OLIVER JOEST

Tag: North Korea

  • 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…

  • Juche Juche

    Juche Juche

    The government bases most of the countries legacy and future onto the Juche ideology. Originally developed by Kim Il-Sung the idea transformed from the marxist-leninist foundation to a truly Korean belief over the years. The meaning of a unique Korean reception may not be underestimated. A society where certain sentiments have their own descriptive words…

  • 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…

  • Street Cornering

    Street Cornering

    We were stopping on a street corner in the middle of Pyongyang. We were allowed to roam the area freely and take pictures of whatever we liked. The afternoon was setting and the evening was coming up. People were coming back from work. Children coming home from school or after school events. In the afternoon…