A Weekend in Pyongyang, North Korea

View the centennial anniversary of Kim Il-sung's birth and aspects of life in Pyongyang, North Korea through these photos that capture what is so foreign and intriguing to the rest of the world.

Adelin Petrisor is one of the most well-known war correspondents in Romania. He has reported from war torn countries all over the world. Still, it took six years for his visa request to visit North Korea to be approved. His childhood dream was to visit the country of Kim Il-sung, the most reliable friend of Nicolae Ceausescu, former leader of communist Romania. He recognized the shabby airport, grey buildings, and people dressed up in dull colors who fearfully turn their heads away and quickly walk in the opposite direction when they realize strangers are watching them. The government crafted façade was all too familiar to him. Each snapshot was a reminder of his childhood in communist Romania: large queues outside shops, huge deserted boulevards, and big banners filled with communist propaganda. The leader was everywhere, except in the food, which was always lacking.

Petrisor's camera captures the stark realities of life in North Korea s capital city through the lens of his painful memories growing up in Romania under communist rule. If you ve ever been curious about North Korea, these photos provide insight into the eerily choreographed life within the isolated hermit kingdom.