Inside The World Of Entertainment In North Korea

Situated in the capital of Pyongyang the North Korea zoo and circus are regular attractions for wealthy locals and visiting Westerners.

Travel photographer Exithamster visited the mysterious country in May 2017.

He said: "Coming to North Korea the last thing you expect is the high number of amusement parks, a circus or a zoo.

"They understand keeping the elite in Pyongyang happy and the tourists focused.”

North Korea, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is known for having strict regulations for visitors and staging events.

Exithamster said: "North Korea is difficult to understand and not very transparent so it is always very hard to tell if various actions are faked or not.

"In the animal show photographs of the stage only were allowed. In the circus security came up, not too amused, telling me to put my camera away.”

Despite Western perceptions of North Korea as strict and regimented, the entertainers know how to engage guests and the photographer enjoyed his time there.

He said: "I was surprised about number of guests in Pyongyang Circus. The best seats in the mid section were occupied by foreigners. The rest was 80 percent military. Almost all seats were taken.

"The show was fantastic and lasted around an hour. Some breathtaking moves on ropes in the air, flips on turning iron-wheels and a little flying-hat-game with a foreigner participating made the crowds applause."