With all of the extremely strict rules and regulations set by the North Korean government, it should come as no surprise that many people have never seen images of this super secretive country. Thanks to the Welcome to Pyongyang photo series, however, you now have a chance to catch a rare glimpse of Korea's capital city.
Photographed by Charlie Crane, the Welcome to Pyongyang photo series was not easily come by. Crane had to wait over a year to be granted permission to enter North Korea with his camera--not even his cellphone was allowed passed customs. Then, Crane had to come to terms with photographing only the surface of this complicated city and society.
The Welcome to Pyongyang photo series is clean, stark and rather superficial, but the viewer nonetheless gets a glimpse into this secretive nation.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Restricted Access Tourism
- Developing tourism for places that are normally restricted or difficult to access, by leveraging technology and cultural exchange opportunities.
- Cultural Diplomacy
- Promoting international cultural understanding by building relationships through artistic and cultural initiatives, opening up new opportunities for economic and socio-political development.
- Virtual Tourism
- Creating immersive experiences of places otherwise difficult to access using digital technologies like VR/AR, to provide alternative tourism options in lieu of physical travel.
Where This Applies
- Travel and Tourism
- Developing new forms of tourism that leverage technology and cultural exchange to offer unique travel experiences and explore forbidden places like North Korea.
- Photography and Media
- Innovating new ways of storytelling by capturing previously unseen places and cultures, and sharing them through traditional and digital media channels to promote cultural exchange and education.
- Technology and Electronics
- Developing cutting-edge virtual reality and other immersive technologies which can simulate the restricted access places like North Korea, enriching cultural exploration and tourism experiences.
