This article originally appeared on VICE News.
The Trump administration recently banned US tourists from visiting North Korea, but stunning new video footage of Pyongyang offers viewers an expansive virtual tour of the Hermit Kingdom’s capital — without ever having to actually set foot there.
Videos by VICE
The 12-minute video, released Wednesday by NK News, was filmed in early September with a 360-degree camera during a microlight aircraft flight over the city. It shows Pyongyang on a clear, sunny day, with all of the city’s the major landmarks visible. Viewers can shift the camera’s perspective and gaze in different directions, creating the sensation of sitting in the tiny aircraft’s cockpit.
This unique, bird’s eye view of Pyongyang was created by Singaporean photographer Aram Pan, who has visited North Korea several times since 2013. Here’s what Pan told NK News about the experience of making the video:
They’ve recently restricted bringing cameras or mobile phones into the microlight planes for safety reasons. The wind is extremely strong up there and a well-timed gust would knock off your mobile phone.
I asked if I could capture the city from the air — long story short. After a combined effort on the part of the NTA (National Tourism Administration) and KITC (Korea International Travel Company), approval was obtained and my flight was arranged so I could bring up any camera that could be safely stuck or tethered to me.
Flying over a city in an open-air microlight with a 2kg (4.4lbs) DSLR needed plenty of safety precautions. I still ended up bringing 4 cameras, including the Entaniya setup that captured the world’s first 360° aerial video over North Korea. This experience is made unique because of North Korea being isolated yet here I am doing aerial photography over the most secretive state in the world!
Pan said North Korean officials asked him to delete some aerial photos, but he was allowed to keep “90 percent of what I shot.”
One of the most notable landmarks in the video is the 105-story Ryugyong Hotel, a pointy black tower dubbed “The Hotel of Doom” by Western media outlets. The building has been under construction for more than 30 years and hasn’t hosted a single guest. The glass exterior was completed in 2011, and construction has reportedly resumed in recent weeks.
Cover photo by Aram Pan/NK News
