Due to the fact that running water is hard to come by across most of North Korea (even having a faucet is no guarantee because there is rarely water in the pipes), most people bathe outside in river. They go outside with some soap and let the current wash their dirt away.
The North Korean government forbids taking pictures of people bathing in rivers because the censors believe it portrays the country in a negative light as an impoverished backwater.
Rock farming
This picture was taken secretly from a passing bus and shows a man trying to plow his field with a steer and without modern farming tools.
Unfortunately, when you look at the ground, it seems like there are more rocks than soil. This is not ideal for planting crops. Hopefully, the poor man will be able to plant some seeds that will help feed his family. Otherwise the leaders in Pyongyong may need to start working on a cookbook for rocks.
Fishing for food
Many men come to the Taedong River to try their luck at fishing for their supper. It may seem like this is a shot of rural life in an impoverished village, but it is actually from the North Korean Capital Pyongyang.
The whole of North Korea is suffering from malnutrition and fresh fish and meat are almost impossible to find in supermarkets. Therefore, these men need to fish in the city’s river in order to secure the protein necessary for them and their families.
Computers with no electricity
To show off how modern their lives are, the North Korean government has their tour guides take visitors to an “average” North Korean family to show off the fact that they can afford computers and are connected to a special, North Korea only intranet!
Although the screen didn’t work because there was no electricity when this photo was taken, the actress, or North Korean citizen, was still typing on the keyboard.
North Koreans are never tired
Very few North Koreans can afford private cars, therefore most of them walk or bike each way every day for many hours to reach their place of work.
Even professional cyclists competing in the Tour de France would complain after that much riding! However, that didn’t stop the photographer who snapped this shot from allegedly getting yelled at by his chaperone, on the basis that it is a crime to show people being tired in North Korea.