08 Sep Rare Aerial Footage Taken Above North Korea’s Capital Reveals An Eerie Ghost Town

North Korea is currently one of the world’s most talked about countries, for all the wrong reasons. Yet, despite its highly dangerous perception, there are few people who would add it to their bucket list.

The controversial country, which borders with China and a slither of Russia, is shrouded in mystery due to the governments strict rules on who enters and exits the country. Thus, any images or footage taken within the country is often carefully choreographed before release. So, when Singaporean Aram Pan, uploaded aerial footage of the country to his YouTube channel, people were surprised.

However, his footage of “the hermit kingdom” raised some alarming questions to all who viewed it. For one, where are all the people?

Pan was given permission to film North Korea’s capital city, Pyongyang, by the country’s authorities. “It’s a rare treat that a foreigner is allowed photography and filming over the skies of North Korea,” he wrote, when uploading the six-and-a-half minute clip.

Viewers were captivated by the colorful country that sprawled below, but they were equally disturbed. One prominent question on their mind was, where are all the people? The vast city, complete with skyscrapers and highways, was desolate. Eerily empty, it resembled a long forgotten ghost town.

The wide roads were void of cars, whilst large grassy areas lay barren. Skyscrapers loomed through the grey sky, looking hollow and uninhabited, whilst the plane jittered around high in the sky.

Pyongyang, which translates to “Peaceful Land” (oh, the irony), certainly did appear quiet. With an estimated population of 2.5 million, the city should be bustling with life and energy. Instead, it stood ghostly grey with the few cars peppered along the highway providing the only movement.

On average 4,000 to 5,000 Western tourists visit North Korea each year; a tiny figure in comparison to other eastern Asian countries like Thailand, China or Japan. And this figure is set to decline further after Washington implemented a travel ban for all US citizens to North Korea following the death of student Otto Warmbier.

The 22-year-old student, who had been imprisoned in the North for a year, died in June this year after being sent home in a mysterious coma. The student who had been living in North Korea as a tourist, was sentenced to 15 years in jail with hard labor after being arrested for attempting to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel.

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