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Recently, inside photos of melancholic North Korean people and starving street children are rampantly spreading throughout hundreds of Chinese internet sites including sonic BBS, sina.com and sinotrip.
Sites such as ‘sonic BBS’ are publishing hundreds of photos and inside news of North Korea. The photos include pictures gathered from an U.S. weekly newsmagazine ‘Time’ portraying subway commuters full of melancholy.
In addition, netizens are adding remarks such as “What generation is this that they are still starving?” “The Chosun (North Korean) people are experiencing too much turmoil” “It looks like China 20 years ago” and “Undoubtedly, Chosun needs to learn from China and Korea and instigate reform.” At present, the Chinese people are having a true glimpse of what North Korea is like.
The websites present photos taken by U.S. ‘Time’ magazine photographer Christopher Morris, categorized as ‘Time to see Chosun (North Korea), recent photo news of today” and say that “Time magazine refers to North Korea as the last of a few closed countries on earth.”
The photos are becoming rampant on Chinese websites, acting as a means of showing Chinese people North Korea’s disposition.
The DailyNK will present the photos released on Chinese websites with an explanation of each.
[imText2]A North Korean government ‘watchman’ slyly observes Western visitors.
[imText3]An underground passageway in front of Cheonggwang road, Pyongyang. Even though there are no cars on the street, people still use the underground.
[imText4]Subway commuters with melancholic expressions.
[imText5]Subway lines at Pyongyang are famous for being the deepest lines throughout the world. The subways are more than 100m below the surface and take at least 5 min on the escalator to reach the bottom. The reason subways are so deep under the ground is to prevent U.S. attack and to use these locations as shelter.
[imText6]While waiting for the subway, commuters are reading Rodong newspaper.
[imText7]At Kumsung Middle-High School, a special school for talented children in Pyongyang, students study English using computers. Although computers are associated with the nation’s principle research institution, worldwide sites are not accessible.
[imText8]People in the streets of Pyongyang. This area is the wealthiest part of the city with apartments where Rodong officials and upper class people live.
[imText9]North Korean soldiers visiting the national’s historical museum, viewing the floral exhibition christened as ‘big’ and ‘small.’
[imText10]People fishing in the outskirts of Pyongyang. Every year North Korea experiences a shortage of food and yet authorities refuse to lower their self-dependence and accept humanitarian aid.
[imText11]Farmers harvesting rice in the outskirts of Pyongyang. Recently, North Korean authorities have made changes to former regulations at Jangmadang, permitting sale of foods. Nevertheless, rationing is still strongly urged.
[imText12]This footage is of uneven highway roads captured inside a bus. Compared to other countries, there are no lanes marked on the road. This road connects Pyongyang and Gaesung and is a number 1 ranking highway.
[imText13]Street kids at Jangmadang live by begging and eating food scraps. In order to remove street children, on September 27th 2001, Kim Jong Il directed street children be accommodated at ‘9.27 institution.’ However, the institution was uniformly controlled by local authorities and as a result was ultimately established as a national women’s inn.
Although world food organizations of each country assist with food rations, supplies must surpass regulations. Food assistance that should be distributed to the people is being sold at Jangmadang.
