OLIVER JOEST

Tag: DPRK

  • What if… things were different?

    What if… things were different?

    So my dream was to stand on both sides of this separated country and learn for myself about the situation on the Korean peninsula. My curiosity for one of the most secluded countries in the world and the idea of taking pictures there blended perfectly when I got the chance to travel together with my…

  • Dancing at Moranbong

    Dancing at Moranbong

    The Moranbong park in the middle of Pyongyang is the place to be for two reasons. On weekends the elder inhabitants of the capital find their way to a complex on top of the hill to perform folklore dances. A very nice place to have a picknick with a few bottles of beer after another…

  • Road to reunification

    Road to reunification

    When I met a young south Korean guy in Bangkok the other night we started to exchange our travel plans. As it turned out South Korean citizens are denied entry to the DPRK. A question I was asked to think about However this interesting human asked me a very thought provoking question: Do you think…

  • Waterparks over revolutions

    Waterparks over revolutions

    Recently the Pyongyang leisure and science departments had plenty of reason for celebrations. After the SciTech complex mentioned in one of my earlier posts the city opened the Munsu Waterpark in 2013. A leisurely paradise we were visiting incognito as guests before changing into our photographer outfits once more. As you can certainly imagine the…

  • Outbounds of the DMZ

    Outbounds of the DMZ

    On our way back from the DMZ we would stop in Kaesong which is the next town to the border that splits the Korean peninsula. In Kaesong we received a glorious lunch in an ancient Korean dining room. Sitting on the floor we feasted on pickles, noodles and various side dishes. The visit to the…

  • Movie sets

    Movie sets

    When we made a stop at the film studios of the DPRK I wasn’t expecting too much. I though we would be strolling through some empty facades with almost no action going on. A perfect place to store away some tourists that are asking too many questions anyway. Where all the movies are supposed to…

  • At the Sci-Tech Complex

    At the Sci-Tech Complex

    This building has it all, a copy of a long range missile, hundreds of work stations, a library for disabled and study rooms. The heart of the exposition are dioramas about local culture and wildlife as well as a shootable table of elements. The government demonstrates access to modern media and research. Sitting largely empty…