A moment during the show organized for the visitors of the Children Palace "Mangyongdae", near Pyongyang. This place is dedicated to children from 6 to 17 years old, about 5.000 children come here after school to learn how to use a computer, how to … — A moment during the show organized for the visitors of the Children Palace "Mangyongdae", near Pyongyang. This place is dedicated to children from 6 to 17 years old, about 5.000 children come here after school to learn how to use a computer, how to dance, sing, play an instrument, practice sport etc. © Filippo Venturi

KOREAN DREAM

(North Korea, 2017)

Between 1905 and 1945 Korea was dominated by the Japanese, thus becoming a colony of the Empire. In 1945, after Japan's defeat, Korea was involved in the Cold War and became an object of interest for the USA, the URSS and lately for China as well. This brought to the division of the country in two along the 38th parallel and to the Korean War between 1950 and 1953. On the 27th of July of 1953, an armistice was signed but a declaration of peace never followed, leaving the country in a permanent state of conflict.

A photographer in charge of following, checking and censoring journalists, while he takes a picture of me in Pyongyang’s metro. © Filippo Venturi

Kim Hyang, 22 years old, works at the "Meari Shooting Range" of Pyongyang. © Filippo Venturi

North Korea is officially a socialist State with formal elections but in fact, it is a totalitarian dictatorship based on the cult of the Kim dynasty, practically an absolute monarchy.

North Korea is one of the most secluded countries in the world, we know little about it. Citizens' rights are subdued to the country's needs, they have no freedom of speech, media are strictly controlled, it is possible to travel only with authorization and it is not allowed to leave the country. The few foreign travelers who get the visa can travel the country only with authorized Korean guides, who have also the task of controlling, censoring and finding spies.

A child in the week-playschool “Chang Gwang”, in which Koreans can leave their children there on Monday and take them back home on Saturday. © Filippo Venturi

Koreans in "Munsu" aquatic park, in Pyongyang. © Filippo Venturi

Pyongyang, the capital, is the centre of all the resources and the country's ambition to boast a strong and modern façade (the rest of North Korea is composed of countryside, rice-fields and villages usually with no water, electricity or gas).

The continuous and incessant propaganda against the USA portraits the South Korean population as a victim of the American invasion; young generations live in a constant alert state as if the USA could attack any day.

Koreans playing billiard inside “Munsu” aquatic park, in Pyongyang. © Filippo Venturi

4D cinema theatre inside the Science and Technology Building, in Pyongyang. © Filippo Venturi

"Mangyongdae" amusement park, near Pyongyang. © Filippo Venturi

At the same time, the propaganda aims at instilling a great sense of pride for the country's technical progression, fueled by the Supreme Leader and culminating in the atomic bomb and the subsequent tests.

Pyongyang youngsters have been educated to be learned and knowledgeable people, especially in the scientific field, to foster the development of armaments and technology, chasing the dream of reuniting Korea in a whole and free state.