In Pictures | Smuggled photographs of North Korea offer a peek into lives outside the capital
Getty photographer Xiaolu Chu, shot some photographs that could have put him behind the bars. Let's have a look at some of those photographs of North Korea, beyond the capital of Pyongyang.
Kim Jong-un and his totalitarian government have been known to be secretive.
If it had been, it would not be the first time that media would be silenced; but fortunately, Beijing-based Getty photographer Xiaolu Chu was able to share some of the moments from the village of Tumangang, North Korea.
Xiaolu Chu, in an interview with Tech Insider, said that it is not wise to whip out a camera and start shooting as the villagers often report that to the police.
He was lucky to have a day at Tumangang, to photograph the village, since his train was cancelled due to a dispute between North and South Korea.
"There are nearly no fat people in North Korea, everyone looks very thin," Chu told Tech Insider.
This is the largest store of the Tumangang village. - Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images
Lady cleans the road outside the Tumangang Railway station. - Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images
This is the sight of the station at night. It is not just the station, the entire city is submerged in darkness by the night. The only light that can be seen are that of the shrines of the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. - Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images
Some of the travellers sitting by the tracks of the Tumangang Railway station. - Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images
This is a sight of the Tumangang village street. - Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images
North Korean People's Army looking out of the train door. - Xiaolu Chu / Getty Images