Time-lapse video of Pyongyang shows a glimpse of life in the North Korean capital
Pyongyang is a city shrouded in mystery, but this video offers a rare insight into the North Korean capital.
Tucked away inside the world's most reclusive nation Pyongyang is depicted as the setting for hulking statues of despots and nightly blackouts as the government cuts off the electricity to save power.
Tourists are restricted in what they can do and see while visiting and getting a visa is extremely difficult. It is estimated only 4,000 to 6,000 western tourists are allowed in annually.
Now two men, JT Singh and Robert Whitworth, have made a stunning video "blending time-lapse photography, acceleration and slow motion, HD and digital animation [to produce] a cutting‐edge panorama of a city hardly known, but one emerging on the visitor’s landscape as North Korea’s opening unfolds."
The video, according to its Vimeo description, aims to show the human side of the capital; depicting a city of humans rather than the automatons with which popular culture often likes to populate Pyongyang.
Enter Pyongyang (Source: JT Singh on Vimeo)
The filmmakers were not paid for making the film, which was made in conjunction with a North Korean travel specialist, Koryo Tours. They were somewhat restricted in what the could shoot, as they explain:
We were closely assisted by two guides from the National Tourism Administration, who helped us gain special access to locations and made sure that we followed all the rules. As is standard for all foreign visitors to the country, we were not allowed to shoot any construction sites, undeveloped locations or military personnel. Other than that we were given relatively free reign.
Singh and Whitworth were allowed editorial control once the footage was shot, and say that the clean, modern feel to the city is genuine. They point out, however, that Pyongyang and other major cities offer a quality of life not enjoyed by citizens in other parts of the country.