From careful selection processes to strict rules during the stay, North Korea doesn't seem too welcoming for tourists. There's also no surprise that the country that strives to maintain the image they've been creating themselves for decades now, keep an eye on what the visitors from abroad capture with their cameras. Travel photographer Eric Lafforgue, however, managed to outsmart the government officials, smuggle out some of the 'forbidden' pictures, and share them with the rest of the world.
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From 2008 to 2012 the photographer has visited North Korea 6 times. “As soon as they were opening a new area to visit I tried to go and see it, documenting the place,” Lafforgue shared his enthusiasm for the country shrouded in mystery. Amongst the usual photos of the regime in North Korea, he was also able to capture thousands of 'forbidden' pictures that, thanks to digital memory cards, he was able to keep. “They didn't allow me to take pictures of the police, the army, etc. But with a 300mm zoom lens and a seat in the back of the bus, I could take so many…” And so he did.
Soon, pictures of soldiers and locals going about their day-to-day lives started appearing in the media. North Korea didn't let this slide – the government demanded for the pictures to be taken down. “I refused as I show all the aspects of North Korea: the good and the bad. Just like I do with any country I visit. “I refused to make an exception for North Korea and they didn’t like this.” That is why in 2012 the photographer was forbidden from entering the country ever again.
While being the author of pictures that shouldn't even exist is quite an achievement, Lafforgue says that getting to know the people living there is what really made it all worthwhile. “During homestay meals in the countryside, I could speak with the locals for hours, thanks to my guides. They told me so much about how they live, what they dream of, and so on. The main thing to know is that North Koreans are warm people, very curious about the visitors and very generous, even though most of them own almost nothing.”