In a Nutshell: I visited North Korea in late 2014 and over 16 days ventured to all corners of this mysterious nation on one of the longest itineraries ever executed for foreigners. Here are 100 photos (part 1) taken during this visit to North Korea.
About: I’m Elliott. I’m the tour director at North Korea tour operator Uri Tours. I travel a lot myself, sometimes to the unusual, weird and wacky. Earth Nutshell is where I share my experiences. Interested in visiting North Korea for yourself? Shoot me an email at [email protected].
Want to visit North Korea for yourself? I can help. I’m the tour director at Uri Tours, a North Korea tour operator. For inquiries you can contact me directly at [email protected].
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this glimpse into North Korea, please share it 🙂
Interested in North Korea? More coming soon! Follow me on Facebook!
Thanks!
Not sure if you have been to South Korea yet, but I think you should check it out. It is amazing to see these photos and realize how North Korea is vastly different from the south. South Korea is filled with a lot of hustle and bustle. Seoul is huge and one of the world’s largest cities by population. It is filled with neon signs, karaoke bars and restaurants. During rush hour the streets are jammed with cars. All of this few hours drive from the DMZ.
Elliott, your pictures are amazing. Being the history buff that I am, I found myself studying the pictures for long periods of time. I also agree with you that there are a lot of sterile looking areas but there is still elements of beauty. I have several ideas of how you were able to get these pictures out of the country but I’ll keep those in my head. It adds an element of intrigue for me.
Love , love love your photos, but why was no one in the restaurant.??
I’m going to piggyback on all the other comments of how amazing your photos of North Korea are. Thank you so much for sharing and giving people a view of country rarely seen. It makes me appreciate the color and diversity of living in America. One thing I noticed immediately in your photos of the North Korean people is – North Korea does not have an obesity problem. Must be from a lack of McDonald’s, KFC and Pop Tarts. Again, loved your photos!
Bravo Elliott. I was at the DMZ last year… from afar peering into the North wondering what it was really like. The photos are great. Stay safe and keep going!
Awesome collection of photos! I enjoyed it very much! Some of the pictures reminded me of Cuba. Please visit Cuba and bring back some pictures. You’ll have to have backup also. LOL Fantastic and fascinating, thank you very much for sharing!
Great pictures. It is like giving a tour of NK. I salute you for being a risk taker in getting these pictures, a brave man.
Elliott,
Thanks for sharing your pictures and especially your insights. Surprisingly, I found the cities more modern than I had anticipated (albeit the extreme lack of vehicular traffic). I also noted the maze of electrical & telephonic wiring strung across the city streets. But I was especially taken by the fact that many of your photographed buildings (presumably apartments) appear NOT to be perpendicular to the ground. There were a couple of notable ones where the taller building appeared to be leaning out over the street. Which leads me to my question….
Any idea as to the percentage of occupancy in many of those high-rises? In other words, are they functional buildings or are they there merely for “make-work” and propaganda purposes? When the DPRK has literally an ARMY of workers, using them on public works projects make considerable sense. (A busy mind is a dedicated mind!) And rewarding dedication with government-provided housing & “benefits” makes good business sense.
Thanks again for sharing your experiences, and for being an unofficial Western Ambassador. You reminded them that WE are human too !!!
I enjoyed your photos and read every comment. I read most all news on n.K. posted on yahoo. I am a father of nine and 62 years older than my youngest, 58 the next, 52 and 50 the next. of my older children I have 7 grandchildren. Married 21 years in first marriage and 26 years in my second. I was 7 years older than my first wife and 27 years older than my second wife. Both my wives are from different parts of the Philippines South Korea supplies the U.S. so-many good products such as phones,washers,dryers,refrigerators,autos.counter=tops and many more products which gives there people a better standard of living. When I went to the Philippines, I noticed that 10% had most of the land and money and 90% had very little. I feel that N.K. is most likely the same. One of your photos showed a store or market That most shop at be cause it has food and another photo, I could see some were growing their own vegetables. A lot of your photos never showed many cows,horses,pigs,chickens,dogs or other animals. Also hardly any people,cars,buses,trains or motorcycles. Thanks again for sharing your photos and stories, I’m glad you are back safely. I know this long so you have my permission to edit out anything. I know from reading all the comments that you read them all too!