World & Nation

Rare glimpse of North Korea

A North Korean soldier salutes in Pyongyang.

A North Korean soldier salutes in Pyongyang.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

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North Korea has been counting down to the 100th anniversary of its founder’s birth on April 15 with top-level meetings and a controversial rocket launch to bolster his grandson’s credentials. At the invitation of the North Korean government, foreign journalists were given a rare glimpse of the reclusive communist nation.

Inside North Korea

Female North Korean soldiers stand at a fence near Pyongyang.  (Ed Jones / AFP/Getty Images)

Inside North Korea

North Korean workers sit in the back of a truck in Pyongyang.  (Ed Jones / AFP/Getty Images)

Inside North Korea

A tram carries commuters in Pyongyang.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Inside North Korea

Street repair in Pyongyang.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Inside North Korea

Workers paint a building in Pyongyang.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Inside North Korea

A traffic warden is seen from the window of a bus as he stands on an empty street before the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang.  (Ed Jones / AFP/Getty Images)

Inside North Korea

North Korean soldiers march in Pyongyang.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Inside North Korea

A woman cleans slaughtered ducks on a processing line at the Dudan duck factory in Pyongyang.  (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)

Inside North Korea

North Koreans play a slot machine in Pyongyang. Winnings can be used only to buy goods in a neighboring shop.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

North Korean commuters ride on a trolley in Pyongyang, the capital.  (David Guttenfelder / Associated Press)

Rare glimpse of North Korea

Houses are seen from a window of a train during a trip between Pyongyang and North Phyongan province.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

Soldiers wait to check journalists as they arrive at the Tongchang-ri space center in North Phyongan province.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP /Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

A building is seen from a window of the train.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

An official seen along the train trip.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

North Koreans commute to work in Pyongyang.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP /Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

A man washing his car is seen from the train.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

North Koreans pay their respects in front of the portraits of founding leader Kim Il Sung, left, and his son Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

Employees in a textile factory in Pyongyang.  (David Guttenfelder / Associated Press)

Scenes from North Korea

North Koreans dance in Pyongyang during a rehearsal for the the 100th anniversary celebration of the birth of founding leader Kim Il Sung.  (Pedro Ugarte / AFP/Getty Images)

Scenes from North Korea

A street in Pyongyang.  (Ng Han Guan / Associated Press)

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