An intrepid photographer braved North Korea's eerie capital for these powerful images

Access to Instagram in North Korea has reportedly been blocked since earlier this summer. But there's nothing stopping visitors from uploading their photos to the photo-sharing platform after they leave the country.

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That's exactly what photographer Taylor Pemberton did, and photos from his trip are now visible on his Instagram account.

In his Instagram bio, Pemberton describes himself as a photographer on a backpacking trip. Right now, he's in Vietnam.

pyongyang north korea
A photo of Pyongyang in 2011.
Getty Images

He spent four days in North Korea on a tourist visa earlier this month, though, according to the Huffington Post. The Minnesotan was free to take photos, but was occasionally instructed not to, he wrote in photo captions.

Read on to see the incredible images.

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Pemberton started the posts five days ago with this photo of passengers boarding a train.

"I'm excited to share many of the severe contrasts that make up what I saw and felt in the DPRK, a world and society that raised more questions than it solved," his caption read. 

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Here's Pemberton's tourist visa.

Before I go any further, I feel it’s important to preface the content I’m about to share. With a country/topic like North Korea, I’d like to be as honest with my observations as possible. Many people have asked me how you gain access to a country that is so restricted. It’s pretty easy, even as an American. What you’ll need is simply time and money. This image is the visa that I was granted about a week before my flight. I flew from Beijing to Pyongyang, while non-Americans were able to cross the border from Dandong by rail. I got this visa because I applied via the various tourism companies that service North Korea. My trip was 4 days, and we had two guides: one male, one female. It’s also important to note that you are NOT able to roam free at any given time. You follow a strict itinerary and you are on a tight schedule to see what North Korea allows. You stay in a hotel that is isolated on an island, and you are strictly informed when it is okay/not okay to take photos. However! with thousands of visitors each year, the fabric loosens, and that’s where things start to get interesting. You're able to witness the the imperfections, the infinite nuances... the hiccups that reveal why some foreigners have become so obsessed and return year after year to live with what exists behind the curtain. I’ll admit, it was a tough decision to fork over the money to travel to North Korea. There are serious things to consider, not all of which I’m comfortable supporting. I've been debating this trip for over 9 months, and it wasn’t until 4 weeks ago that I finally pulled the trigger. The flight in from Beijing was short, and when we touched down in Pyongyang, I was nervous. In fact, I don’t think I was ever fully at ease. I’m not by any means the first to visit North Korea. There were other foreigners all visiting Pyongyang when I was there. I was lucky to get paired with an insightful and intelligent group of 6 other travelers, ranging from 25 to 71 years old. My family was worried, so were my friends, but I went because the DPRK is so complicated. It was ultimately a tough decision, but one that was so so worth it. #contrateur

A photo posted by Taylor Pemberton (@pemberton) on Aug 19, 2015 at 5:27am PDT

Gaining access to North Korea as a tourist is actually not hard, Pemberton wrote in this post's caption, as long as you have "time and money." 

Pemberton went through a tourism company and his trip lasted four days. His hotel was "isolated on an island," he wrote. The tour guides kept tight control over the group.

"It's important to note that you are NOT able to roam free at any given time," he wrote in this photo's caption. "You follow a strict itinerary and you are on a tight schedule to see what North Korea allows."

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Pemberton saw this "mass dance" celebration while he visited.

The people are celebrating Liberation Day, which Pemberton said was a highlight of his trip. 

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These men are taking a break from playing volleyball.

Volleyball in Kim Il-Sung square. #contrateur

A photo posted by Taylor Pemberton (@pemberton) on Aug 20, 2015 at 6:34am PDT

 They're in a place called — what else? — Kim Il-Sung Square.

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The Pyongyang Metro looks more ornate than the New York City subway.

"This was a fascinating place to visit," Pemberton wrote in his caption, "not only because [of] the opulent imagery, but because you had the opportunity to be in a contained space with the Pyongyang locals — North Korea's ultra-privileged." 

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He also snapped a photo of the Pyongyang Times.

The Pyongyang Times. This just in: BROCCOLI 🙊 📰 #extraextra #contrateur

A photo posted by Taylor Pemberton (@pemberton) on Aug 21, 2015 at 8:01pm PDT

 

Pemberton's followers expressed disbelief that there'd be an English-language newspaper in North Korea, but according to Wikipedia, this state-owned paper is published in both English and French.

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Pemberton seemed particularly struck by this photo of a group of guys fixing a car.

"Typical scenes in North Korea happen just like everyhwere else in the world," he wrote. "People tease each other, they trip up stairs, they try to fix their hair in the reflection."

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This alleyway is located outside Pyongyang.

Down the alleyway (outside of Pyongyang proper) leaving a smaller city we ate lunch at. #contrateur

A photo posted by Taylor Pemberton (@pemberton) on Aug 23, 2015 at 11:27am PDT

Pemberton snapped the photo after leaving lunch. 

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Pemberton saw these school children wandering around.

Young school children we saw wandering around at random. They were hoping across rocks in the water and freely playing around, a nice sight. #contrateur

A photo posted by Taylor Pemberton (@pemberton) on Aug 23, 2015 at 9:33pm PDT

"They were hopping across rocks in the water and freely playing around, a nice sight," he wrote. 

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With his photos, Pemberton "hope[s] to reveal a fair picture that swings both ways."

 "My perspective into North Korea," he wrote, "is only one small version of what exists."

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