Typically, photographers aren't allowed to set foot in North Korea and start firing away on their cameras. German photographer Dieter Leistner, however, managed to secure special permission from North Korean authorities to photograph the capital city, Pyongyang, in 2006. This rare opportunity provided him with the photos he needed to show the world just how different North and South Korea are. After a 2012 trip to Seoul, Leistner has now unveiled his compelling photo series in a book called Korea—Korea.
The idea behind Korea—Korea is pretty straight forward. It sets photos of similar scenes and public spaces from Seoul and Pyongyang beside one other. Even with just a glance, it's almost immediately apparent where each photo was taken. Click through to see Leister's fascinating images. (If you haven't figured it out, the first image depicts the highly controlled northern country, and the second shows South Korea, a country more familiar to most people.)
[via PetaPixel]
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