Showtime in Kim Land

Who would have believed it? Poor, isolated North Korea a country near the bottom of any economic list yet its capitol showcase a most extraordinary collection of civic buildings and skyscraper public housing. Even more remarkable because the city was more or less destroyed in the early fifties during the Korean War. The book's two authors, both architects, visited Pyongyang several times from 2015 and they wanted to find out more about this unknown centre of socialist architecture.

The book is a collection of fascinating exterior (and a few interior) photos revealing contemporary buildings erected in the last few decades. The pictures though have an extra element because the author's wanted to add a bit of 'fictional reality' to the shots, they were inspired by the fantasy element used in North Korean posters to hype up the countries failed reality. All the exterior photos have a perfect pastel blue sky morphing into a light pink around the buildings, it certainly creates an intriguing collection of images rather like those Photoshop renderings of architectural developments, the difference, of course, is that these buildings are real.

The author's say that there were quite rigorous conditions imposed on taking the photos and it was all very controlled. This is evident because there are virtually no other (older) buildings near these new structures to spoil the view. Page 186 has a photo of Mirae Scientists Street with its wide boulevard and skyscrapers disappearing into the distance. Traffic hardly exists, the basic means of transport is walking or cycling though in 1973 an underground system was opened with seventeen stations and very much based on the Moscow Metro model of lavish decoration, there are eight photos of the system in the book.

The nation's head, Kim Jong Un, sees Pyongyang as a showcase of socialist endeavour with most of the population working as civil servants or the military and they enjoy a lifestyle that never really percolates out to the countries other major cities like Wonsan, Chongjin, Nampo or Tanchon.

The book is a handy size and nicely printed (in China) though I thought it was a mistake to print the four illustrated essays in darkish green ink. The back pages have some city plans printed in green and light pink.

Turn over the pages in this fascinating photobook and central Pyongyang is revealed as a modern wonder capitol supported by the countries ramshackle economy.