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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Photos North Korea didn't want you to see – A stern looking North Korean guard by the Chinese border customs office. This image was deleted by North Korean officials.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Deleting the offensive photos – Writer Johan Nylander and his guide, Ko Chang Ho, watch as a North Korean guard deletes 90 photos deemed unacceptable. Nylander was able to recover the photos with the help of an IT specialist -- the images that follow are an edited selection.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Hello, Dear Leader – This propaganda monument of "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il by a countryside road, not far from the border to China, was deleted by authorities. North Korea required images of leaders be full body shots.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Waiting for a train – People standing by the train track, while a guard is monitoring the bike race.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Watching the race – In the city of Rason, people are leaning out of windows to get a glimpse of the Western cyclists.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Pedestrian peasants – A woman and a man walking by the side of the road lined with cornfields.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Village life – Villagers waving by the race path.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Heavy security – Guards and custom officials by the border to China.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Secret volleyball court? – By the border checkpoint next to the Tumen River, North Korean customs officials can play volleyball. Officials prohibited any photos of North Korean military bases.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Photos North Korea didn't want you to see – Peasants and villagers standing by the road to look at the Western cyclists
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Keeping watch – Guard keeping an eye on the bikers next to a small village.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Photos North Korea didn't want you to see – Kids playing outside village houses.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Waiting for the cyclists – Spectators waiting for the bikers to reach the finish line. In the background the "Great" and "Dear Leaders" Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong-Il.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Standing on bikes to see cyclists – Huge crowds -- some of whom standing on their own bikes -- as they await cyclists by the race finish line in Rason.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Document check – Custom official and tourist bureau guide checking foreigners' passports.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Water checkpoint – Guides from the local tourist bureau handing out water bottles to bikers, monitored by a guard in the background.
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Photos: The photos N. Korea banned
Writer and his minder – Journalist Johan Nylander and his North Korean guide, Ko Chang Ho. EDITOR'S NOTE: This image was not among those deleted by North Korean officials.
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