Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: Gloomy Beauty of North Korea's Cities

During the Korean War, the North Korean capital of Pyongyang was destroyed and rebuilt in a short period of time. Now the city has a modern look and the status of the province. It is located near the Yellow Sea, on the banks of the rivers Taedong and Pothong.

North Korean cities have many contrasts, with wide and empty avenues, enormous government buildings and numerous ideological monuments, clean streets and an absence of advertisement.

1 / 12

A traffic officer in Pyongyang on 2 December 2018.

2 / 12

Pedestrians walking past statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in the North Korean border city of Sinuiju.

3 / 12

People making their way along a street in the North Korean border city of Sinuiji.

4 / 12

Pedestrians making their way across Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang.

5 / 12

A group of women walking along a track near the North Korean town of Sonchon.

6 / 12

A general view of the city skyline from the Koryo hotel in Pyongyang.

7 / 12

People making their way along a street in the North Korean border city of Sinuiji.

8 / 12

People walking along a street in the North Korean border city of Sinuiji.

9 / 12

A bride and groom walking in front of Juche Tower and Taedong River on a foggy evening in Pyongyang.

10 / 12

A general view of the city skyline prior to sunrise in Pyongyang.

11 / 12

A man standing before the city skyline on a viewing deck of the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang.

12 / 12

Commuters riding a tram in Pyongyang.