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North Korea in Pictures: A Mind-Blowing Photo Gallery

When shooting our North Korea story, photographer Yuri Kozyrev didn't just stop at the film festival. He documented Pyongyang street life, the seldom-seen countryside, and even an amusement park. Here, we've collected thirty-four of our favorite images from his visit

Photography by Yuri Kozyrev

February 5, 2015

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Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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The Pyongyang skyline as seen from the top of the Juche Tower, a phallic local landmark.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Welcome, comrades, to the Ponghwa Art Theatre.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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The film festival's opening ceremony, complete with rainbow-pooping dove.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Drowsy audiences are one clue this isn't exactly Sundance.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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A screening of The Other Side of the Mountain, a Korean entry into the festival.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Korean actress Ri Wol Suk on her cellphone (they have those over there!) after the opening ceremony.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Hong Yong Hee, the star of 1972's_ Flower Girl_ and the Sally Field of North Korean cinema.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Kim Jong-il (right, next to a sculpture of his father, Kim Il-sung) towers literally and metaphorically over the North Korean movie scene.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Pyongyang street life.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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North Korea is into peppy murals.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Kim Il-sung Square.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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The trolley bus: a little taste of North Korean public transit.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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The view from a vintage trolley bus.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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An important place for a traffic cop.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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GQ Street Style: Pyongyang Edition.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Nothing in this country ever feels quite real.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Would you like to rent an apartment?
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Playing in Kim Il-Sung Square.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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The Kims watch over everything.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Ladies head to Changwang Spa for massages and haircuts.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Changwang Spa.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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On the grounds of Pyongyang's film studio.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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The class of Kim Jong-suk Middle School, named after Kim Jong-il's mother.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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The film festival is North Korea's signature cultural event.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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The view from the train.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Portraits of the Kims loom above a small provincial railway station.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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A train's eye view of the North Korean countryside.
Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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A tractor carrying laborers, as seen from a train traveling between Pyongyang and the Chinese border.

Yuri Kozyrev/ Noor
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Goat crossing.
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Here it is: your moment of zen.

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