Shocking Banned Photos Reveal Another Side Of North Korea

Surprising as it may seem, North Korea is one of the most mysterious countries in the world. Due to its very strict rules and way of life, very few people get to really know – let alone see – what’s really going on there.

Of course, crossing the border is extremely difficult regardless of the place you come from. Here, it’s forbidden to photograph the army members, officials or certain areas of the country. However, one man managed to show us what life looks like in this part of the world.

Photographer Eric Lafforgue fought hard to get a visa and be able to discover and see for himself how North Koreans live their lives on a daily basis. He photographed extremely rare scenes that few get to see there – and he was banned from the country as soon as officials found out what he’d been doing.

However, the photos remained with him and were shown to the world. Here are some of the most impressive ones:

‘This soldier was sleeping in a field. This picture really contributed to me getting banned from the country.’

‘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.’

‘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.’