That's what the guide told photographer Peter Hove Olesen, when he spent eight days in Pyongyang following a Danish theater troupe on a cultural exchange program. Only the happy Koreans were to be photographed:
A group of soldiers waiting at a bus stop. It is estimated that North Korea has the fourth largest army in the world with 1.21 million soldiers. It is not allowed to photograph the military in North Korea.
On a moving pavement, men pass a photo of the Dear Leaders in Kumsusan Palace after visiting their bodies which lie “lit de parade,” or in repose for viewing.
Writes Olesen, "Apparently the children in the Kyongsang elite kindergarten play freely. But when we stay in the room for a little longer than the guides stipulate, we cannot help but notice that the children play small roles."
A girl warms up before her performance at a school that is always on the program of travel companies authorized to book tours to the DPRK.
[Photos © Peter Hove Olesen/Half King Photo Series]
Leave a comment