Life in North Korea beyond Iron Curtain

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The buffer area between North Korea and South Korea is called the Korean Demilitarized Zone. The Amnok River is the border between North Korea and People's Republic of China. The Tumen River in the extreme north-east is the border with Russia.North Korea is a one party state under a united front led by the Korean Workers' Party.The country's government styles itself as following the Juche ideology of self-reliance, developed by Kim Il-sung, the country's former leader.

Though nominally a socialist republic, it is widely considered by the outside world to be a de facto totalitarian Stalinist dictatorship.The current leader is Kim Jong-il, the late president Kim Il-sung's son.

This gallery is an attempt to look beyond the "Iron Curtain". Interestingly enough, there they are: the development of socialism, or, already, communism?