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32 photos that show what life is like in super secretive North Korea

North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un is frequentlyportrayed in the media, but the country over which he rules with an iron fist remains largely elusive to many in the West .

female soldier North Korea

Not only has the governmentwalled the Hermit Kingdom off from the rest of the world, it has taken painstaking measures to obscure the working knowledge outsiders do have of North Korean citizens' everyday life, and vice versa.

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These 32 portraits of North Korean citizens offer a rare glimpse into their day-to-day lives.

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Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

Young children are taught anti-American sentiment, and are instructed to wield toy rifles and grenades against cartoon images of soldiers.

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

These kids might be learning to play guitar, but the accordion is actually a popular instrument in the Hermit Kingdom.

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Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

Pyongyang and Chongjin are the only cities known to havetramways.

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Children growing up outsidethe capital city of Pyongyang are often made to work on North Korean farms from an extremely early age.

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

Comprising of 16 stops constructed predominantly in the 1970s, the Pyongyang Metro sees hundreds of thousands of workers fill its halls and escalators every day.

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Click here to take a tour of North Korea's subway.

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

Subway stations in Pyongyang are not filled with advertisements according to photographer Elaine Li , they arebombarded with propaganda.

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Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

Click here to see what it's like to ride a North Korean subway.

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North Korea's taxi market is highly lucrative , and only the most affluent citizens use them.

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Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Jacky Chen/REUTERS

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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The Jangchon Vegetable Co-op farm is purportedly meant to feed more people, as 41% of North Koreans approximately 10.5 million people are undernourished.

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Bobby Yip/REUTERS

A red-and-white sign that once hung in the silk mill read : "Let us step up the victorious advancement of socialism through self-development!"

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Damir Sagolj/Reuters

Click here to see what street food in North Korea is like.

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Women in traditional clothes walk past military band members getting onto a truck in Pyongyang.

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

The parade, also calledthe Day of the Sun celebration, marked the 105th anniversary of the country's founding father Kim Il Sung's birth.

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Bobby Yip/REUTERS

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Jacky Chen/REUTERS

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

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Even though employees at thePyongyang 326 Electric Cable Factory believed that all of the machines were North Korean-made, visitors noticed that some were markedly produced abroad, by companies like Nokia.

Damir Sagolj/REUTERS

One foreign visitor to thePyongyang Maternity Hospital described it as "...a staged showcase of North Korean privileges and life that didnt exist."

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