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North Korea

In pictures: A rare glimpse inside North Korea's mass games in Pyongyang

Photographer Sam Gellman captured incredible images of the thousands-strong choreographed games during his recent trip to North Korea.

AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER Sam Gellman, originally from Winsconsin but living in Asia for the past six years, has captured some incredible images from one of North Korea’s famous thousands-strong mass games.

Gellman spent four days in tourist-restricted North Korea in September.

Overseas visitors to North Korea still cannot reach it through neighbouring South Korea, but can fly from cities in Russia and China or get the train from Beijing. Tourists have to book their whole trip ahead of arrival and will be accompanied throughout their visit by a local guide.

Gellman said his group’s guide was “quite conscious of every step we took” but that the trip afforded him a “unique opportunity to see some sides of how a country separated from the rest of the world functions”.

The event was held four days a week between the start of August and mid-October 2011, with tickets arranged through local guides.

Check out some of Gellman’s incredible images of the colourful choreography which involved 100,000 costumed participants:

In pictures: A rare glimpse inside North Korea's mass games in Pyongyang
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  • North Korea

    (Image: Sam Gellman Photography)
  • North Korea

    (Image: Sam Gellman Photography)
  • North Korea

    (Image: Sam Gellman Photography)
  • North Korea

    (Image: Sam Gellman Photography)
  • North Korea

    (Image: Sam Gellman Photography)
  • North Korea

    (Image: Sam Gellman Photography)
  • North Korea

    (Image: Sam Gellman Photography)

Prints of Gellman’s work from across Asia are available through his website.

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