At the Children's Palace in Pyongyang the students are obliged to practice their talent at least four hours every day. The extraordinarily talented children play instruments, dance and do acrobatics, and are hand picked from around the country to perform at big national events and celebrations honouring the "Great Leaders".
Three young female soldiers clutch on to each other as they watch the mass dance near the Workers Party Monument on the birthday of the late leader Kim Il-sung. The sight of young soldiers is ever-present both in Pyongyang and in the countryside, as North Korea is considered to be the most militarised country in the world.
Rollerskating is a popular activity in Pyongyang, and many skate ramps are scattered around the city.
Children running through the Vietnamese section of the Korean Film Studio in Pyongyang. The studio was opened in 1947 and has served as the location for many North Korean film productions. Kim Jong-il was a big film enthusiast – something that resulted in the kidnapping the famous South Korean director Shin Sang-ok to produce quality movies in North Korea.
Bowling is a popular past time activity in North Korea, despite the fact that this bowling alley in Pyongyang was almost empty on a sunday.
A North Korean woman holding a digital camera and speaking on her cellphone near the Taedong River in Pyongyang. The ownership of mobile phones have grown vastly since North Korea opened their own telephone network for domestic calls in 2008, with some organizations calculating that roughly 2 million North Koreans (a little less than 10 percent of the total population) are now in possession of a mobile phone.
The traditional Korean dress is called Choson-Ot and is characterized by bright colors and big patterns.
The Kaesong Youth Park was originally opened in 1984 and is located in Pyongyang near the Kim Il Sung Stadium. In 2010 the park added to its selection, introducing ten new rides produced by an Italian manufacturer.
Hundreds of young students from the Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang are performing synchronised dance routines. They have practiced for months prior to the national celebrations, perfecting the many routines.
An elderly man is reading about Kim Jong-un's heroic activites in the state-led newspaper Rodong Sinmun showcased in a glass frame on the metro platform.
The Pyongyang Department Store No. 1 is the largest retail store in North Korea, and offers a big variety of products such as furniture, dry goods, electronics and clothing. The lack of people in the store owes to the fact that the average North Korean citizen can not afford to shop here.
A group of North Koreans carrying signs with slogans for the big celebration and mass dance on the square beneath The Worker's Party of Korea Monument.
This Italian pizzeria was opened in 2009 by order of Kim Jong-il, who himself loved Italian-style pizza. In 2008 a small delegation of North Korean chefs were sent to Italy to learn how to make a proper Italian pizza, and in the late 1990s Kim Jong-il invited a team of Italian pizza chefs to teach his army officers how to make this traditional Italian dish.
Pyongyang students in national dresses perform synchronised dance routines to traditional North Korean music on the "Day of the Sun".
A group of students at the Children's Palace demonstrate their dancing skills as they move to a pulsing drumbeat.