Category: Korea

  • Trolleybusses of Pyongyang

    Trolleybusses of Pyongyang

    The capital of Pyongyang has multiple public transportation options to offer. There are Trolleybusses, Tram and Metro lines going through the city. The trolleybusses were easier to photograph even though I have some pictures coming of the Underground as well. The people usually line up at the stations to wait for the busses. Often the…

  • Mangyŏngdae – Kim Il-sung’s Birthplace

    Mangyŏngdae – Kim Il-sung’s Birthplace

    The rumoured birthplace of the Leader Kim Il-sung is situated in a park called Mangyŏngdae. Complete with a fun fair the hill holds an ensemble of three huts in pristine condition. Inside you can find depictions and utensils that the family of the leader has used to make a living. There is a cold noodle…

  • Grand Ryugyong Hotel

    Grand Ryugyong Hotel

    As with many things in socialism this building represents the great aspirations of the leaders to show the world how successful the socialist idea can be. I’ve seen this grandeur when I first visited Warsaw in the end of 1990s. The main station was nothing more than a giant concrete hull full of ornaments and…

  • Kim-Il Sung square after the rain

    Kim-Il Sung square after the rain

    When we first entered the DPRK at the train station of Sinuiju I felt overwhelmed. The train just crosses over a bridge from the Chinese town of Dandong where our group of three had breakfast in a KFC restaurant a few minutes ago. You would post last status messages using the restaurant provided WiFi hotspot…

  • DPRK: Why did I go?

    DPRK: Why did I go?

    It was a long-cherished dream to go to the DPRK. Partly out of curiosity for a secluded place, partly out of the wish to educate myself about the reality of life in a separated country. I missed the chance to visit GDR before the collapse of the political system in socialist Germany. And of course…

  • Throwback: Photography trip to DPRK

    Throwback: Photography trip to DPRK

    It has been almost a week since I came back from my trip to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The time has passed and I was in a constant state of confusion and despair. On my hard drive sits an archive of well around 500 images that preserve many of the memories that I’ve…

  • Pangapsumnida

    Pangapsumnida

    After traveling all over South-East Asia with visits to Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam lying already behind me I decided it’s time to move on. Until recently this whole travel except from Myanmar was based on vague ideas and the wish to travel as much without a fixed schedule as possible. But now things changed.…