Discovering North Korea and Its Citizens' Everyday Life

In the morning North Koreans hear a horn that calls on them to get up and work.

Above: a North Korean woman balances a pail on her head while she walks past men smoking by the road at the end of a work day on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Wonsan, North Korea.

Juche, or the idea of self-reliance, developed by Kim Il-sung, forms the basis for North Koreans’ attitude towards life.

Above: North Koreans are dwarfed against giant portraits of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il as they walk past an apartment building on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Wonsan, North Korea.

Within this idea’s paradigm, an individual is “the master of his destiny” while the population should act as “the masters of the revolution and construction.”

Above: North Korean women and children eat ice-creams as they watch a mass dance party in Pyongyang, North Korea on Sunday, June 19, 2016, as part of celebrations of their former leader Kim Jong Il's entry to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1964.

Diligent workers are rewarded with rice, meat and eggs.

Above: North Korean man and woman walk under a mural with a message which reads "Long live the great victory of the army-first policy" in the city center of Wonsan on Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Wonsan, North Korea.

A car in North Korea is a rare symbol of luxury. That’s why kids are able to play football on the empty roads.

North Korea cherishes the cult of health. Everybody, young and old, does sports, undergoes medical checkups and sticks to a diet.

Fishing is an essential part of the economy.

Agriculture is dominated by rice, potatoes, soy and corn.

People usually ride bicycles or use mass transport.

Electricity in houses is provided for just several hours.

Above: Girls jump off a pier along the beach, Tuesday, June 21, 2016, in Wongson, North Korea.

Children help adults to harvest crops.

Above: a North Korean girl takes a break from trimming grass along the Pyongyang-Wonsan highway in Poptong county in North Hwanghae province in North Korea Monday, June 20, 2016.

Kwangmyong is North Korea’s national intranet. Only a select few have Internet access.

The Korea Travel International is the only agency managing tourism in the country. All guests in North Korea are accompanied by two guides. Most tourists arrive from China, Japan and Russia.

North Korea is one of the most educated countries in the world – the average literacy rate among its residents amounts to 99%.

Above: North Korean university students participate in a mass dance party in Pyongyang, North Korea on Sunday, June 19, 2016, as part of celebrations for their former leader Kim Jong Il's entry to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in 1964. Behind the students stands the Workers' Party monument.