A Photographer Flew His Drone into North Korea
A photographer flew his drone into North Korea and captured fascinating images of the secretive country.
In a post published on March 28, Redditor XiaoHao2 shared a series of rare photos that he took after allegedly sending is drone into North Korea from Dandong, China in 2020.
“Drone pics of North Korea, I was in China, my drone flew across the border,” XiaoHao2 captions the Reddit post that has been upvoted 141,000 times.
The photographer, who hopes to remain anonymous on Reddit, says that his DJI drone captured images and video clips of the northwestern border city of Sinuiju in North Korea.
Sinuiju, which is the fourth biggest city in North Korea, faces the city of Dandong in China across the Yalu River, also known as the Amnok River.
According to XiaoHao2, the drone images were taken around 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) across the North Korean-China border.
The photographer says it is currently illegal to fly drones into Korea: “Now it’s geofenced, but this was taken in 2020.”
However, it appears that XiaoHao2 had only chosen to share the photos online after years of keeping the risky images to himself.
A Rare Glimpse into the World’s Most Secretive Country
The Redditor’s photos offer a remarkable glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the people of North Korea which is one of the world’s most mysterious and reclusive states.
Some of the photographer’s images show North Korean residents looking up at the drone and noticing it flying past them. In other images, individuals appear visibly startled at the sight the drone crossing into North Korean airspace.
Other eerie images showed mostly empty streets and buildings, including what appears to be a university and a main avenue near Sinuiju Chongnyon Station, according to The Korea Times.
While Redditors applauded XiaoHao2’s images of the closed-off nation, many social media users were concerned about the drone photographer’s safety. However, XiaHao confirmed that he was still “alive and free.”
North Korea has always been shrouded in mystery and secrecy. Its population of roughly 26 million people lives largely in isolation from the rest of the world in the communist state.
The country imposed some of the strictest border controls in the world during the spread of COVID-19, and has yet to fully reopen to foreigners.
People who have entered North Korea as tourists in the past have been met with strict rules about the practice of photography in the country. Travelers are also required to follow designated routes, and places where photography is allowed are severely restricted.
Image credits: All photos by Reddit/XiaHao2.
