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Last year, two Austrian tourists managed to enter North Korea by train at a border crossing that has been closed to foreigners since 1994. Lucky for us, they took lots of pictures. Below are a few samples from their extensive documentation of their trip (see the full visual and narrative account here, here and here). They also hit Pyongyang–a city 3 million people that does see a bit of tourist traffic–and took some special photographic interest to the city’s infrastructure, especially trams.
Considering that North Korea is nightmarish dictatorship governed by a lunatic there probably aren’t any lessons to be to taken from it, but: Pyongyang–at least based on the shot below with lots of intact farmland close to the city center–does look remarkably sprawl-free.
The photo at top was taken in the area of the DMZ. The last two shots–at the bottom of the gallery, after the jump–are from the forbidden Tumangan border crossing.
More forbidden-ness below.
Pyongyang. Look, ma! No sprawl!
Pyongyang trams
Tram tracks, under construction
Pyongyang avenue
North Korean transit-themed stamps
A North Korean designed “railbus”
Tumangan border crossing
Tumangan border crossing.
Photos via vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com
(H/t: Freakonomics)
Tags: SHOW AND TELL
The second stamp seems to be a Dutch train. I wonder why.
(http://www.nicospilt.com/Treinstellen_DDIRM.htm)
[...] Gallery: North Korea’s Secret Infrastructure: [...]
Love these photos and the sprawl caption, it is strange that the city is just planted in the middle like las vegas in the nevada almost.
I think it would be a fascinating place to visit. The City looks very good.Very sustainable to me. Shame its so expensive for Australians and dificult to get there.
yeah, it does seem like a fascinating place to visit…. except for the fact that their governor is a psycho lol
Considering that North Korea is nightmarish dictatorship governed by a lunatic there probably aren
Considering that North Korea is nightmarish dictatorship governed by a lunatic there probably aren
Interesting,i think a few things were left out don’t you?Oh,15 or 16 prison camps (GULAGS) starving people,men women and children attempting to eat grass,roots and bark.The phrase hell on earth comes to mind,gee i don’t know why.If this “country” is the socialist workers paradise,please explain why the Army shoots,tortures or otherwise terrorizes its subjects when they attempt to escape?I presume it is to keep their subjects from cross cultural contamination,right?When will N.Korea’s nightmare existence come to an end?Who knows,maybe we will get lucky and someone will put a bullet in the right persons skull.(dear leader,or young general)?Maybe……