Rare photographs provide a glimpse into life in North Korea, a country famously shrouded in secrecy under the leadership of Kim Jong-un.
Capturing images within North Korea is a rarity due to strict regulations on photography, particularly outside of designated tourist areas.
Despite closing its borders in January 2020, stringent restrictions on photography existed even before then.
Officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), visitors fortunate enough to enter the country before border closures were limited to capturing images of public tourist attractions; any other photography was prohibited.
However, four years into Kim Jong-un’s tenure, photographer Pedro Pardo succeeded in documenting life along the Chinese-North Korean border.
Pardo gained access to a remote region of North Korea’s border with China in Jilin province, capturing images between February 26 and March 1 of this year.