North Korea without embellishment in the lens of a Western photographer

David Guttenfelder is a world famous Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer. Among the numerous works of the master, a separate place is occupied by photographs taken during his stay in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in June this year. In a photo cycle made for the Associated Press, David managed to capture the atmosphere of everyday life in one of the most closed and mysterious countries on earth.

1. Illuminated portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Dawn in the capital of the DPRK - Pyongyang. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

2. Elementary students help repair a leaky road. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

3. A man checks the condition of a car engine on the seashore in Wonsan. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

4. Peasants accompany cows from the pasture during a thunderstorm. Neighborhood of the city of Hyesan in the province of Ryanggang. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

5. A group of young Koreans during a picnic on the beach near the city of Wonsan. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

6. North Korean picnic set: sushi, chicken and Taedonggang beer. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

7. Boys play football on the streets of the city of Hyesan in the province of Ryanggang. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

8. A man by the fire. Neighborhood of Samjiyon city, Ryanggang province. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

9. People rest near the railway tracks in one of the cities of Hamgyong province. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

10. A man takes shelter from the rain in the city of Samjiyon (Ryanggang province), a wall with propaganda inscriptions and drawings is visible nearby. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

11. Chongjin city. Reception at a hotel designed to receive foreign guests. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

12. The man goes to the village. Hamgyong Province. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

13. A woman walks along the road in the province of Hwanghae, located in the northern part of the country. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

14. Residents of Kimchaek city (Hamgyong province). (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

15. Remains of lunch on the table in a restaurant in the city of Wonsan. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)

16. A boulder on the slope of Mount Paektu, where, according to North Korean propaganda, Kim Jong Il, the previous "leader" of the DPRK, was born on February 16, 1942. This place is the highest peak in North Korea. (Photo: AP Photo / David Guttenfelder)