaking to Kim Jong Il having a golf average in the twenties or how every single thing they do they do perfectly. The easily verifiable stuff that can be seen in the official propaganda the NK government makes available.

The cult of personality in NK has always contained a miraculous element. IDK why as it is not the case for the USSR. If you aren't familiar with it or never saw it you have not been looking.

I'm sorry but I'm not here to argue about these miracles you see from Western documentaries or news. I shared my travel experiences and if you would like to talk about politics, I'm sorry I'm not an expert in it. I love landscape photography and I tend to look out for beauty in landscapes whenever I travel. Maybe you can check out my other works if you don't like the DPRK's

That is actually not true. Most or all of these "miracles" are completely unknown in North Korea. These miracles are Western propaganda. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_coverage_of_North_Korea

News about North Korea are made by a handful of organizations, I think two Korean orgs. and three American. And one of the heads of one organisation once said: "I don't care if people tell the truth about North Korea or if the lie. The only important thing is that no one says something good about North Korea".

I just watched a documentary where the translator/tour guide took the crew to a machine gun factory. The guide proceeded to tell them about how Kim Il Sun, his wife and seven year old Kim Jong Il shot the machine gun they had preserved on display and that every round hit the target. That isn't possible when you shoot fifty plus rounds. It would be miraculous to happen once but all three supposedly shot this gun and ALL of the bullets went straight.

Those are the "miracles" I refer to. Kim Jong Il was the single greatest golfer in history by magnitudes over the actual best golfer because he could hook a hole in one around a 270 degree bend in the rain to get a hole in one. Those kinds of miracles.

Oh and Wikipedia? That's the resource you'll use to discredit an easily provable fact?

There are sources for all the mentioned topics. You can just click on them. Well, it is your fault if you easily buy into propaganda.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_coverage_of_North_Korea#Kim_Jong-il.27s_golf_score

http://www.nknews.org/2012/12/the-top-ten-most-bizarre-rumours-to-spread-about-north-korea/

Should I ignore what I witnessed with my own eyes and heard with my own ears?

I was wrong it wasn't a documentary it was Bloomberg news (that would be a reliable legit resource FWIW) as part of the press tour to celebrate the first party meetings in decades. Unfortunately that is no longer available.

BUT HBO and John Oliver included it in a clip from last Sunday's show. The miracles supposedly occurred start at 1:55 you can hear the tour guide tell the story. Im on mobile and don't know how to make a shortcut to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJQbGEO8Fpg

If you would like to see more evidence of the cult of personality start at 49 seconds in.

Well, my tour guide did not mention any miracles to me. Like I said, I'm sharing my experiences. These are what I encountered and my guides did not tell me these things at all. Am I supposed to take Bloomberg's news or HBO or Jogn Oliver's experiences to write into my own blog? I'm not writing a news report. I'm just sharing my landscape photography with everyone.

What specific things have you been told that you're not allowed to do or photograph by the guides?

We were allowed to take photographs of almost anything except for these 3 things: Sites still under construction, the military and military check points.

Why did you delete your pictures?

Which pictures did I delete?

Were those pictures enriched with color? Or did Pyongyang actually look that colorful?

I did not add any additional colours to my photos. They do have this unique taste for colourful buildings in a very socialist kind of way. Their sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. You can check it out in my other posts

Wow that's incredible. I always had the mind set that North Korea was some trashy looking place, but wow I was proven wrong. Thanks again for these pictures they are stunning!

Thank you very much. Before I went there, I also thought that it would look dull and lifeless. I was wrong. I remembered when I first landed in Pyongyang, it was almost evening and the sunset made the city so beautiful. I was almost left out from my tour group when I was snapping photos by myself.

In one of your previous website posts, you mention that the view of North Korea is distorted by focusing on the military parades, news stories with unverified sources, and defectors who lie to get money. You seem to want to show that these are still people like you and me which I think is important. What latest stories have you seen that had been misleading the general public about North Korea? What would you choose to be ciricital about with regards to North Korea?

I'm not a North Korean expert but recently I read in the papers that there is the case where South Korean intelligence officials reported that Army General Ri Yong Gil, the chief of staff of the Korean People's Army, was executed on corruption and other charges. But on Tuesday, Ri is alive and was appointed to prominent positions in the country's Central Committee, the Political Bureau and the Central Military Commission. The thing I chose to be critical about would be their lack of confidence in sharing information to the outside world. This would lead to many speculations and things would be very difficult to verify. What do you think?

I would agree that this recent news about the general is a large mistep my South Korean intelligence. Though, this past 12 months has had many North Korean officials killed. The information was in keeping with what had been a current trend. I think that a more open North Korea would certainly make it easier to back up claims. My worry is that many would still be found true.

So what about human rights violations? Do you not think that is something North Korea need to address? Or has this too been largely misinterpreted? From your statement about defectors it sounds as though you think they may be embellishing.

I'm sure they need to address these issues. However, testimonies from defectors are also difficult to verify if they are 100% truth because North Korea is such a closed off country with limited access to information. My personal thoughts would be that definitely if there are human rights violation, it has to be addressed. But then again, I'm just a tourist who went there for this crave of curiosity. I'm glad I managed to see some beauty in their country. Especially the gorgeous landscapes that I could show to you guys and share.

Is the food as bad as people say it is due to shortages? What's it like eating there?

I thought their food was delicious. Maybe out of the 30 dishes, 1 or 2 are not as good, but overall experience still rather delicious

Were there certain places you couldn't take pictures of?

Yup, we couldn't take photos of the military (unless we ask their permission), military check points and construction sites

How did you come about seeing the military? We're they just on the streets?

They do have quite a lot of soldiers around their cities. Most of their construction are done by the military as well. In Pyongyang, I saw a few in the libraries' study halls, in the metro commuting, I even saw some having fun at the fun fair.

This article straight up reads like DPRK propaganda. I'm glad you got to take nice pictures though. Did you get to visit any of the Great Leader's wonderful and splendorous labor camps?

I'm just writing my experiences and what I saw. Nope, I didn't visit any labour camps

tl;dr OP is here to push North Korean propaganda. Forgets that the entire world knows how incredibly poor, oppressed, and awful life is for the people there. Does OP know he's a shill? I assume so.

Hmm... I wasn't paid to do anything. This is my personal blog and I spent my own money to travel to North Korea. I brought back some landscape photos to share with everyone which is what I usually do when I travel.

Your comments on life in North Korea are so ridiculously far from reality it's obvious what you're doing. Helping Kim Jung-un's regime in this small way really does a disservice to the millions of North Koreans suffering from starvation because of his rule.

Nice photos though! If this guy can make North Korea look habitable imagine what he could do for your wedding photos!

Thanks for the compliments. I'm glad you liked my photos. So, what did you mean by far from reality? Have you been there yourself to see them as well?

Did everything look so clean and beautiful there or were these pictures "set up"?

It's sad to say but it's one good thing about dictatorship, everything is so clean. No trash on the floor, nothing thrown in the rivers and lakes. Damn I wish the entire world could look like that

Yes the country is indeed super clean. They even have volunteers who come to clean up the monuments after work, wearing their office wear. Also, I remembered once we were taking a stroll in downtown Pyongyang, my guide spotted someone else's trash on the floor. He picked it up and put it in his pocket until we reached a trash can and then he dumped it in. I guess they are educated to respect and love their country just like what they think their leader has done for them.

volunteers is and odd way to spell slaves.

Would be odd for slaves to wear office clothes too

What are the chances that your trip directly or indirectly enriched the coffers of North Korea's nuclear ambitions?

I get this question a lot. I'm a traveler and a photographer, but politics isn't the reason why I visited. It was more of my curiosity. I wouldn't know about the chances of enriching anyone's nuclear ambitions.

Well, your project description sure sounds like politics to me. You'll set the facts straight ;-)

Haha.. I'm sorry if I sounded politics to you. It wasn't my intention. I'm just showing everyone the photos I took and shared it with everyone. Which is kinda different from what the media shows us.

Maybe they're different because they only let you see the parts they wanted to. They obviously wouldn't want you seeing the extreme poverty and concentration camps.

Maybe Maybe. I don't think a tour to Thailand would allow me to visit their prisons as well.

Concentration camps are not prisons, they are death camps. Please stop spreading propaganda.

I'm sorry if you think I'm spreading propaganda. I'm just sharing my travel experiences. I love to travel to countries and take landscape photographs. Maybe you would love to see my other travel posts?

What shocked you the least?

Hahaha, that's a really good question. I would say what shocked me the least would be their love for hot pots. Just like their South Korean brothers.

Did you need to get any kind of special visa?

No i didn't need to. As a Malaysian, we don't need a visa to visit North Korea.

Does that also mean you had more freedom in North Korea than a tourist with a visa?

Edit: spelling

No, I don't think so. I was still required to go through a travel agent to get in, the only difference was that I didn't need to pay extra for the visa.

I think you needed and had a visa and it was probably included in the cost of the travel agent. Cause you can not handle the visa stuff by yourself. It is always done by a travel agent.

No, in my tour there were an Aussie couple, a Spanish couple, 1 German girl, my wife and I. The two of us Malaysians were the only one who could save about 50 EURO from the trip because we didn't need to acquire a visa. But we do require a travel agent to arrange our flights and ground tour. You can ask any Malaysians who has been to North Korea.

I looked it up on the internet. You are right. Malaysians and Singaporeans really don't need a visa: https://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_website_client.cgi?SpecData=1&VISA=&page=visa&NA=MY&AR=00&PASSTYPES=PASS&DE=KP&user=KLMB2C&subuser=KLMB2C

Yup! I've seen quite a few travel agents in Malaysia that promotes tours to North Korea. However, the agency I went with is based in England

Is it common for Malaysians or South-East Asians to visit North Korea?

Yes it is. I think Malaysia has a few agencies who offer tours to North Korea. Malaysia used to have chartered flights direct to Pyongyang. Unfortunately, they canceled it and now we have to fly via Beijing or take the train from Dandong.