An employee on a platform at the Puhung metro station in Pyongyang. Picture: EPA/Franck Robichon
A SET of rare pictures of Pyongyang Metro have emerged after being taken by one of the first foreigners ever to be given access.
The snaps offer a fascinating glimpse of life inside secretive North Korea.
The chandelier-lit stations on the underground system’s two lines are not named for their locations, The Sun reported.
At 110 metres below ground the metro system is also the deepest in the world, meaning it doubles up nicely as a nuclear bunker.
The trains themselves are old carriages bought from Germany in 1999 when they were due to be scrapped, although the government claims they were made in North Korea.
It’s one of the deepest metros in the world. Picture: EPA/Franck RobichonSource:AAP
The newest cars at the Puhung metro station. Picture: EPA/Franck RobichonSource:AAP
Aussie traveller Elliott Davies posted the pics on his blog after returning from a trip there.
On his post entitled 100 Photos Inside North Korea, Elliot wrote: “Most tourists only experience the political smokescreen of Pyongyang; I had the privilege in visiting all corners on one of the longest tours ever executed (no pun intended) for foreigners into the hermit kingdom.
“It was an eye-opening experience, to say the least.”
Elliott said when he left the country his cameras were searched by officials for more than two hours, but he had luckily made backups.
Talking about his experience of the underground in the North Korean capital, he said: “I was part of the first ever group of foreigners given access to all stations across both lines of the Pyongyang Metro.
It consists of two lines and recently introduced new trains. Picture: EPA/Franck RobichonSource:AAP
Inside one of the trains. Picture: EPA/Franck RobichonSource:AAP
“This may sound mundane, but the previously restricted Pyongyang Metro is surely one of the most mysterious, yet beautiful transit systems on earth, each station uniquely themed in ultranationalism, parading North Korea’s revolutionary goals and achievements to impressionable commuters.
“In many ways, it’s a small museum, most of which formerly hidden from outside eyes and subsequently shrouded in conspiracy theories.”
Going up. Picture: EPA/Franck RobichonSource:AAP
This story originally appeared on The Sun.
Families take their trips. Picture: EPA/Franck RobichonSource:AAP
A platform at the station. Picture: EPA/Franck RobichonSource:AAP
Relatively empty escalators. Picture: EPA/Franck RobichonSource:AAP
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