High-heeled ankle boots, stilettos, kitten heels, wedges and platforms cover the streets of Pyongyang.

Nearly every woman in Pyongyang wears high heels.

A young female tour guide said the rumour that heels are required on the main roads that tourist buses travel on is untrue.

“We think wearing heels are beautiful, so we all do,” she said.

High-heeled shoes either made in Korea or imported from China are in supermarkets and malls, the guide said. A pair is around 1,000 won, she said, or around US$ 10 using the official rate, much less on the black market.

Despite the pain wearing heels all day can bring, the guide wears them every day, she says. Even on active workdays that can last 12 hours. She said her brother, who is studying in medical school, massages her sore legs after a long day. She also worries about getting overly big calf muscles.

Over the past two years, an opening up in fashion, including women in earrings and trousers, has been noticed by visitors to Pyongyang. There are also many photos of female soldiers patrolling in high platform heels.

Kim Jong-un, who has been in power for three years, is said to be like his grandfather in relaxing clothing restrictions for women. He also removed the ban on women riding bicycles, which they now do in their high-heels.

by Viola Zhou

It was recently reported that all male university students must have their haircut like leader Kim Jong-un, the hairstyle pictured here.

by Nathaniel Suen Nok-heng

Nearly all young women in Pyongyang wear high-heels, a newly allowed luxury.

by Shan Shan Kao

A North Korean child skates in full gear at a rollerblade park in Pyongyang.

by Joanna Wong

A North Korean wears a rare double-breasted suit at the Kaeson Youth Park.

by Yupina Ng

Younger North Koreans often wear light colours, unlike the adults.

by Thomas Chan

Traffic guards in Pyongyang wear distinctive blue unforms.

by Joanna Wong

The choson-ot, or hanbok, are often vibrantly coloured.

by Annie Lee

Until recently, North Korean women were not allowed to wear skirts above the knee.

by Annie Lee

Most men wear somber colored suits.

by Annie Lee

Almost every North Korean wears a signature red badge with the face of former leader Kim Il-sung. Some also include Kim Jong-il.

by Annie Lee

Brides wear the traditional Korean dress, called choson-ot, while grooms wear suits or military uniforms.

by Annie Lee

Students in North Korea wear a uniform of white shirt, navy blue pants and the signature red scarf.

by Annie Lee

Women on a model collective farm wear colorful headscarves.

I tried to interact with local people. Most of the time they walked away with a poker face when I pointed at my camera and smiled, indicating I wanted to take a photo. But some people gave very friendly responses.

The tour guide said people in North Korea study English as their second language beginning in primary school.  After entering college, they will learn a third language such as Chinese, Russian or Japanese. I did not encounter someone other than the tour guides who speaks Chinese, but many people do understand some English.

by Viola Zhou

The woman gave back a sweet smile after I smiled at her.

by Viola Zhou

The girl on the left was willing to talk. She said in English that she is 17 years old. She likes drawing in her spare time. The girls were happy to take a look at their photo.

by Viola Zhou

The boy I met outside of the ice rink was shy at first. He turned to his father for advice, who then encouraged him to take a photo.

by Viola Zhou

We met three boys outside the Pyongyang Skate Park, a roller skating rink opposite to the ice rink. The boy with “QUIZ” on his T-shirt was very interested in us. He pulled his friends towards the camera and finally one was convinced. He told me his name as I showed him the photo.

by Viola Zhou

These three young men at Kaeson Youth Park in Pyongyang were friendly but shy. They seemed to feel awkward being photographed. Later they asked our tour guide to say “have a great time” to us.

by Viola Zhou

The couple sitting at the side of the ice rink speak a little English. They said they come to the rink “on some days”. They also said they live in the capital and they like China.

On the 175 kilometer Reunification Highway from Pyongyang to Kaesong, the bus passes empty fields with the occasional scarecrow. There is no modern farm machinery or equipment, no sign of mechanization at all. A few scrawny cows roam near the road and in the distance small herds of goats pass.

Mostly mountainous, only about 18 percent of North Korea’s landmass is arable. And much of that is what the Chinese call cinnamon soil, a beautifully coloured but highly acidic soil that is difficult for cultivation.

Most North Koreans don’t get enough to eat and rates of stunting from malnutrition are still high. But a recent UN report said that food production is slightly up, particularly in rice production.

Because of North Korea’s songun policy, which means military first, national defense is the top priority.

But recent reports see hopeful reforms in North Korea’s Stalinist model of socialist agriculture, which includes state-run cooperative farms that surrender entire harvests and rationing systems.

Leader Kim Jong-un’s 6.28 policy involves radical restructuring and allowing families to keep percentages of their harvest, even selling leftover on the private market. Experts say these reforms are similar to China in the 1970s.

Last year, Kim Jong-un also ordered farmers to move from grain-fed livestock to grass-fed livestock, like rabbits and goats, to ease the strain on limited food supplies. Pig farms across the country quickly converted to goats.

International NGOs such as Oxfam, which has been giving food aid and farming assistance, have been operating in North Korea since the 1990s. Some, such as Doctors without Borders, have left because of tight restrictions by the government.

by Viola Zhou

Children play at a school on the Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm.

by Crystal Tse

Greenhouses on the Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm are open to tourist visits.

by Alice Wan

A North Korean walks with goats outside of Pyongyang. Last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country would move from grain-fed livestock to grass-fed livstock to lessen the strain on the short food supply.

by Kyle Sun

A farmer works in a greenhouse on the Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm, which is open to tourists.

by Yupina Ng

Farmers plant while listening to North Korean songs from a loudspeaker on the Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm near Pyongyang, which is open to tourists.

by Thomas Chan

North Korean rest in the countryside outside of Pyongyang.

by Viola Zhou

Children play at a school on the Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm.

by Robin Ewing

In the countryside, most people use bicycles to get around.

by Robin Ewing

Traffic is light on the Reunification Highway to the DMZ.

By Robin Ewing

Most of North Korea's land is mountanious, with only 18 percent arable enough for farming.

At two entertainment spots in Pyongyang, locals seemed to be enjoying themselves.

At the Ryugyong Health Complex, including the People’s Open Air Ice Rink and the Pyongyang Skate Park, which opened last year, the ice rink was busy on a Sunday at 6pm. Along the sides, people played table tennis. Men mostly wore hockey skates and women figure skates. Some were clearly advanced and practiced in the corners.

Another night, we went to the Kaeson Youth Park, an amusement park with 10 rides, said to have been imported from Italy. The park, built in 1984, was renovated in 2011 and was clean and well lit.

The rollercoaster was superman-style, with riders facedown like they are flying. There was a tower, in which a platform with seats rose high above the park, dangled for minutes and then dropped as if in free fall.

Watch a video of the Kaeson Youth Park here

The propaganda posters and exclamative red signs illustrate enduring love for the deceased presidents. The music praises the nation and the contribution of the leaders

by Mari Chow

by Annie Lee

A spotlight crowns the portrait of Kim II-sung, in the middle, of a mural in the metro, showing the nation's godlike perception of their former leader.

by Annie Lee

Vivid propaganda posters are ubiquitous on the broad sidewalks in Pyongyang.

by Annie Lee

By Annie Lee

Kim II-sung wears a school child's scarf in this mural.

by Annie Lee

Propaganda slogans line the street in Pyongyang.