[Video] “Enter Pyongyang” Hyperlapse Offers A Look At Life In North Korea’s Capital

You may remember the Rob Whitworth’s award-winning film, Traffic in Frenetic HCMC, Vietnam (2012), a culmination of 10,000 RAW images and multiple shots which perfectly captured the energy and spirit of our fair city. Whitworth along with creative director, JT Singh, recently traveled to Pyongyang, the enigmatic North Korean capital, to create this beautiful, but heavily censored hyperlapse.

“Enter Pyongyang,” presented by Koryo Tours, which has been organizing tours of the country for over 21 years, has a decidedly, day-in-the-life feel to it, but presents a heavily biased view of the city, which by many accounts, is rife with poverty. This is likely due to the fact that the shot list was approved by North Korean authorities who made sure the film showed a clean and modern view of the city.

Enter Pyongyang from JT Singh on Vimeo.

"This was one of the most exceptional trips to Pyongyang I've ever experienced," Koryo Tours' Vicky Mohieddeen says. "From convincing security at the Grand People's Study House to enact a lock-in so we could capture the sun setting over Kim Il Sung Square, to negotiating with traffic police commanders to allow us to hyper-lapse through the streets of Pyongyang, during the making of this film we did many things previously thought impossible. The end product is a testament to Rob and JT's well-honed time-lapse skills."

For a more realistic (and less artistic) juxtaposition of life in North Korea, check out this BBC feature from 2013: