These photos were taken by German photographer T. Mosler, who publishes under the Flickr alias Frühtau. He visited the DPRK four times between 2003 and 2011. He seems to have been granted unusual latitude in exploring the countryside through a camera’s lens.
His are uncommon photographs. Widely circulated photos of North Korea tend to illustrate its political ideology, its industrial backwardness, its poverty, its natural disasters. Instead, these photos reflect something of the everyday in North Korea—the shared common ground. You can see villages and landscapes that look like they could be taken anywhere in East Asia, not just North Korea. There’s a sleepy feel to most of these scenes, a stillness or quietness.
Here are the photos. Click on any image to see them all full-size in a carousel (I recommend doing this; it lets you see each image on its own, without distraction).
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- A photo from Sinwon county, South Hwanghae province, DPRK. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A small town in Sonchon county in North Pyongan province, DPRK in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A small village on the east coast of North Korea near Chongjin in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A tractor drives on the road at Kujiang, DPRK on August 15, 2007. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A cooperative farm in the DPRK in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A town near Haeju, DPRK on October 18, 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A small fishing village on the east coast of North Korea in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- The west coast of North Korea near the west sea barrage between Nampo and Cholgwang in December 2003. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A small town in South Hamgyong province near Hamhung, DPRK in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A train arrives at Hyangshan station, DPRK on January 23, 2009. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A photo from Samjiyon Secret Camp near Mt. Baekdu, DPRK in April 2007. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- The view from Chilbosan in North Hamgyong province, DPRK in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- Another view from Chilbosan in North Hamgyong province, DPRK in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- A view of the landscape near Mt. Baekdu, DPRK in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- Two tourists enjoy the view at Chilbosan in North Hamgyong province, DPRK in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
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- People walk at the side of a road near Wonsan, DPRK in September 2011. Image credit Frühtau via Flickr.
