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.
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 .
These 32 portraits of North Korean citizens offer a rare glimpse into their day-to-day lives.
Children play in the kindergarden at Jangchon Vegetable Co-op farm outside of Pyongyang.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Young children are taught anti-American sentiment, and are instructed to wield toy rifles and grenades against cartoon images of soldiers.
These kindergarden kids go to school at the the Kim Jong Suk Pyongyang textile mill in Pyongyang.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Schoolgirls learn to play guitar at the Mangyongdae Childrens Palace in May 2016.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
These kids might be learning to play guitar, but the accordion is actually a popular instrument in the Hermit Kingdom.
People cross the street in central Pyongyang.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Biking is a popular way of commuting.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
As is taking the bus...
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
... the tram...
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Pyongyang and Chongjin are the only cities known to havetramways.
... and the subway.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Children growing up outsidethe capital city of Pyongyang are often made to work on North Korean farms from an extremely early age.
Subway stations in North Korea are said to be pretty swank, full of marble, murals, and even chandeliers.
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.
Click here to take a tour of North Korea's subway.
Apparently, they dont feature any ads. Instead, newspapers and propaganda are displayed in stations.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Subway stations in Pyongyang are not filled with advertisements according to photographer Elaine Li , they arebombarded with propaganda.
The Pyongyang Metrois 360 feet below ground, making it one of the deepest subway systems in the world.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Click here to see what it's like to ride a North Korean subway.
Taxis are around too, but mostly used by North Koreas richest citizens.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
North Korea's taxi market is highly lucrative , and only the most affluent citizens use them.
Here, people wait for a bus in central Pyongyang.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Most people will walk.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Here, two girls walk along an alley on the banks of Yalu River in Sakchu county.
Jacky Chen/REUTERS
Just outside of Pyongyang, theres the Jangchon Vegetable Co-op farm, which mass produces vegetables in order to feed locals.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
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.
Here, women are hard at work at the veggie farm.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Women also work in the Kim Jong-suk Pyongyang Silk Mill.
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!"
Here, two men share an ice cream.
Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Click here to see what street food in North Korea is like.
Military parades are a common occurrence.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Women in traditional clothes walk past military band members getting onto a truck in Pyongyang.
Here, women react to seeing Kim Jong-un during one.
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.
A soldier salutes from inside a vehicle carrying a missile as it drives past the stand with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
A dancer dressed as a soldier takes part in a gala show in Pyongyang.
Bobby Yip/REUTERS
This man is wearing a pin with pictures of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
These military officers congregated after the 105th anniversary of the countrys founding father Kim Il Sung.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
This group of North Korean visitors listens to a guide at Mangyongdae, the birthplace of North Korea founder Kim Il-sung.
Bobby Yip/REUTERS
Seeing soldiers around is pretty common.
Jason Lee/REUTERS
A North Korean soldier stands guard along the bank of Yalu River near the North Korean town of Sinuiju.
Jacky Chen/REUTERS
These people are heading to a flower exhibition.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
And this woman just bought a flower.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
Here, workers at the Pyongyang 326 Electric Cable Factory have a chat.
Damir Sagolj/REUTERS
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.
A patient rests in a room of the Pyongyang Maternity Hospital, May 2016.
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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