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Photos: What today looked like, in North Korea

By
Annalisa Merelli
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Journalistic images out of North Korea, especially ones depicting everyday life, hold a special fascination. It’s a combination of their relative rarity, and of the surprise in finding that, even in the most secluded country in the world, daily routines might resemble our own more than we’d expect.

On Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, Singapore-based Associated Press photojournalist Wong Maye-E documented a day in North Korea, from the morning rituals before the opening of school to the nighttime entertainment for locals and visitors alike.

It’s a collection of seemingly fun and familiar moments that looks past the dystopian North Korea we’re used to seeing; a precious peek at what life in the Hermit Kingdom might actually be.

Image for article titled Photos: What today looked like, in North Korea
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E

North Korean schoolgirls sweep the area in front of a stone structure with a speech by Kim Il Sung engraved on it.

North Korean schoolgirls holding brooms bow toward a mural showing Kim Il Sung delivering a speech.
North Korean schoolgirls holding brooms bow toward a mural showing Kim Il Sung delivering a speech.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
A North Korean man waits outside a barber shop.
A North Korean man waits outside a barber shop.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
North Korean ladies jog along the Pothong River.
North Korean ladies jog along the Pothong River.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
The indoor swimming pool of the Munsu water park.
The indoor swimming pool of the Munsu water park.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
The indoor section of the Munsu water park .
The indoor section of the Munsu water park .
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
North Koreans clad in swimsuits play a round of volleyball.
North Koreans clad in swimsuits play a round of volleyball.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
A young child climbs out of a swimming pool in Munsu water park.
A young child climbs out of a swimming pool in Munsu water park.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
North Koreans pose for a photo inside the Munsu water park.
North Koreans pose for a photo inside the Munsu water park.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
North Korean boys do push-ups before their soccer training.
North Korean boys do push-ups before their soccer training.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
North Korean women play volleyball in Kim Il Sung Square.
North Korean women play volleyball in Kim Il Sung Square.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
North Koreans ride on a bus at the end of their work day.
North Koreans ride on a bus at the end of their work day.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
Kim Il Sung Square at the end of a work day.
Kim Il Sung Square at the end of a work day.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
An elderly woman walks past apartment buildings as the sun sets.
An elderly woman walks past apartment buildings as the sun sets.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
A North Korean man plays a shooting game in an arcade at the Rungna People’s Pleasure Park.
A North Korean man plays a shooting game in an arcade at the Rungna People’s Pleasure Park.
Image: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E