• Explore
  • Register
  • Magazine subscription
  • Disney+
National Geographic
National Geographic
  • Perpetual Planet
  • Photo of the Day
  • TV Schedule

6 Surprising Things You Didn't Know About North Korea - 4

Published 3 Jan 2018, 16:27 GMT
Peek-A-Boo
According to Guttenfelder, there's a huge priority on performing arts for young children in North Korea. In this photo, a kindergarten student prepares to put on a play of a popular children's fable.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
Whether he visited a school or a factory, Guttenfelder saw significant time and energy being invested in arts for children.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
Kindergarteners practise riding unicycles in a Pyongyang gymnasium.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has called for a resurgence of athleticism. One of the most popular forms of exercise among North Koreans is rollerblading. In this photo, skaters enjoy a park built just for this purpose.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
An outdoor speaker plays popular local music while people of all ages gather to dance in a Pyongyang park.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
Arcades and carnivals are popular all over North Korea. In this photo, youngsters fire toy guns in a carnival game.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
At Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, students go swimming and enjoy massages from water jets in the pool.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
A group of factory workers and their families take a day off at a new swimming pool in Pyongyang. "People were diving and belly flopping," Guttenfelder says. "They were just so happy even though they didn't know how to dive."
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
Schoolchildren clamber over a playground slide made to look like a North Korean airliner.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
A young boy climbs up a slide while rollerbladers look on. Some icons of the West—like Mickey Mouse on the boy's backpack—are so pervasive, they've made it into the closed-off world of North Korea.
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
A drab apartment building in Pyongyang offsets colourful playground equipment. Guttenfelder says that despite the long work hours and tightly controlled personal lives, "people are trying to make the most of a pretty difficult situation."
Photograph by David Guttenfelder, National Geographic
View other months
Find More Information

Follow

facebooktwitterinstagramyoutube

SubscribePrivacy Policy(UPDATED)Terms of ServiceCookie PolicyPolicies & ProceduresContact InformationWhere to WatchConsent Management