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Lake Samsu captured by AP's Pyongyang Bureau chief Eric Talmadge. Photograph: erictalmadge/Instagram Photograph: erictalmadge/Instagram
Lake Samsu captured by AP's Pyongyang Bureau chief Eric Talmadge. Photograph: erictalmadge/Instagram Photograph: erictalmadge/Instagram

Road tripping through North Korea –  in pictures

This article is more than 9 years old

Journalists, tour guides and tourists are increasingly using Instagram to capture snapshots of life in the DPRK. Here's a selection of our recent favourites, from a 1400-mile road trip through farming hinterland to a day out at the dolphinarium

Very few people are able to travel across the secretive state of North Korea. Even the country's own citizens need a state-issued permit (or enough funds) to be able to travel internally.

So when Eric Talmadge and David Guttenfelder of the Associated Press embarked on a 1,400 mile road trip through rural DPRK to report on the state of the country's farms (which are under pressure to keep the masses fed), it's not surprising that they wanted to document it. Taking in the symbolic sites at Mount Paektu and "potato country" in the north, their trip ended up producing some stunning, and rare, images.

Tourists, and tour guides, who were once mostly confined to the capital Pyongyang, are also increasingly able to capture images of life outside the city. As North Korea opens up its fledgling tourism industry, more carefully selected travel destinations are being made available by state-sanctioned tour companies.

Whether you agree or disagree with tourism to North Korea, these pictures also help to shed new light on everyday life in one of the most closed societies in the world. Here's our pick of the best:

"AP hits the road", captured by Eric Talmadge

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On the road, captured by Eric Talmadge

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On the road, part two, captured by Eric Talmadge

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"A roadside picnic" captured by David Guttenfelder

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A man dives for shellfish in the sea near the city of Wonsan, captured by David Guttenfelder

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"My travel companions roast potatoes in the embers of a fire", David Guttenfelder

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A family-run car wash, captured by David Guttenfelder

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On the beach in Wonsan, captured by Eric Talmadge

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An aquarium in the lobby of a hotel in Hanhung, where Guttenfelder stayed

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A spectacular view of Lake Samsu, captured by Eric Talmadge

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Taking a break at a harbour in 37 degree centigrade heat, captured by Instagrammer morozzo

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A taekwondo demonstration at the "extra curricular centre" in Rason, captured by Troy Collings, co-owner of Young Pioneer Tours

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Crowds at the ever popular dolphinarium in Pyongyang, captured by Eric Talmadge

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Uri Tours posted this picture this week, reporting that row boats can now be hired on the Taedong River in Pyongyang for the equivalent of €3

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