Ulrike Crespo

North Korea's hidden beauty - a country of contrasts in an impressive photo book

In September 2018, North Korea celebrated the seventieth anniversary of its founding. A country, of which we know little more than what is reported to us in the press, presented itself proudly and surprisingly peacefully. For the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is considered one of the most inaccessible countries in the world. It is said that the key to a country is its people. But since a direct, uncontrolled exchange with locals is practically impossible, the photographer Ulrike Crespo approached the people through her camera, thus providing us with intimate and rare insight into everyday life in North Korea. Her conclusion: "Keep your eyes open, look carefully, and do not immediately judge everything. It is impossible to depict reality." After her successful publications Iceland (2017) and Danakil (2018), North Korea is her seventh photo book with Kehrer Verlag.