One of the most serious issues of 2017 has been what to do about North Korea.
In September, Kim Jong Un's regime tested a large nuclear weapon underground, claiming it was a hydrogen bomb.
North Korea also demonstrated this year that it has the missile technology to deliver its warheads pretty much anywhere in the world.
Kim’s regime in Pyongyang has also deployed inflammatory rhetoric, even threatening to bracket the U.S. territory of Guam with missiles.
The Trump administration has responded with threats of its own, raising fears of a war in Northeast Asia.
More: 2017: A year of terror and North Korea turmoil
More: South Korea confirms it seized tanker suspected of delivering oil to North Korea
More: South Korea predicts U.S.-North Korea talks will take place in 2018
Former CIA director John Brennan has estimated the chance of war at 20-25%, while Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, puts the chance at 50-50%.
Others are more sanguine, noting that the United States and its allies have not mobilized for war, or even begun moving the masses of weapons platforms, ammunition and other supplies that would be needed to prosecute an all-out conflict.
Life in North Korea: What you are allowed to see
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People offer flowers to the statues of their late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Mansu Hill, marking the sixth anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il's death in Pyongyang, Dec. 17, 2017.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
A street in central Pyongyang, Nov. 15, 2017
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers bow before statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il to mark the sixth anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-Il, at Mansu hill in Pyongyang Dec. 17, 2017.
KIM WON-JIN, AFP/Getty Images
Song Song-Hui (C) sits with relatives gathered at her apartment in Pyongyang Nov. 17, 2017. North and South Korea are radically different societies, one ruled by the same family for decades and the other a freewheeling democracy and thrusting economy, but one thing unites them - fermented cabbage. Kimchi, originally a means of preserving the vegetable during winter and which can vary from mild to fiery, has been a staple part of virtually every meal on the now-divided peninsula for centuries.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
This Dec. 8, 2017 photo released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency shows Pyongyang residents greeting officers of Hwasong-15 missile test launch in Pyongyang.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers attend a mass rally in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang to celebrate the North's declaration it had achieved full nuclear statehood, Dec. 1, 2017. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un declared the country had achieved a "historic cause" of becoming a nuclear state, its state media said Nov. 29, after the country tested an intercontinental ballistic missile earlier in the day.
KIM WON-JIN, AFP/Getty Images
This Dec. 12, 2017 photo released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency shows scientists attending a reception hosted by the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea at the Mokran House and the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
In a photo taken on Nov. 19, 2017, a woman and child pull a cart loaded with wood along a road near Kiliju on North Korea's northeast coast.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
In a photo taken on Nov. 18, 2017, a woman carrying cabbage rides a bicycle past a beach in North Korea's eastern port city of Wonsan.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
North Koreans attend a mass rally in Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang to celebrate the North's declaration it had achieved full nuclear statehood on Dec. 1, 2017.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
In a photo taken on Nov. 21, 2017, a man pushes a bicycle past a factory in the industrial city of Chongjin on North Korea's northeast coast.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
This photo taken on Nov. 19, 2017 shows cyclists passing along a road on the outskirts of the industrial city of Chongjin on North Korea's northeast coast.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
A man waits to cross a street in Rason.
at the northeastern tip of North Korea, Nov. 21, 2017.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
This is a photo released by the North Korean Central News Agency on Nov. 30, 2017 of the launch of the newly developed inter-continental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15 on at an undisclosed location in North Korea, Nov. 28, 2017.
KCNA via EPA-EFE
This photo was released by the North Korean Central News Agency on Nov. 30, 2017 of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un giving an order to test-fire the newly developed inter-continental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15 on at an undisclosed location in North Korea.
KCNA via EPA-EFE
A sailor stands on his boat in the port in Rason at the northeastern tip of North Korea, Nov. 21, 2017.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
This Nov. 29, 2017, image provided by the North Korean government on Nov. 30, 2017, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and what the North Korean government calls the Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile, in North Korea. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified.
KCNA, KNS via AP
Ra In-Hae, 46, in her new home, portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, hang on the wall near Rason at the northeastern tip of North Korea, Nov. 21, 2017.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
A woman shields herself from the cold at the port in Rason at the northeastern tip of North Korea, Nov. 21, 2017.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
People cheer as they watch the news broadcast announcing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's order to test-fire the newly developed inter-continental ballistic missile Hwasong-15, Nov. 29, 2017, at the Pyongyang Train Station.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
People watch the news broadcast announcing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's order to test-fire the newly developed inter-continental ballistic missile Hwasong-15, Nov. 29, 2017, at the Pyongyang Train Station.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
In this photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry, South Korea's Hyunmoo II missile is fired during an exercise at an undisclosed location in South Korea, Nov. 29, 2017.
South Korea Defense Ministry via AP
North Korean soldiers look at the South side near the spot where a North Korean soldier crossed the border on Nov. 13 at the Panmunjom, in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Nov. 27, 2017. South Korea is reportedly broadcasting on loudspeakers into North Korea news of the recent escape of a North Korean soldier who was shot five times by his former colleagues as he dashed across the rivals' border, part of Seoul's psychological warfare against the North.
Lee Jin-man, AP
Vendors prepare flowers for Mother's Day at a flower shop in Pyongyang on Nov. 16, 2017. North Koreans in Pyongyang typically mark Mother's Day with flowers and chocolates. which they celebrate on Nov. 16.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers look at the South side at the spot where a North Korean soldier crossed the border on Nov. 13 at the Panmunjom, in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Nov. 27, 2017. South Korea is reportedly broadcasting on loudspeakers into North Korea news of the recent escape of a North Korean soldier who was shot five times by his former colleagues as he dashed across the rivals' border, part of Seoul's psychological warfare against the North. (
Lee Jin-man, AP
In this photo taken through the window of a car, students illuminated by a public television screen walk past the central station in Pyongyang Nov. 16, 2017.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
People dance in a park in Pyongyang, Nov.15, 2017.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
This is a North Korean military guard outpost seen from Paju, South Korea, Nov. 14, 2017. Four North Korean soldiers fired 40 rounds at a comrade fleeing into South Korea and hit him five times in what is the first shooting at the jointly controlled area of the heavily fortified border since 1984.
Lee Jin-man, AP
This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 15, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting a Kumsong Tractor at the factory in Nampo City, North Korea.
(KCNA) via AFP/Getty Images
These two ride a bicycle as they pass along a street before the city skyline of 'Mirae Scientists Street' in Pyongyang. Sept. 27, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Runners compete in the half-marathon in Pyongyang, Oct. 29, 2017.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
Amateur horse riders compete during the 'Autumn Race-Goers Games' at the Mirim Riding Club in Pyongyang Oct. 15, 2017.
The Mirim riding club equestrian centre opened in 2013 and serves as a destination for foreign tour groups and well-heeled North Koreans.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
A salesperson of 'Jilin Provincial Muziwu Daily Necessities' of China demonstrates a noodle-making device at the 'Pyongyang International Sci-tech Exhibition', at the Sci-tech Complex in Pyongyang Oct. 16, 2017.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
Spectators watch competitors during the 'Autumn Race-Goers Games' at the Mirim Riding Club in Pyongyang on Oct. 15, 2017. The Mirim riding club equestrian centre opened in 2013 and serves as a destination for foreign tour groups and well-heeled North Koreans.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
Men and women participate in a mass dance event marking the 20th anniversary of the election of former leader Kim Jong Il as general secretary of the Workers' Party, which is the founding and ruling party of North Korea, at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang,Oct. 8, 2017.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
Men ride on a make shift raft to transport logs down the river that divides North Korea from China near the Chinese city of Lingjiang in northeastern China's Jilin province, Aug. 30, 2017.
Ng Han Guan, AP
Participants described as 'working people, youth, and students of Pyongyang' perform during a mass gala event marking the 20th anniversary of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's election as general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Kim Il-Sung square in central Pyongyang, Oct. 8, 2017.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
A man shoots an air-powered rifle at a shooting stall on a street in Pyongyang, Sept. 27, 2017,
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A propaganda troupe perform a flag-waving routine outside the central railway station in Pyongyang, Sept. 2t, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Pedestrians pass through a square outside the central railway station in Pyongyang, Sept. 27, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Visitors try a ride at an amusement fair in Pyongyang, Sept. 26, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Participants of a mass rally shout slogans as they gather on Kim Il-Sung sqaure in Pyongyang on Sept. 23, 2017.
Tens of thousands of Pyongyang residents were gathered in the capital's Kim Il-Sung square to laud leader Kim Jong-Un's denunciation of President Donald Trump.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
Visitors look at kitchens on display at the 13th International Trade Fair in Pyongyang, Sept. 25, 2017
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A woman carries a child across a road in Pyongyang, Sept. 24, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A Chinese vendor hands scarves to North Korean customers at the 13th International Trade Fair in Pyongyang, Sept. 25, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A woman pulls a trolley across a street before a taxi during rainfall in Pyongyang, Sept. 24, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Two men play pool at a bowling alley in Pyongyang, Sept. 24, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Service persons of the Ministry of People's Security during an anti-US rally in Pyongyang, Sept. 24, 2017.
Afp Photo/Kcna Via Kns
Spectators gather to watch a public news brodcast of a statement by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, before a public television screen outside the central railway station in Pyongyang, Sept. 21, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Dancers perform during the 20th ITF World Taekwondo Championships in Pyongyang, Sept. 21, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A woman stands at a street-side flower stall in Pyongyang, Sept. 21, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Anglers compete during a fishing contest at Pothong riverside in Pyongyang. , Sept. 14, 2017. Some 60 people participated in the event and tried to catch carp and catfish.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
A man crosses a street outside the central railway station in Pyongyang, Sept. 21, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A girl leans on a lamp post outside the central railway station in Pyongyang, Sept. 21, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Spectators listen to a television news brodcast of a statment by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, before a public television screen outside the central railway station in Pyongyang on Sept. 21, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
The skyline of Pyongyang, Sept. 20, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sept. 21, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un visiting a fruit farm in the South Hwanghae Province.
Korean Central News Agency via
A football match is played on a pitch between buildings in Pyongyang Sept. 20, 2017. /
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A group of North Korean tourists stand before the city skyline atop the Juche tower in Pyongyang Sept. 20, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean soldier stands on the bank of the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 4, 2017.
AFP
Fireworks go off while Pyongyang residents and military people hold a celebration rally on the test of a hydrogen bomb for ICBM at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, Sept. 4, 2017.
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
This coastline (top) above the barbed-wire fence is the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, on Ganghwa island on Sept. 4, 2017.
North Korea could be preparing another
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers cheer while watching fireworks during a mass celebration in Pyongyang for scientists involved in carrying out North Korea's largest nuclear blast to date.Sept. 6, 2017. Citizens of the capital lined the streets to wave pink and purple pom-poms and cheer a convoy of buses carrying the specialists into the city, and toss confetti over them as they walked into Kim Il-Sung Square.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers attend a mass celebration in Pyongyang for scientists involved in carrying out North Korea's largest nuclear blast to date, Sept. 6, 2017.
KIM WON-JIN, AFP/Getty Images
The sun rises over North Korea and the Yalu river which forms the border between China and North Korea, as seen from Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 5, 2017.
Greg Baker, AFP/Getty Images
North Koreand rest on a wall on the bank of the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 5, 2017.
Greg Baker, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers stand at a fence on the bank of the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 5, 2017.
Greg Baker, AFP/Getty Images
The North Korean coastline can be seen behind the barbed-wire fence of the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, on Ganghwa island Sept. 4, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Two North Koreans help each other wash in the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 4, 2017.
Greg Baker, AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean man brings his boat up to a Chinese tourist boat to sell North Korean products, on the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 4, 2017.
Greg Baker, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean men unload a trailer on the bank of the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 4, 2017.
Greg Baker, AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean soldier stands on a loading ramp on the bank of the Yalu river near the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong, in China's northeast Liaoning province on Sept. 4, 2017.
Greg Baker, AFP/Getty Images
Korean People's Army soldiers applaud as they watch a screen showing news coverage of a missile test launch, in a public square outside a train station in Pyongyang on Aug 30, 2017.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
People fill the square of the main railway station to watch a televised news broadcast of the test-fire of an inter-continental ballistic rocket Hwasong-12, in Pyongyang, Aug. 30, 2017.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
This picture from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) taken on Aug. 29, 2017 and released on August 30, 2017 shows North Korea's intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 lifting off from the launching pad at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang. Nuclear-armed North Korea said on August 30 that it had fired a missile over Japan the previous day, the first time it has ever acknowledged doing so.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
Cashiers work at the Potonggang department store in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Staff at the Potonggang department store stock shelves with local and imported snacks, mostly from China, in Pyongyang, June 19, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People wave banners and shout slogans as they attend a rally in support of North Korea's stance against the US, on Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang on Aug. 9, 2017.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
Pedestrians and vehicles pass before the portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung (L) and Kim Jong-Il (R) in Pyongyang on July 21, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Awoman stands at the entrance to a supermarket in Pyongyang on July 28, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Steel worker Kang Chol-Su (38) poses for a portrait at the Chollima Steel Complex, south of Pyongyang on July 22, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A hostess cooks clams using gasoline, at the West Sea Barrage beach outside the coastal city of Nampho, southwest of Pyongyang on July 22, 2017.
The West Sea Barrage beach features as a stopping point for foreign tourists, and is a destination for North Korean work groups from the neighbouring area. The beach lies at the end of an eight-kilometre-long barrage that separates the sea from the Taedong River, which runs through Pyongyang.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A photo taken on July 22, 2017, shows beachgoers dancing at the West Sea Barrage beach outside the coastal city of Nampo, southwest of Pyongyang.
The West Sea Barrage beach features as a stopping point for foreign tourists and is a destination for North Korean work groups from the neighboring area.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
Swimmers gather in a wave pool at a water park in a leisure complex in Pyongyang on July 21.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A group of men look toward the West Sea Barrage beach outside the coastal city of Nampo, southwest of Pyongyang, on July 22, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Workers repair a section of the 'West Sea Barrage,' outside the coastal city of Nampo, southwest of Pyongyang, July 22, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean women push their cart and bicycles over a bridge in Hamhung, the second-largest city and the capital of South Hamgyong province in North Korea.
Wong Maye E, AP
A group of youths play tennis in a public square in Pyongyang on July 20.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean men work on farm fields along the Pyongyang-Wonsan highway on July 20 in Sangwon.
Wong Maye E, AP
North Korean women make their way across a road at the end of a workday July 20 in Hamhung.
Wong Maye E, AP
Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers walk past portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il at the Korean Revolutionary Museum in Pyongyang on July 19.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean schoolgirls stop at a kiosk selling flowers July 18 in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye E, AP
Soldiers gather in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang to celebrate the test launch of North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missile two days earlier, July 6, 2017.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
Soldiers watch fireworks in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, July 6, 2017, to celebrate the test launch of North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missile two days earlier.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
The sky is overcast in Pyongyang July 17, 2017. The 105-story pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel has been under construction since 1987 and was intended to be a landmark and a symbol of progress and prosperity, but the economic difficulties that the country went through forced the project into repeated delays and nearly 30 years later. It has become a major Pyongyang landmark but has never been used as a hotel, as it was intended.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Koreans ride in a crowded electric trolley, which is one of the more common modes of public transport around the North Korean capital July 16, 2017, in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Soldiers of the Korean People's Army (KPA) watch a fireworks display as part of celebrations marking the July 4 launch of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile in Pyongyang, July 6, 2017.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
A primary school student An Jae-Gwon (10) poses for a portrait during a festive 'children's day' event at 'Primary School Number 4' in Pyongyang, June 6, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A woman stops by a kiosk selling gifts and flowers along the streets of Pyongyang, June 16, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Pedestrians walk along a residential area at dusk in Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Two boys row their boat on the Pothong River where rice is being planted in Pyongyang, June 19, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People walk cross the Pothong river via a suspended bridge while another man is silhouetted as he plants grass in Pyongyang, June 19, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A waitress moves a dining chair at a restaurant terrace which overlooks a residential street at dusk in Pyongyang, June 19, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People are are silhouette as they start their morning commute down a road in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Staff members from a boat restaurant on the Taedong River line up at the entrance as they wait to greet customers June 18, 2017, in Pyongyang. The boat is berthed along the river, which is the fifth longest river on the Korean Peninsula and runs through the country's capital.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A Korean People's Army (KPA) soldier gestures as he stands before the military demarcation line separating North and South Korea, before South Korea's 'Freedom House' (rear C) at the Joint Security Area (JSA) near Kaesong, June 4, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Men push their bicycles past the portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sungand Kim Jong-Il on Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang, June 4, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at a photo session with the participants in the 8th Congress of the Korean Children's Union in Pyongyang, June 6, 2017.
AFP Photo/KCNA via KNS
An elderly woman follows behind children pushing their bicycle at the end of a work day in Pyongyang, June 13, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A farmer transplants rice seedlings in a field in Pyongyang, June 13, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman arrives at Sunan International Airport June 13, 2017, in Pyongyang.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
People watch a screen showing news coverage of the Pukguksong-2 missile rocket launch at a public square in central Pyongyang May 22, 2017.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
People attend the 20th Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair in Pyongyang, May 22, 2017. Countries participating in the fair include Belarus, China, Iran, Italy, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cuba
Jon Chol Jin, AP
This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 22, 2017 shows North Korean ground-to-ground medium-to-long range strategic ballistic missile Pukguksong-2 being launched in a test-fire. North Korea declared its medium-range Pukguksong-2 missile ready for deployment after a weekend test, the latest step in its quest to defy UN sanctions and develop a weapon capable of striking US targets.
(KCNA) via AFP/Getty Images
People gather at a street-side newsstand in Pyongyang and read a copy of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper featuring coverage of a rocket test from May 14, 2017. in
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
This is a test launch of the ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 at an undisclosed location. This picture taken on May 14, 2017 and released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, via AFP/Getty Images
Women soldiers march across Kim Il Sung Square during a military parade on in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017, They were celebrating the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un.
Wong Maye-E, AP
An elderly man is silhouetted against a model of the Unha 3, a space launch vehicle, displayed at the Sci-Tech Complex in Pyongyang, April 17, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Soldiers march across Kim Il Sung Square during a military parade on in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017, They were celebrating the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Boys play on the sidewalk along Changjon Street lined with tall residential buildings in April 19, 2017, in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Men and women walk along a residential area in Pyongyang, April 17, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A woman is silhouetted against the sky as she exercises in Pyongyang, April 17, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Koreans sit at the back of a truck as it drives along Mirae Scientists Street in Pyongyang, April 19, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A man rides his bicycle along the Taedong River bank in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A traffic police woman hands over her LED wand used to guide traffic, over to her colleague as they prepare to change shifts April 19, 2017, in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Women shelter from the rain under an umbrella in front of a shop in Pyongyang, April 14, 2017.
How Hwee Young, European Pressphoto Agency
A North Korean soldier uses his binoculars on the banks of the Yalu river near Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong April 14, 2017.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
Schoolgirls attend a dance class at the Mangyongdae Children's Palace in Pyongyang, April 14, 2017. Amid rising regional tensions, Pyongyang residents have been preparing for North Korea's most important holiday: the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People walk along the streets of downtown Pyongyang on a rainy evening, April 14, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A commuter is seen through a tram window in Pyongyang April 14, 2017.
How Hwee Young, European Pressphoto Agency
Commuters walk up the stairs as a train leaves a subway station in Pyongyang April 14, 2017.
How Hwee Young, European Pressphoto Agency
A boy performs the zither at the Mangyondae School Children's Palace in Pyongyang, April 14, 2017.
How Hwee Young, European Pressphoto Agency
Students participate in a mass dance event to mark the occasion of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's election as chairman of the National Defense Committee in 1993, in Pyongyang on April 9, 2017. Mass dances are usually held to mark important dates and national holidays in the North Korean capital.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Competitors run through Kim Il-Sung square during the Pyongyang Marathon April 9, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
The newly renovated Koryo hotel main lobby in Pyongyang on April 10, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A North Korean traffic police officer is silhouetted as she directs traffic at the driveway of Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang on April 11, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A staff member of the newly renovated Koryo hotel walks across its main lobby in Pyongyang on April 10, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Boys jog at the end of a work day in Pyongyang on April 11, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People on the street in Pyongyang on April 10, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Workers leave an assembly area after rehearsals for celebrations ahead of the April 15 "Day of the Sun," a national holiday marking the birthday of the late Kim Il Sung, leader Kim Jong Un's grandfather and North Korea's "eternal president" April 10, 2017, in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A woman walks along the highway from downtown Pyongyang to Sunan International Airport on April 11, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Men walk and some push their bicycles along a highway at the end of a work day in Pyongyang on April 11, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A North Korean soldier looks at the south side while U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was visiting the border village of Panmunjom, which has separated the two Koreas since the Korean War, March 17, 2017.
Lee Jin-man, Pool
Kim Jong-Un visits a construction site in Pyongyang, March 16, 2017.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean soldier takes a photograph while two South Korean soldiers stand guard March 17, 2017.
Lee Jin-Man, AFP/Getty Images
People ski at the Masik Pass Ski Resort in Wonsan, Feb. 11, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People watch news footage of a missile launch on a giant television screen outside the main railway station in Pyongyang March 7, 2017.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
This undated picture released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on March 7, 2017 shows the launch of four ballistic missiles by the Korean People's Army during a military drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
Kim Jong-Un supervives the launching of four ballistic missiles by the Korean People's Army during a military drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea. This photo was released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via on March 7, 2017.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
The representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations plant memorial trees in downtown Pyongyang March 2, 2017. Pyongyang's new "Ryomyong Street" is to have the country's tallest apartment building, at 70 stories, along with a 50-story building and a handful of smaller ones in the 30-40 story range.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
A security guard stands in a courtyard of the Kim Jong-Suk textile mill following a snowfall in Pyongyang, Feb. 22, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Two women walk outside a dormitory of the Kim Jong-Suk textile mill in Pyongyang Feb. 22, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A worker pushes a trolley carrying buckets of silk-worm larvae at the Kim Jong Suk Silk Mill in Pyongyang Feb. 21, 2017.
The Kim Jong Suk Silk Mill employs a workforce of 1,600 people, and is named after the grandmother of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
People watch a fireworks display as they visit an ice festival near the Taedong river, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong-Il, in central Pyongyang Feb. 16, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
People look at a noticeboard after a fireworks display in front of Kim Il-Sung square as they visit an ice festival near the Taedong river, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong-Il, in central Pyongyang, Feb. 16, 2017.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A woman dressed in a traditional gown pays her respects at statues of late North Korean leaders, Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. Unaware of reports his eldest son - and current leader Kim Jong Uns half-brother - was killed just days ago in what appears to have been a carefully planned assassination, North Koreans marked the birthday of late leader Kim Jong Il on Thursday as they do every year.
Eric Talmadge, AP
Children with offerings walk toward statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay tribute, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017.
Jo Chol Jin, AP
Residents sip hot tea at stalls set up as part of celebrations of the birth of the late leader Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017.
Eric Talmadge, AP
Performers take part in a mass dance event on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong-Il, in Pyongyang on Feb. 16, 2017.
ED JONES, AFP/Getty Images
Men transport gas cylinders in Pyongyang, Feb. 13, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Two elderly men crouch on a smoke break in Pyongyang, Feb. 13, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People walk down the street in Pyongyang, Feb. 12, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A boy runs with the national flag along the Pyongyang-Wonsan highway in Wonsan, which is about 125 miles from the capital and is a port city located along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, Feb. 11, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un visits the newly built Pyongyang Orphans' Primary School, Feb. 2, 2017.
AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS
Children of the workers at the Suk Silk Mill sing and dance at a childcare center at the the mill in Pyongyang, Jan. 6, 2017. The mill, named after North Korean leader Kim Jong UnÕs grandmother, is where 1,600 workers _ mostly women _ sort and process silkworms which produce silk thread that officials at the Pyongyang factory say is made into roughly 200 tons of silk a year.
Wong Maye-E, AP
This woman sorts silkworm cocoons to be boiled as part of the silk production process at the Kim Jong Suk Silk Mill in Pyongyang, Jan. 6, 2017. In his New Year's address, leader Kim Jong Un called for the people to step up production.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Women sort out silkworm cocoons to be boiled at the Kim Jong Suk Silk Mill in Pyongyang, North Korea, Jan 6, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Kim Jong-Un posing with the school students while visiting newly built Pyongyang Orphans' Primary School, Feb. 2, 2017.
STR, AFP/Getty Images
A man rides his electric bicycle along the Taedong River bank at the end of a work day in Pyongyang, Nov 6, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
This is a mass rally taking place at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, Jan. 5, 2017
North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency , AFP/Getty Images
A traffic police officer directs traffic on a road in Pyongyang Dec. 2, 2016
Believed to be hand-picked for their looks, Pyongyang's female traffic police are a familiar sight at intersections around the capital, where traffic volumes have noticeably increased in recent years.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Pedestrians and cyclists are reflected in the Pothong River as they across a bridge at the start of their work day in Pyongyang, Jan. 6, 2017.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Korean honor guards watch as Choe Ryong Hae, vice chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission leaves for the departure gates at the Pyongyang Airport Jan. 6, 2017. Hae was headed to Nicaragua to attend the inauguration of their newly elected President Daniel Ortega.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Kim Jong-Un at Fishery Station No. 15 of the Korean People's Army unit 549 Dec. 15, 2016.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
Baek Hyun-kyung is a tour guide at the Three Charters of National Reunification Monument where she works on the outskirts of Pyongyang Dec. 2, 2016.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A member of North Korea's under-20 women's football team is welcomed back at Pyongyang airport after beating France to win the 2016 FIFA under-20 Women's World Cup Dec. 6, 2016.
KIM WON-JIN, AFP/Getty Images
Kim Jong-Un at the Wonsan Shoes Factory in Kangwon Province in this photo released on Dec. 9, 2016.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
Korean People's Army (KPA) lieutenant and tour guide Hwang Myong-jin poses for a photo in front of a hut where negotiations for the Korean War armistice agreement were held in 1953, at Panmunjom near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea Nov. 30, 2016.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Sailor Kim Il-Soo poses for a photo on a boat used to host wedding photo shoots on the Taedong river in Pyongyang Nov. 25, 2016.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean traffic police women chat next to a residential building while off duty Oct. 18, 2016, in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Kim Jong-Un interacting with people while inspecting the outpost on Kali Islet and the defence detachment on Jangjae Islet in the West Sea, Nov. 13, 2016.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
North Koreans walk past a residential building as they use an overhead bridge to cross a major intersection Oct. 18, 2016, in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Koreans are seen in silhouette as they make their way across an intersection at the end of a work day Oct. 18, 2016, in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Azalea, whose Korean name is "Dalle", a 19-year-old female chimpanzee, smokes a cigarette at the Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea Oct. 19, 2016. According to officials at the newly renovated zoo, which has become a favorite leisure spot in the North Korean capital since it was re-opened in July, the chimpanzee smokes about a pack a day. They insist, however, that she does not inhale.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Students stretch following an under-14 training session at the Pyongyang International Football School in Pyongyang, Sept 22, 2016.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean boy in his school uniform walks past a playground in a residential area on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Spectators cheer as parachutists perform an aerial display during the Wonsan International Friendship Air Festival, Sept 24, 2016.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean female MiG-21 fighter pilots Rim Sol, left, and Jo Kum Hyang, right, walk past a MiG-21 plane at the Wonsan International Friendship Air Festival, Sept 24, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Korean boys play in a fountain feature during a hot afternoon Sept. 23, 2016, in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Residents look up at a big screen TV in front of Pyongyang railway station showing television presenter Ri Chun-Hee officially announcing that the country successfully tested a nuclear warhead earlier in the day on Sept. 9, 2016.
North Korea has successfully tested a nuclear warhead, it said which said the "maniacal recklessness" of young ruler Kim Jong-Un would lead to self-destruction.
Kim Won-Jin, AFP/Getty Images
This is a national meeting to celebrate the 68th founding anniversary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Pyongyang, Sept. 9, 2016.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un while inspecting the Taedonggang Pig Farm in Pyongyang, Aug.18, 2016
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean man gulps down a glass of draft beer during a beer drinking competition held Aug. 12, 2016 in Pyongyang. This competition was held during a beer festival along the Taedong River in the North Korean capital.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspects the Chollima building materials complex in Pyongyang, July 27, 2016.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
A surface-to-surface medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-10, also known by the name of Musudan missile, being launched at an undisclosed location, North Korea. According to South Korea and Japan's officials, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile off its east coast early Aug 3, 2016.
KCNA, via European Pressphoto Agency
North Korean soldiers peep into a conference room in the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission Conference Building during a ceremony marking the 63rd anniversary of the signing of the Korean War ceasefire armistice agreement at the truce village of Panmunjom, South Korea.
Kim Hong-Ji, AP
Military personnel stand during a rally at Kim Il Sung Square July 2, 2016, in Pyongyang. They were celebrating the new title of chairman of the new State Affairs Commission given to leader Kim Jong Un at a meeting of its national parliament.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
A missile is fired during a drill by Hwasong artillery units of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army, photo released on July 21, 2016 . North Korea said its latest ballistic missile tests trialled detonation devices for possible nuclear strikes on US targets in South Korea and were personally monitored by supreme leader Kim Jong-Un.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
Fairground participants ride a big swing in Pyongyang July 9, 2016.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Performers meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at an art performance staged by the amateur art groups of the Korean People's Army (KPA) units in Pyongyang July 16, 2016.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
A traffic police woman directs vehicles at a street junction in front of a sidewalk decorated with flags of the ruling party, the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, May, 5, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Koreans push their bicycles in the rain on a pathway along the Pothong River in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Taxis wait for passengers at the Pyongyang train station May 5, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People walk on a rail tracks in Pyongyang, April 18, 2016.
Franck Robichon, EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
People ride the escalators at the Puhung metro station in Pyongyang, April 16, 2016.
Franck Robichon, EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
A woman carries a bag next to a board in Pyongyang suburbs April 17, 2016.
Franck Robichon, EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
City view of Pyongyang, April 17, 2016.
Franck Robichon, EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
A metro employee on board the newest cars at the Puhung metro station in Pyongyang, April, 13, 2016. They have one of the deepest metros in the world consisting of two lines with these recently added new cars.
Franck Robichon, EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
A live-shell firing drill by artillery sub-units under large combined units of the North Korean Army, is shown in this undated photo, under the simulated conditions of beating back enemy forces conducting a surprise night landing. The photo was released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 12, 2016.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
Kim Jong Un, left, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, issues an order to conduct the ground jet test of a new type high-power engine of inter-continental ballistic rocket and comes to the Sohae Space Center to guide the test.
KCNA via EPA
A rocket is displayed during the Immortal Flower Festival 'Kimilsungia' in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 13, 2016. The country is preparing to mark the 'Day of the Sun' celebrating the day of birth of the country's founder, Kim Il-Sung. on April 15.
Franck Robichon, EPA
Young women participate in a rehearsal ahead of the 'Day of the Sun' celebrations at Kim Il Sung Square on Wednesday, in Pyongyang.
Franck Robichon, EPA
This is a view of the Pyongyang, North Korea skyline on April 12, 2016.
Franck Robichon, EPA
Pyongyang Station is shown in late evening April 12th in Pyongyang,.
Franck Robichon, EPA
An image of the operation of a new type large-caliber multiple rocket launching system at an undisclosed location in North Korea is released from KCNA on March 24, 2016. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has claimed an "historic" advance in the country's nuclear strike capability with the successful test of a solid-fuel rocket engine, state media said.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
A man cycles past the Kim Il Sung square on Wednesday, ahead of the 'Day of the Sun' celebrations in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Franck Robichon, EPA
Young boys get the view of Pyongyang, North Korea from a bus window, April 12.
Franck Robichon, EPA
Waitresses work on April 12, in a restaurant of the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Franck Robichon, EPA
A tramway rides past the Pyongyang Station in Pyongyang, on April 12, 2016.
Franck Robichon, EPA
Pedestrians walk along a street in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Franck Robichon, EPA
A large mosaic representing Kim Il-Sung, left, and Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang suburbs, North Korea is shown on April 12, 2016. An ethnic Korean U.S. citizen was sentenced to 10 years in jail for espionage.
Franck Robichon, EPA
A worker unloads a bag of fertilizer from a conveyer belt at Hungnam Fertilizer Complex in Hungnam, South Hamgyong Province, North Korea, March 13, 2016.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
A shipbuilder works at the Hongwon Shipyard in Hongwon County, South Hamgyong Province, March 12, 2016.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
Newly manufactured shoes are seen at Wonsan Shoes Factory in the Kangwon Province, March 14, 2016. North Koreans are being mobilized en masse to boost production and demonstrate their loyalty to leader Kim Jong Un in a 70-day campaign aimed at wiping out "indolence and slackness." To show their loyalty, workers are putting in extra hours to boost production in everything from coal mining to fisheries.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
A North Korean soldier walks past a truck near goods piled up on a dockyard in Sinuiju, North Korea, March 14, 2016.
AP
North Koreans load goods on a dockyard with a Chinese and North Korean national flags in Sinuiju, North Korea, as seen from Dandong in northeastern China's Liaoning province, Feb. 26, 2016 .
AP
This undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 2, 2016 shows a missile test of a new-type anti-air guided weapon system at an unknown location.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
Kim Jong-Un inspecting the test of a new-type anti-air guided weapon system at an unknown location. photo released on April 2, 2016.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the Plant under the Ryongsong Machine Complex in North Korea.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
A woman cycles with her child riding in a basket in Kaesong on Feb. 22, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Bicycle riders in Kaesong on Feb. 22, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Korean People's Army Lt. Col. Nam Dong Ho is silhouetted against the truce village of Panmunjom at the Demilitarized Zone on Feb. 22, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
The North Korea's women soccer team fills up custom forms in front of a globe structure as they prepare for departure to Beijing at Pyongyang's International Airport on Feb. 23, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Two people cycle past a planetarium at the Three Revolutions Exhibition Hall in Pyongyang on Feb. 23, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A cashier prepares a receipt for customers at a local restaurant in Kaesong on Feb. 22, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Solar panels hang from windows of an apartment building in Kaesong.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Soldiers guard the truce village of Panmunjom at the Demilitarized Zone on Feb. 22, 2016.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attends a concert marking the 70th founding anniversary of the KPA military band in Pyongyang, in this photo released Feb, 23, 2016.
Korean Central News Agency
A boy pushes a cart of cabbage along a main road in Hyangsan County, north of Pyongyang, on Dec. 3, 2015.
Wong Maye-E, AP
South Korean army soldiers close a gate in Paju, near the border with North and South Korea, on Feb. 8, 2016.
Ahn Young-joon, AP
A North Korean woman walks down the streets of Pyongyang on Dec. 1, 2015.
Wong Maye-E, AP
The 105-story pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel towers over residential apartments and snow-covered trees and fields in Pyongyang on Dec. 3, 2015.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People ride in a boat in the Yalu River near Dandong on Feb. 9, 2016.
Helene Franchineau, AP
North Korean soldiers patrol next to the border fence near the town of Sinuiju on Feb. 10, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
A man works on a boat on the banks of the Yalu River on Feb. 10, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
The sun rises over a bridge on the banks of the Yalu River in the Chinese border town of Dandong opposite the North Korean town of Sinuiju on Feb.10, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
A man rides his bicycle in front of a portion of the Great Wall on Hwanggumpyong Island, which is located in the middle of the Yalu River between the North Korean town of Sinuiju and the Chinese town of Dandong, on Feb. 9, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
A man and his son ride in a boat on the Yalu River near the town of Sinuiju across from the Chinese border town of Dandong on Feb. 9, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
People board a boat on the Yalu River near the town of Sinuiju across from the Chinese border town of Dandong on Feb. 9, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers stand on the banks of the Yalu River near the town of Sinuiju on Feb. 8, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers in a watchtower observe a soldier walking on the banks of the Yalu River in the town of Sinuiju on Feb. 8, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean soldier smokes a cigarette on the banks of the Yalu River in the North Korean town of Sinuiju, in an image taken from across the river in the Chinese border town of Dandong Feb. 8, 2016.
Johannes Eisele, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean military personnel celebratein Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang Jan. 8, 2016, afterNorth Korea said it conducted a hydrogen bomb test.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
A pair of North Korean soldiers walk through a field in Sakchu county, North Korea, Jan. 7, 2016.
AP
North Koreans clap at a rally after North Korea said it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
A North Korean soldier looks across the border with China from his post in Sakchu County, North Korea, Jan. 7, 2016.
AP
North Korean veterans gather before the start of a parade in Pyongyang, North Korea. Leader Kim Jong Un declared that his country was ready to stand up to any threat posed by the United States as he spoke at a lavish military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the North's ruling party and trumpet his third-generation leadership on Oct. 10, 2015.
Maye-E Wong, AP
A barbed-wire fence marks a military checkpoint near the Demilitarized Zone that separates South and North Korea on Jan. 6, 2016, in Paju, South Korea.
Chung Sung-Jun, Getty Images
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un watches a military firing contest in a photo released Jan. 5, 2016. Reports did not specify when Kim viewed the contest, but it is presumed to be his first military-related field guidance of 2016.
Rodong Sinmun via European Pressphoto Agency
North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 6, 2016.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside a Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jan. 6, 2016.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
Hyeon Soo Lim, pastor of the Light Korean Presbyterian Church in Toronto, is escorted to his sentencing in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Dec. 16, 2015. North Korea's Supreme Court sentenced him to life in prison with hard labor for what it called crimes against the state.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
Members of North Korea's Moranbong Band perform with the State Merited Chorus in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Oct. 11, 2015.
Charles Dharapak, AP
A North Korean soldier gathers straw in a field in Sinuiju, North Korea, seen from across the border in Dandong in northeastern China's Liaoning province on Jan. 6, 2016.
Chinatopix via AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by commanding officers of the Korean People's Army, visit the Kumsusan Palace where his father, Kim Jong-Il, lies, on Dec 17, 2015.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
A picture made available on Oct. 25, 2015, shows a general view of Mount Kumgang covered in fog on North Korea's east coast.
Yonhap via European Pressphoto Agency
This picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Nov. 8, 2015, shows Kim Jong Un attending a photo session with military education officers.
AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean traffic police woman directs vehicles at an intersection on Sept. 15, 2015, in Pyongyang, North Korea, as residents commute at the end of the workday.
Wong Maye-E, AP
This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 14, 2015, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the construction site of the Paektusan Hero Youth power station in Ryanggaung province.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
A picture released by the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling North Korean Workers Party, on Sept. 8, 2015, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center front, and Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, second from right, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and first vice-president of the Council of State, watching an art performance by the Moranbong Band and the State Merited Chorus in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Sept. 7, 2015. Bermudez led a Cuban delegation to North Korea to mark the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between North Korea and Cuba.
Rodong Sinmun, European Pressphoto Agency
This undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sept. 5, 2015, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, at the Sinuiju Measuring Instrument Factory in North Pyongan Province.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
In this Aug. 23, 2015, photo, North Koreans read the public copy of a daily newspaper on the platform of a subway station in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Dita Alangkara, AP
A station officer waits for trains to arrive on the platform of a subway station in Pyongyang, North Korea, Aug. 22, 2015.
Dita Alangkara, AP
Portaits of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il glow on the facade of a building as the Juche Tower, top left, one of the city's landmarks, is seen in the background at dawn in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 19, 2015.
Dita Alangkara, AP
This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Aug. 18, 2015, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from left, visiting the Taedonggang Combined Fruit Farm in Pyongyang.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
People line up Aug. 16, 2015, at kiosk in Pyongyang, North Korea. Street stalls that offer North Koreans a place to spend -- or make -- money on everything from snow cones to DVDs are flourishing in Pyongyang and other North Korean cities, modest but growing forms of private commerce in a country where capitalism is officially anathema.
Dita Alangkara, AP
A newlywed couple pose, during a photo shoot on Sijung Ho beach in North Korea, on Aug. 18, 2015. The couple gathered with their friends and family members to have their pictures taken after their wedding ceremony.
Dita Alangkara, AP
People dance during the celebration of the Liberation Day as the portrait of North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il are seen in the background at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Aug. 15, 2015. Thousands of people take part in the celebration that commemorates the 17th anniversary of the liberation of the Koreas from Japanese colonial rule.
Dita Alangkara, AP
North Korean soldiers watch as fireworks explode, July 27, 2015, in Pyongyang, North Korea, as part of celebrations for the 62nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Koreans bow in front of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Munsu Hill, July 27, 2015, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Koreans gathered to offer flowers and pay their respects to their late leaders as part of celebrations for the 62nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Staff wait at the check-in counters of the new international airport terminal building at Pyongyang airport, July 1, 2015, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The unveiling underscores an effort to attract more tourists and to spruce up the country ahead of the celebration of a major anniversary of the founding of its ruling Worker's Party in October this year.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
An Air Koryo plane sits on the tarmac in front of the new Pyongyang International Airport terminal building, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Air Koryo is the only carrier to have been awarded just one star in rankings released recently by the UK-based SkyTrax consultancy agency.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Men and women pump their fists in the air and chant "defend!" as they carry propaganda slogans calling for reunification of their country during the "Pyongyang Mass Rally on the Day of the Struggle Against the U.S.," attended by approximately 100,000 North Koreans to mark the 65th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War at the Kim Il Sung stadium, Thursday, June 25, 2015, in Pyongyang, North Korea. The month of June in North Korea is known as the "Struggle Against U.S. Imperialism Month" and it's a time for North Koreans to swarm to war museums, mobilize for gatherings denouncing the evils of the United States and join in a general, nationwide whipping up of the anti-American sentiment.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A farmer stands in front of a field June 24, 2015, in South Hwanghae, North Korea. There has been almost no rain in this part of the country, according to farmers and local officials interviewed by the Associated Press. While the situation in the area that the AP visited looks grim, it is unclear how severe the drought is in the rest of the country.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, center, visits the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on April 15 to celebrate the 103rd birthday of his grandfather, the late president Kim Il-Sung, in Pyongyang.
KCNA, AFP/Getty Images
A national meeting is held on April 14 at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, center, inspecting Unit 1016 of Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force on March 10.
KCNA via AFP/Getty Images
North Korean workers plant seedlings in a field on Feb. 3 in Jaeryong, Hwanghae province.
KCNA via European Pressphoto Agency
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un enjoys his Dec. 1 visit to an artillery unit at an undisclosed location.
Korean News Service via European Pressphoto Agency
A state photo from December 5 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observing the North Korean military's winter training at an unknown location in North Korea.
Korean News Service via, epa
Soldiers and citizens rally at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, to protest a United Nations resolution condemning their country's human rights record Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014. Protesters at the rally Tuesday on the square carried banners praising their leaders and condemning the United States. The banner in the center reads: "Let's defend with our lives the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea headed by supreme leader Kim Jong Un."
Jon Chol Jin, AP
North Koreans gather in front of a portrait of their late leader Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il, right, paying respects to their late leader Kim Jong Il, to mark the third anniversary of his death, Wednesday Dec. 17 at Pyong Chon District in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea marked the end of a three-year mourning period for the late leader Kim Jong Il on Wednesday, opening the way for his son, Kim Jong Un, to put a more personal stamp on the way the country is run.
Kim Kwang Hyon, AP
This picture taken by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on December 17 shows North Korean people offering prayers before portraits of late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang for the third anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-Il.
Korean News Service via, AFP/Getty Images
A December 13, handout photo shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un visiting the Korean People's Army navy unit 189.
Korean News Service via, AFP/Getty Images
Kim Jong-Un applauds the participants in the second meeting of Korean People's Army (KPA) exemplary servicemen's families in Pyongyang in this handout image.
Korean News Service via, AFP/Getty Images
This handout picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on December 9, 2014 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un holding up a boy as he joins a photo session with the participants in the second meeting of Korean People's Army exemplary servicemen's families in Pyongyang.
Korean News Service via, AFP/Getty Images
An undated picture from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on December 5, 2014 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the new year combat and political drill of the Korean People's Army
Korean News Service via, AFP/Getty Images
People enjoy a ride at the Kaeson Youth Amusement Park on Sept. 3 in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
People shoot targets at an arcade at the Kaeson Youth Amusement Park.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Koreans enjoy an amusement park ride.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Women wait for customers at a makeshift photo service stand.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Koreans scream on the free-fall ride.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jung Un posing with judo gold medalist An Kum Ae decorates the wall at a local gymnasium on Sept. 2 in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Korean athletes practice on a trampoline.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A North Korean subway station staff member waits for the arrival of a train on Sept. 1 in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A boy arm wrestles with former NFL player Bob "The Beast" Sapp during a wrestling goodwill tour on Aug. 29 in Pyongyang.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Kim Jong-Un attends the test firing of a new high-performance tactical rocket on Aug. 15.
KNS AFP/Getty Images
People bow to portraits of the late North Korean leaders Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung on Dec. 17 in Pyongyang. It is the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans visit Mansu Hill to pay their respects to former leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.
AP
Soldiers prepare to place flowers at the statues of North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il on Mansu Hill.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, presides over an event to marking the second anniversary of the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang.
AP
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an event in Pyongyang.
AP
Military officials applaud during an event marking the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il.
AP
People bow at the statues of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il on Mansu Hill.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
People place flower bouquets before the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il on Mansu Hill.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
Women sweep around the statues of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sun, left, and Jong Il on the eve of the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il on Dec. 16 in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans lay flowers at the base of statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean soldiers gather at Kumsusan memorial palace as they stage a rally supporting their leader, Kim Jong Un, in Pyongyang.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
Soldiers march during a rally at the Kumsusan memorial palace.
Korean Central News Agency via AFP/Getty Images
Jang Song-thaek is escorted in court on Dec. 12. The uncle of leader Kim Jong Un was executed after a shocking purge, with the state branding the once-powerful man a "traitor."
Yonhap via AFP/Getty Images
A man watches a television news program showing the uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Jang Son Thaek, at his trial at a railway station in Seoul.
Ahn Young-joon, AP
Military vehicles parade during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice on July 27 in Pyongyang, North Korea.
AP
A North Korean soldier salutes from a tank during a military parade at Kim Il-Sung Square.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Veterans of the Korean War wave to their leader, Kim Jong Un, during a military parade.
David Guttenfelder, AP
People wave flags as walk with statues of former leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
People carry the North Korean national flags.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Korean tanks parade through Kim Il-Sung Square.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Ugandan Vice-President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekand, left, Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greet spectators.
Wong Maye-E, AP
North Korean air force troops march in the parade.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
A North Korean soldier salutes from his tank.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Soldiers march through Kim Il Sung Square.
Wong Maye-E, AP
A unit of women soldiers march in formation.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
People wave flowers during the parade.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
People carry a portrait of former leader Kim Jong-Il.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Dancers parade through Kim Il Sung Sqaure.
Wong Maye-E, AP
Thousands of people hold up colored squares as they create a giant North Korean flag as they celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice during a performance at the Rungnado May Day Stadium on July 26 in Pyongyang.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
People hold colored material as they watch for their cue during a performance. One hundred thousand people created a synchronized socialist-realist performance in a 90 minute display of gymnastics, dance and acrobatics.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Dancers perform in Pyongyang.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Performers present a program on the field of the Rungnado May Day Stadium.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Noth Korean army veterans watch the program.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
Fireworks explode above the Pyongyaang skyline.
Ed Jones, AFP/Getty Images
North Korean soldiers walk along a road in front of the truce village of Panmunjom at the Demilitarized Zone on July 22.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean pedestrians and bicyclists pass by a billboard for Pyeonghwa Motors, North Korea's car manufacturer, on a highway on the outskirts of Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans stand to applaud during the opening night of the "Arirang" mass games performance at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium on July 22. This year's performance was timed to debut for the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
David Guttenfelder, AP
At dusk, the setting sunlight is reflected on the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 21.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans clean a street after a heavy rainfall in Kaesong, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Thousands of North Koreans turn colored cards to create an image of the Unha-3 rocket that North Korea successfully launched in December 2012 during the Arirang mass games.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean soldier sits inside a room in Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans ride bicycles in the rain along the Taedong River bank in Pyongyang, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean soldiers walk on a highway near the North Korean city of Kaesong.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean nurses sing and play the accordion while children dance during an event to start a campaign to give vitamin A supplements and deworming pills to children at a nursery school in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Child Health Day, May 20. UNICEF and North Korean government agencies are collaborating in the campaign to assist 1.7 million children across the country under age 5.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean nurses give vitamin A supplements and deworming pills to children dressed in their best outfits at an elite nursery school in Pyongyang, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans pass by the outer wall of a construction site where a propaganda billboard depicts the launch of North Korean rockets in Pyongyang, North Korea. The billboard reads: "Let's open up an era to a strong economic country."
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans play a board game inside a sauna at the Haedanghwa Health Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 19. The newly opened complex houses a cooking school, multiple banquet rooms, swimming and wading pools, a billiards room and other spa and recreational facilities.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean swimmers enter a waterfall wading pool inside the Haedanghwa Health Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Wearing gym-provided workout clothing, North Koreans rest near the gym at the Haedanghwa Health Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Portraits of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il hang on the outside of a building in central Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 18.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean soldiers and civilians pose for photos April 25 as they tour the grounds of Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum in Pyongyang where the bodies of former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie embalmed. Last month, North Korea marked the 81st anniversary of the founding of its military, which began as an anti-Japanese militia and now has an estimated 1.2 million troops.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean soldiers tour the park surrounding Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean army Col. Kim Chang Jun stands behind field binoculars on a hilltop overlooking the Demilitarized Zone, south of Kaesong, North Korea, on April 24.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A boy walks along a path in front of a village south of Kaesong, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean boy rides in a bicycle basket on a road north of Kaesong, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean boy on rollerblades is pulled by a woman on a bicycle on a road south of Kaesong, North Korea and north of the demilitarized zone which separates the two Koreas.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean man checks his bicycle next to a propaganda billboard in Kaesong, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean soldiers ride in the top of a military truck on a road in Kaesong, North Korea. For weeks, North Korea has threatened to attack the U.S. and South Korea for holding joint military drills and for supporting U.N. sanctions. Washington and Seoul officials said they've seen no evidence that Pyongyang is actually preparing for a major conflict, though South Korean defense officials said the North appears prepared to test-fire a medium-range missile.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean farmers work in a field inside the Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjom, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean traffic policeman stands at an intersection in Kaesong, North Korea on April 23.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans walk bicycles along a street in Kaesong, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean children walk in front of an apartment block in Kaesong, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean soldiers stand on steps overlooking the border village of Panmunjom, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A painting, depicting North Korean soldiers ambushing and killing U.S. troops hangs on a gallery wall at an art exhibition Friday in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean boy practices his lines -- "Our country is the greatest in the world" -- as he is filmed by a local television crew at an exhibition of traditional calligraphy in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean children perform in front of an image of weapons and bayonetsat Mangyongdae Children's Palace in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Children practice a musical performance at Mangyongdae Children's Palace.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A guide stands in a waiting room at Mangyongdae Children's Palace in Pyongyang. Portraits in the background show North Korea's late leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Children work at easels during a drawing class at Mangyongdae Children's Palace.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean soldier plows a field on the outskirts of Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans walk along a sidewalk in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean soldier walks through a parking lot as workers paint a building block across the street in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean soldier guarding the entrance to Pyongyang's Kumsusan mausoleum, where the bodies of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie embalmed, looks back through the doors of the main gate Monday, April 15, 2013. North Koreans turned out on Monday to mark the 101st birthday of Kim Il Sung.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean man misses the turn and loses control of his go cart on a track at the Fun Fair in Pyongyang on Tuesday, April 16, 2013.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean child covers the eyes of her father as she sits on his shoulders watching mass folk dancing in front of Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. Oblivious to international tensions over a possible North Korean missile launch, Pyongyang residents spilled into the streets Monday to celebrate a major national holiday, the birthday of their first leader, Kim Il Sung.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean commuters ride on a city trolley bus in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Marathon runners pass by a long row of North Korean soldiers as they cross a bridge in Pyongyang on Sunday, April 14, 2013. North Korea hosted the 26th Mangyongdae Prize Marathon to mark the April 15, 2013 birthday of the late leader Kim Il Sung.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean woman walks past the outer wall of a construction site where a propaganda billboard depicting the launch of North Korean rockets in Pyongyang, North Korea. The billboard reads: "Lets open up an era to a strong economic country."
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean children hold up red scarves to be tied around their necks during an induction ceremony into the Korean Children's Union, the first political organization for North Koreans, held at a stadium in Pyongyang on Friday, April 12, 2013.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans dance together beneath a mosaic painting of the late leader Kim Il Sung during a mass folk dancing gathering in Pyongyang Thursday, April 11, 2013, to mark the anniversary of the first of many titles of power given to leader Kim Jong Un after the death of his father Kim Jong Il.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean man pushes a bicycle up a hill on the outskirts of Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean man drives a small tractor in central Pyongyang, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean pedestrians walk on a sidewalk past a large nationalist painting in Pyongyang, North Korea.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean children carrying brooms walk on a sidewalk in Pyongyang on their way to help tidy up the area around bronze statues of the late leaders as the capital city prepares to mark the April 15 birthday of its founder Kim Il Sung.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean soldier passes by roadside propaganda depicting a North Korean soldier killing a U.S. soldier in Pyongyang. The poster reads in Korean "Life or Death Battle. Merciless Punishment to U.S. Imperialists and Puppet Traitors."
David Guttenfelder, AP
An apartment block stands among the buildings at dawn in central Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, April 10, 2013.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Reflected in the airport building glass, passengers disembark from North Korea's Air Koryo flight as they arrive at the Pyongyang International airport on Tuesday, April 9, 2013.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Korean soldiers march through Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on March 16.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Two North Korean boys hop a ride on the back of a city tram March 14 to cross a bridge in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans select apples and oranges, imported from China, at a supermarket in Pyongyang on March 13.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean soldier works at a computer terminal under portraits of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il inside the Grand People's Study House in Pyongyang on March 12.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A bus is covered in camouflage netting in a parking lot of a building in Pyongyang on March 9.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A children's pop-up book, displayed by a teacher March 9 at at Kaeson Kindergarten in Pyongyang, depicts a U.S. soldier killing a Korean woman with a hatchet. For North Koreans, the systematic indoctrination of anti-Americanism starts as early as kindergarten.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean girl readies a toy gun that fires rubber corks as she and others play a shooting game at a carnival March 8 at a park in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A Mercedes rides along a street in central Pyongyang. The U.N. Security Council responded swiftly to North Korea's Feb. 12 nuclear test by punishing the reclusive regime Thursday with new sanctions that target the communist nation's economy and leadership. Pyongyang responded with the threat of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States.
David Guttenfelder, AP
An image depicting a female North Korean soldier leading an attack is projected on a screen behind performers during a concert in Pyongyang marking International Women's Day. The text at the top of the screen reads, "We are the General's female coastal artillery troops."
Jon Chol Jin, AP
North Koreans rally March 7 at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang in support of a government statement Tuesday that vowed to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War. The statement also boasted of North Korea's ownership of "lighter and smaller nukes" and its ability to execute "surgical strikes" meant to unify the divided Korean Peninsula.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
North Koreans carry bundles on their backs as they cross a frozen lake north of the capital city of Pyongyang on Feb. 24.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean woman sings karaoke at the Hyangsan Hotel at the foot of Mount Myohyang on Feb. 23.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans cross a railroad bridge over a riverbed south of Mount Myohyang, and north of the capital city of Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean traffic officer patrols a street Feb. 22 in central Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A nurse looks out of a window at a neighborhood health clinic in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean man stands next to a tractor and wagon on the edge of a snow-covered field near the village of Ryongsan-ri, south of Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Pedestrians walk along a street Feb. 21 in central Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A nurse comforts a baby at a nursery inside Pyongyang Maternity Hospital on Feb. 20.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Well-wishers wave flower bouquets as buses carrying North Korean nuclear scientists and other officials pass by in Pyongyang. Scientists and other officials involved in the North's underground nuclear test on Feb. 12 arrived in the capital city Feb. 20 to a celebration.
Jon Chol Jin, AP
Photos showing different hairstyles hang inside a barber shop in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A 2013 calendar, showing a picture of North Korea's Unha-3 rocket, hangs inside a hair salon in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean portrait photographer instructs soldiers to pose for a picture under a mosaic of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at an exhibition in Pyongyang on Feb. 17, where Kimjongilia flowers, named after Kim Jong Il, were on display.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A North Korean woman, with a fake Kalashnikov rifle used in a theatrical performance, stands in front of the Pyongyang Grand Theatre waiting for a ride.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Soldiers ride an escalator past a model of their country's Unha Rocket as they enter an exhibition in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A musical performance is held in Pyongyang with the words "Let's strike the imperialists mercilessly with the same success we had carrying out the 3rd nuclear test" projected on a screen.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Soldiers gather along a Pyongyang street during heavy snowfall.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Female North Korean traffic officers gather in Pyongyang near bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to commemorate what would have been the 71st birthday of Kim Jong Il, who died Dec. 17, 2011.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Children play with the camera of an Associated Press photographer as people gather in front of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on Feb. 16.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Soldiers lay flowers at the base of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Offerings of flowers are lined up as North Koreans bow in front of bronze statues of their late leaders.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Pedestrians pass under a bridge in Pyongyang on Feb. 15.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Cameramen use an elevated boom camera, left, and a older film camera to cover the opening ceremony of a figure skating exhibition in Pyongyang.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans watch the opening ceremonies of a figure skating exhibition in Pyongyang. Hanging in the arena is a banner with the word "Peace" in English and Korean.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Synchronized swimmers perform at an exhibition in Pyongyang. The exhibition was one of the events commemorating what would have been Kim Jong Il's 71st birthday.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans leave an ice skating rink after a figure skating exhibition.
David Guttenfelder, AP
A poster showing a model of North Korea's Unha-3 Rocket hangs in the lobby of a hotel in Pyongyang in Feb. North Korea is upgrading one of its two major missile launch sites, apparently to handle much larger rockets.
David Guttenfelder, AP
North Koreans stand before a roadside mosaic of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay their respects to the dead leaders. Kim Jong Il died in 2011, Kim Il Sung in 1994.
David Guttenfelder, AP
Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries:
Replay
![People offer flowers to the statues of their late leaders]()
1 of 431![A street in central Pyongyang, Nov. 15, 2017]()
2 of 431![Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers bow before statues]()
3 of 431![Song Song-Hui (C) sits with relatives gathered at her]()
4 of 431![This Dec. 8, 2017 photo released from North Korea's]()
5 of 431![North Korean soldiers attend a mass rally in Kim Il-Sung]()
6 of 431![This Dec. 12, 2017 photo released from North Korea's]()
7 of 431![In a photo taken on Nov. 19, 2017, a woman and child]()
8 of 431![In a photo taken on Nov. 18, 2017, a woman carrying]()
9 of 431![North Koreans attend a mass rally in Kim Il-Sung Square]()
10 of 431![In a photo taken on Nov. 21, 2017, a man pushes a bicycle]()
11 of 431![This photo taken on Nov. 19, 2017 shows cyclists passing]()
12 of 431![A man waits to cross a street in Rason.
at the northeastern]()
13 of 431![This is a photo released by the North Korean Central]()
14 of 431![This photo was released by the North Korean Central]()
15 of 431![A sailor stands on his boat in the port in Rason at]()
16 of 431![This Nov. 29, 2017, image provided by the North Korean]()
17 of 431![Ra In-Hae, 46, in her new home, portraits of late North]()
18 of 431![A woman shields herself from the cold at the port in]()
19 of 431![People cheer as they watch the news broadcast announcing]()
20 of 431![People watch the news broadcast announcing North Korean]()
21 of 431![In this photo provided by South Korea Defense Ministry,]()
22 of 431![North Korean soldiers look at the South side near the]()
23 of 431![Vendors prepare flowers for Mother's Day at a flower]()
24 of 431![North Korean soldiers look at the South side at the]()
25 of 431![In this photo taken through the window of a car, students]()
26 of 431![People dance in a park in Pyongyang, Nov.15, 2017.]()
27 of 431![This is a North Korean military guard outpost seen]()
28 of 431![This undated picture released from North Korea's official]()
29 of 431![These two ride a bicycle as they pass along a street]()
30 of 431![Runners compete in the half-marathon in Pyongyang,]()
31 of 431![Amateur horse riders compete during the 'Autumn Race-Goers]()
32 of 431![A salesperson of 'Jilin Provincial Muziwu Daily Necessities']()
33 of 431![Spectators watch competitors during the 'Autumn Race-Goers]()
34 of 431![Men and women participate in a mass dance event marking]()
35 of 431![Men ride on a make shift raft to transport logs down]()
36 of 431![Participants described as 'working people, youth, and]()
37 of 431![A man shoots an air-powered rifle at a shooting stall]()
38 of 431![A propaganda troupe perform a flag-waving routine outside]()
39 of 431![Pedestrians pass through a square outside the central]()
40 of 431![Visitors try a ride at an amusement fair in Pyongyang,]()
41 of 431![Participants of a mass rally shout slogans as they]()
42 of 431![Visitors look at kitchens on display at the 13th International]()
43 of 431![A woman carries a child across a road in Pyongyang,]()
44 of 431![A Chinese vendor hands scarves to North Korean customers]()
45 of 431![A woman pulls a trolley across a street before a taxi]()
46 of 431![Two men play pool at a bowling alley in Pyongyang,]()
47 of 431![Service persons of the Ministry of People's Security]()
48 of 431![Spectators gather to watch a public news brodcast of]()
49 of 431![Dancers perform during the 20th ITF World Taekwondo]()
50 of 431![A woman stands at a street-side flower stall in Pyongyang,]()
51 of 431![Anglers compete during a fishing contest at Pothong]()
52 of 431![A man crosses a street outside the central railway]()
53 of 431![A girl leans on a lamp post outside the central railway]()
54 of 431![Spectators listen to a television news brodcast of]()
55 of 431![The skyline of Pyongyang, Sept. 20, 2017.]()
56 of 431![This undated picture released from North Korea's official]()
57 of 431![A football match is played on a pitch between buildings]()
58 of 431![A group of North Korean tourists stand before the city]()
59 of 431![A North Korean soldier stands on the bank of the Yalu]()
60 of 431![Fireworks go off while Pyongyang residents and military]()
61 of 431![This coastline (top) above the barbed-wire fence is]()
62 of 431![Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers cheer while watching]()
63 of 431![Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers attend a mass celebration]()
64 of 431![The sun rises over North Korea and the Yalu river which]()
65 of 431![North Koreand rest on a wall on the bank of the Yalu]()
66 of 431![North Korean soldiers stand at a fence on the bank]()
67 of 431![The North Korean coastline can be seen behind the barbed-wire]()
68 of 431![Two North Koreans help each other wash in the Yalu]()
69 of 431![A North Korean man brings his boat up to a Chinese]()
70 of 431![North Korean men unload a trailer on the bank of the]()
71 of 431![A North Korean soldier stands on a loading ramp on]()
72 of 431![Korean People's Army soldiers applaud as they watch]()
73 of 431![People fill the square of the main railway station]()
74 of 431![This picture from North Korea's official Korean Central]()
75 of 431![Cashiers work at the Potonggang department store in]()
76 of 431![Staff at the Potonggang department store stock shelves]()
77 of 431![People wave banners and shout slogans as they attend]()
78 of 431![Pedestrians and vehicles pass before the portraits]()
79 of 431![Awoman stands at the entrance to a supermarket in Pyongyang]()
80 of 431![Steel worker Kang Chol-Su (38) poses for a portrait]()
81 of 431![A hostess cooks clams using gasoline, at the West Sea]()
82 of 431![A photo taken on July 22, 2017 shows beach-goers dancing]()
83 of 431![Swimmers gather in a wave pool at a water park in a]()
84 of 431![A group of men look towards the West Sea Barrage beach]()
85 of 431![Workers repair a section of the 'West Sea Barrage']()
86 of 431![North Korean women push their cart and bicycles over]()
87 of 431![A group of youths play tennis in a public square in]()
88 of 431![North Korean men work on farm fields along the Pyongyang-Wonsan]()
89 of 431![North Korean women make their way across a road at]()
90 of 431![Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers walk past portraits]()
91 of 431![North Korean school girls stop at a kiosk selling flowers]()
92 of 431![Soldiers gather in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang]()
93 of 431![Soldiers watch fireworks in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang,]()
94 of 431![The sky is overcast in Pyongyang July 17, 2017. The]()
95 of 431![North Koreans ride in a crowded electric trolley, which]()
96 of 431![Soldiers of the Korean People's Army (KPA) watch a]()
97 of 431![A primary school student An Jae-Gwon (10) poses for]()
98 of 431![A woman stops by a kiosk selling gifts and flowers]()
99 of 431![Pedestrians walk along a residential area at dusk in]()
100 of 431![Two boys row their boat on the Pothong River where]()
101 of 431![People walk cross the Pothong river via a suspended]()
102 of 431![A waitress moves a dining chair at a restaurant terrace]()
103 of 431![People are are silhouette as they start their morning]()
104 of 431![Staff members from a boat restaurant on the Taedong]()
105 of 431![A Korean People's Army (KPA) soldier gestures as he]()
106 of 431![Men push their bicycles past the portraits of late]()
107 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at a photo session]()
108 of 431![An elderly woman follows behind children pushing their]()
109 of 431![A farmer transplants rice seedlings in a field in Pyongyang,]()
110 of 431![Former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman arrives]()
111 of 431![People watch a screen showing news coverage of the]()
112 of 431![People attend the 20th Pyongyang Spring International]()
113 of 431![This undated picture released from North Korea's official]()
114 of 431![People gather at a street-side newsstand in Pyongyang]()
115 of 431![This is a test launch of the ground-to-ground medium]()
116 of 431![Women soldiers march across Kim Il Sung Square during]()
117 of 431![An elderly man is silhouetted against a model of the]()
118 of 431![Soldiers march across Kim Il Sung Square during a military]()
119 of 431![Boys play on the sidewalk along Changjon Street lined]()
120 of 431![Men and women walk along a residential area in Pyongyang,]()
121 of 431![A woman is silhouetted against the sky as she exercises]()
122 of 431![North Koreans sit at the back of a truck as it drives]()
123 of 431![A man rides his bicycle along the Taedong River bank]()
124 of 431![A traffic police woman hands over her LED wand used]()
125 of 431![Women shelter from the rain under an umbrella in front]()
126 of 431![A North Korean soldier uses his binoculars on the banks]()
127 of 431![Schoolgirls attend a dance class at the Mangyongdae]()
128 of 431![People walk along the streets of downtown Pyongyang]()
129 of 431![A commuter is seen through a tram window in Pyongyang]()
130 of 431![Commuters walk up the stairs as a train leaves a subway]()
131 of 431![A boy performs the zither at the Mangyondae School]()
132 of 431![Students participate in a mass dance event to mark]()
133 of 431![Competitors run through Kim Il-Sung square during]()
134 of 431![The newly renovated Koryo hotel main lobby in Pyongyang]()
135 of 431![A North Korean traffic police officer is silhouetted]()
136 of 431![A staff member of the newly renovated Koryo hotel walks]()
137 of 431![Boys jog at the end of a work day in Pyongyang on April]()
138 of 431![People on the street in Pyongyang on April 10, 2017.]()
139 of 431![Workers leave an assembly area after rehearsals for]()
140 of 431![A woman walks along the highway from downtown Pyongyang]()
141 of 431![Men walk and some push their bicycles along a highway]()
142 of 431![A North Korean soldier looks at the south side while]()
143 of 431![Kim Jong-Un visits a construction site in Pyongyang,]()
144 of 431![A North Korean soldier takes a photograph while two]()
145 of 431![People ski at the Masik Pass Ski Resort in Wonsan,]()
146 of 431![People watch news footage of a missile launch on a]()
147 of 431![This undated picture released by North Korea's Korean]()
148 of 431![Kim Jong-Un supervives the launching of four ballistic]()
149 of 431![The representatives of diplomatic missions and international]()
150 of 431![A security guard stands in a courtyard of the Kim Jong-Suk]()
151 of 431![Two women walk outside a dormitory of the Kim Jong-Suk]()
152 of 431![A worker pushes a trolley carrying buckets of silk-worm]()
153 of 431![People watch a fireworks display as they visit an ice]()
154 of 431![People look at a noticeboard after a fireworks display]()
155 of 431![A woman dressed in a traditional gown pays her respects]()
156 of 431![Children with offerings walk toward statues of late]()
157 of 431![Residents sip hot tea at stalls set up as part of celebrations]()
158 of 431![Performers take part in a mass dance event on the occasion]()
159 of 431![Men transport gas cylinders in Pyongyang, Feb. 13,]()
160 of 431![Two elderly men crouch on a smoke break in Pyongyang,]()
161 of 431![People walk down the street in Pyongyang, Feb. 12,]()
162 of 431![A boy runs with the national flag along the Pyongyang-Wonsan]()
163 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un visits the newly built]()
164 of 431![Children of the workers at the Suk Silk Mill sing]()
165 of 431![This woman sorts silkworm cocoons to be boiled as part]()
166 of 431![Women sort out silkworm cocoons to be boiled at the]()
167 of 431![Kim Jong-Un posing with the school students while]()
168 of 431![A man rides his electric bicycle along the Taedong]()
169 of 431![This is a mass rally taking place at Kim Il Sung Square]()
170 of 431![A traffic police officer directs traffic on a road]()
171 of 431![Pedestrians and cyclists are reflected in the Pothong]()
172 of 431![North Korean honor guards watch as Choe Ryong Hae,]()
173 of 431![Kim Jong-Un at Fishery Station No. 15 of the Korean]()
174 of 431![Baek Hyun-kyung is a tour guide at the Three Charters]()
175 of 431![A member of North Korea's under-20 women's football]()
176 of 431![Kim Jong-Un at the Wonsan Shoes Factory in Kangwon]()
177 of 431![Korean People's Army (KPA) lieutenant and tour guide]()
178 of 431![Sailor Kim Il-Soo poses for a photo on a boat used]()
179 of 431![North Korean traffic police women chat next to a residential]()
180 of 431![Kim Jong-Un interacting with people while inspecting]()
181 of 431![North Koreans walk past a residential building as they]()
182 of 431![North Koreans are seen in silhouette as they make their]()
183 of 431![Azalea, whose Korean name is "Dalle", a 19-year-old]()
184 of 431![Students stretch following an under-14 training session]()
185 of 431![A North Korean boy in his school uniform walks past]()
186 of 431![Spectators cheer as parachutists perform an aerial]()
187 of 431![North Korean female MiG-21 fighter pilots Rim Sol,]()
188 of 431![North Korean boys play in a fountain feature during]()
189 of 431![Residents look up at a big screen TV in front of Pyongyang]()
190 of 431![This is a national meeting to celebrate the 68th founding]()
191 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un while inspecting the]()
192 of 431![A North Korean man gulps down a glass of draft beer]()
193 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspects the Chollima]()
194 of 431![A surface-to-surface medium long-range strategic ballistic]()
195 of 431![North Korean soldiers peep into a conference room in]()
196 of 431![Military personnel stand during a rally at Kim Il Sung]()
197 of 431![A missile is fired during a drill by Hwasong artillery]()
198 of 431![Fairground participants ride a big swing in Pyongyang]()
199 of 431![Performers meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un at]()
200 of 431![A traffic police woman directs vehicles at a street]()
201 of 431![North Koreans push their bicycles in the rain on a]()
202 of 431![Taxis wait for passengers at the Pyongyang train station]()
203 of 431![People walk on a rail tracks in Pyongyang, April 18,]()
204 of 431![People ride the escalators at the Puhung metro station]()
205 of 431![A woman carries a bag next to a board in Pyongyang]()
206 of 431![City view of Pyongyang, April 17, 2016.]()
207 of 431![A metro employee on board the newest cars at the Puhung]()
208 of 431![A live-shell firing drill by artillery sub-units under]()
209 of 431![Kim Jong Un, left, Supreme Commander of the Korean]()
210 of 431![A rocket is displayed during the Immortal Flower Festival]()
211 of 431![Young women participate in a rehearsal ahead of the]()
212 of 431![This is a view of the Pyongyang, North Korea skyline]()
213 of 431![Pyongyang Station is shown in late evening April 12th]()
214 of 431![An image of the operation of a new type large-caliber]()
215 of 431![A man cycles past the Kim Il Sung square on Wednesday,]()
216 of 431![Young boys get the view of Pyongyang, North Korea from]()
217 of 431![Waitresses work on April 12, in a restaurant of the]()
218 of 431![A tramway rides past the Pyongyang Station in Pyongyang,]()
219 of 431![Pedestrians walk along a street in Pyongyang, North]()
220 of 431![A large mosaic representing Kim Il-Sung, left, and]()
221 of 431![A worker unloads a bag of fertilizer from a conveyer]()
222 of 431![A shipbuilder works at the Hongwon Shipyard in Hongwon]()
223 of 431![Newly manufactured shoes are seen at Wonsan Shoes Factory]()
224 of 431![A North Korean soldier walks past a truck near goods]()
225 of 431![North Koreans load goods on a dockyard with a Chinese]()
226 of 431![This undated photo released by North Korea's official]()
227 of 431![Kim Jong-Un inspecting the test of a new-type anti-air]()
228 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspecting the Plant]()
229 of 431![A woman cycles with her child riding in a basket in]()
230 of 431![Bicycle riders in Kaesong, Feb. 22, 2016.]()
231 of 431![Korean People's Army Lt. Col. Nam Dong Ho is silhouetted]()
232 of 431![The North Korea's women soccer team fills up custom]()
233 of 431![Two people cycle past a planetarium at the Three Revolutions]()
234 of 431![A cashier prepares a receipt for customers at a local]()
235 of 431![Solar panels hang from windows of an apartment building]()
236 of 431![Soldiers guard the truce village of Panmunjom at the]()
237 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attends a concert marking]()
238 of 431![A boy pushes a cart of cabbage along a main road in]()
239 of 431![South Korean army soldiers close a gate in Paju, near]()
240 of 431![A North Korean woman walks down the streets of Pyongyang,]()
241 of 431![The 105-story pyramid-shaped Ryugyong Hotel towers]()
242 of 431![People ride in a boat in the Yalu River near Dandong,]()
243 of 431![North Korean soldiers patrol next to the border fence]()
244 of 431![A man works on a boat on the banks of the Yalu River]()
245 of 431![The sun rises over the bridge on the banks of the Yalu]()
246 of 431![A man rides his bicycle in front of a portion of the]()
247 of 431![A man and his son on a boat on of the Yalu River at]()
248 of 431![People and a truck embark a boat on the Yalu River]()
249 of 431![North Korean soldiers on the banks of the Yalu River]()
250 of 431![North Korean soldiers stand at their watchtower as]()
251 of 431![A North Korean soldier smokes a cigarette on the banks]()
252 of 431![North Korean military personnel celebrate after North]()
253 of 431![A pair of North Korean soldiers walk through a field]()
254 of 431![North Koreans clap in a rally, after North Korea said]()
255 of 431![A North Korean soldier looks across the border with]()
256 of 431![North Korean veterans gather before the start of a]()
257 of 431![A barbed wire fence at a military check point near]()
258 of 431![North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un watches a military]()
259 of 431![North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen]()
260 of 431![North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen]()
261 of 431![Hyeon Soo Lim who pastors the Light Korean Presbyterian]()
262 of 431![Members of North Korea's Moranbong Band perform with]()
263 of 431![A North Korean soldier gathers straw in a field in]()
264 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un accompanied by commanding]()
265 of 431![A picture made available on October 25, 2015 shows]()
266 of 431![This picture released from North Korea's official Korean]()
267 of 431![A North Korean traffic police woman directs vehicles]()
268 of 431![This undated picture released from North Korea's official]()
269 of 431![A picture released by the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper]()
270 of 431![This undated photo released by North Korea's official]()
271 of 431![In this Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015 photo, North Koreans]()
272 of 431![A station officer waist for trains to arrive on the]()
273 of 431![Portaits of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung,]()
274 of 431![This undated picture released from North Korea's official]()
275 of 431![In this Aug. 16, 2015 photo, people queue up at kiosk]()
276 of 431![A newlywed couple pose, during a photo shoot on Sijung]()
277 of 431![People dance during the celebration of the Liberation]()
278 of 431![North Korean soldiers watch as fireworks explode, Monday,]()
279 of 431![North Koreans bow in front of bronze statues of the]()
280 of 431![Staff wait at the check-in counters of the new international]()
281 of 431![In this Saturday, June 27, 2015, photo, an Air Koryo]()
282 of 431![Men and women pump their fists in the air and chant]()
283 of 431![In this June 24, 2015, photo, a farmer stands in front]()
284 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, center, visits the]()
285 of 431![A national meeting is held on April 14 at the Pyongyang]()
286 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, center, inspecting]()
287 of 431![North Korean workers plant seedlings in a field on]()
288 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong Un enjoys his Dec. 1 visit]()
289 of 431![A state photo from December 5 shows North Korean leader]()
290 of 431![Soldiers and citizens rally at Kim Il Sung Square in]()
291 of 431![North Koreans gather in front of a portrait of their]()
292 of 431![This picture taken by North Korea's official Korean]()
293 of 431![A December 13, handout photo shows North Korean leader]()
294 of 431![Kim Jong-Un applauds the participants in the second]()
295 of 431![This handout picture released from North Korea's official]()
296 of 431![An undated picture from North Korea's official Korean]()
297 of 431![People enjoy a ride at the Kaeson Youth Amusement Park on Sept. 3 in Pyongyang.]()
298 of 431![People shoot targets at an arcade at the Kaeson Youth Amusement Park.]()
299 of 431![North Koreans enjoy an amusement park ride.]()
300 of 431![Women wait for customers at a makeshift photo service stand.]()
301 of 431![North Koreans scream on the free-fall ride.]()
302 of 431![A portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jung Un posing with judo gold medalist An Kum Ae decorates the wall at a local gymnasium on Sept. 2 in Pyongyang.]()
303 of 431![North Korean athletes practice on a trampoline.]()
304 of 431![A North Korean subway station staff member waits for the arrival of a train on Sept. 1 in Pyongyang.]()
305 of 431![A boy arm wrestles with former NFL player Bob "The Beast" Sapp during a wrestling goodwill tour on Aug. 29 in Pyongyang.]()
306 of 431![Kim Jong-Un attends the test firing of a new high-performance tactical rocket on Aug. 15.]()
307 of 431![People bow to portraits of the late North Korean leaders Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung on Dec. 17 in Pyongyang. It is the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il.]()
308 of 431![North Koreans visit Mansu Hill to pay their respects to former leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.]()
309 of 431![Soldiers prepare to place flowers at the statues of North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il on Mansu Hill.]()
310 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, presides over an event to marking the second anniversary of the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in Pyongyang.]()
311 of 431![North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an event in Pyongyang.]()
312 of 431![Military officials applaud during an event marking the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il.]()
313 of 431![People bow at the statues of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il on Mansu Hill.]()
314 of 431![People place flower bouquets before the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il on Mansu Hill.]()
315 of 431![Women sweep around the statues of the late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sun, left, and Jong Il on the eve of the second anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il on Dec. 16 in Pyongyang.]()
316 of 431![North Koreans lay flowers at the base of statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang.]()
317 of 431![North Korean soldiers gather at Kumsusan memorial palace as they stage a rally supporting their leader, Kim Jong Un, in Pyongyang.]()
318 of 431![Soldiers march during a rally at the Kumsusan memorial palace.]()
319 of 431![Jang Song-thaek is escorted in court on Dec. 12. The uncle of leader Kim Jong Un was executed after a shocking purge, with the state branding the once-powerful man a "traitor."]()
320 of 431![A man watches a television news program showing the uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Jang Son Thaek, at his trial at a railway station in Seoul.]()
321 of 431![Military vehicles parade during a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice on July 27 in Pyongyang, North Korea.]()
322 of 431![A North Korean soldier salutes from a tank during a military parade at Kim Il-Sung Square.]()
323 of 431![Veterans of the Korean War wave to their leader, Kim Jong Un, during a military parade.]()
324 of 431![People wave flags as walk with statues of former leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.]()
325 of 431![People carry the North Korean national flags.]()
326 of 431![North Korean tanks parade through Kim Il-Sung Square.]()
327 of 431![Ugandan Vice-President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekand, left, Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greet spectators.]()
328 of 431![North Korean air force troops march in the parade.]()
329 of 431![A North Korean soldier salutes from his tank.]()
330 of 431![Soldiers march through Kim Il Sung Square.]()
331 of 431![A unit of women soldiers march in formation.]()
332 of 431![People wave flowers during the parade.]()
333 of 431![People carry a portrait of former leader Kim Jong-Il.]()
334 of 431![Dancers parade through Kim Il Sung Sqaure.]()
335 of 431![Thousands of people hold up colored squares as they create a giant North Korean flag as they celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice during a performance at the Rungnado May Day Stadium on July 26 in Pyongyang.]()
336 of 431![People hold colored material as they watch for their cue during a performance. One hundred thousand people created a synchronized socialist-realist performance in a 90 minute display of gymnastics, dance and acrobatics.]()
337 of 431![Dancers perform in Pyongyang.]()
338 of 431![Performers present a program on the field of the Rungnado May Day Stadium.]()
339 of 431![Noth Korean army veterans watch the program.]()
340 of 431![Fireworks explode above the Pyongyaang skyline.]()
341 of 431![North Korean soldiers walk along a road in front of the truce village of Panmunjom at the Demilitarized Zone on July 22.]()
342 of 431![North Korean pedestrians and bicyclists pass by a billboard for Pyeonghwa Motors, North Korea's car manufacturer, on a highway on the outskirts of Pyongyang.]()
343 of 431![North Koreans stand to applaud during the opening night of the "Arirang" mass games performance at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium on July 22. This year's performance was timed to debut for the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.]()
344 of 431![At dusk, the setting sunlight is reflected on the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 21.]()
345 of 431![North Koreans clean a street after a heavy rainfall in Kaesong, North Korea.]()
346 of 431![Thousands of North Koreans turn colored cards to create an image of the Unha-3 rocket that North Korea successfully launched in December 2012 during the Arirang mass games.]()
347 of 431![A North Korean soldier sits inside a room in Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).]()
348 of 431![North Koreans ride bicycles in the rain along the Taedong River bank in Pyongyang, North Korea.]()
349 of 431![North Korean soldiers walk on a highway near the North Korean city of Kaesong.]()
350 of 431![North Korean nurses sing and play the accordion while children dance during an event to start a campaign to give vitamin A supplements and deworming pills to children at a nursery school in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Child Health Day, May 20. UNICEF and North Korean government agencies are collaborating in the campaign to assist 1.7 million children across the country under age 5.]()
351 of 431![North Korean nurses give vitamin A supplements and deworming pills to children dressed in their best outfits at an elite nursery school in Pyongyang, North Korea.]()
352 of 431![North Koreans pass by the outer wall of a construction site where a propaganda billboard depicts the launch of North Korean rockets in Pyongyang, North Korea. The billboard reads: "Let's open up an era to a strong economic country."]()
353 of 431![North Koreans play a board game inside a sauna at the Haedanghwa Health Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 19. The newly opened complex houses a cooking school, multiple banquet rooms, swimming and wading pools, a billiards room and other spa and recreational facilities.]()
354 of 431![North Korean swimmers enter a waterfall wading pool inside the Haedanghwa Health Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea.]()
355 of 431![Wearing gym-provided workout clothing, North Koreans rest near the gym at the Haedanghwa Health Complex in Pyongyang, North Korea.]()
356 of 431![Portraits of former North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il hang on the outside of a building in central Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 18.]()
357 of 431![North Korean soldiers and civilians pose for photos April 25 as they tour the grounds of Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum in Pyongyang where the bodies of former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie embalmed. Last month, North Korea marked the 81st anniversary of the founding of its military, which began as an anti-Japanese militia and now has an estimated 1.2 million troops.]()
358 of 431![North Korean soldiers tour the park surrounding Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.]()
359 of 431![North Korean army Col. Kim Chang Jun stands behind field binoculars on a hilltop overlooking the Demilitarized Zone, south of Kaesong, North Korea, on April 24.]()
360 of 431![A boy walks along a path in front of a village south of Kaesong, North Korea.]()
361 of 431![A North Korean boy rides in a bicycle basket on a road north of Kaesong, North Korea.]()
362 of 431![A North Korean boy on rollerblades is pulled by a woman on a bicycle on a road south of Kaesong, North Korea and north of the demilitarized zone which separates the two Koreas.]()
363 of 431![A North Korean man checks his bicycle next to a propaganda billboard in Kaesong, North Korea.]()
364 of 431![North Korean soldiers ride in the top of a military truck on a road in Kaesong, North Korea. For weeks, North Korea has threatened to attack the U.S. and South Korea for holding joint military drills and for supporting U.N. sanctions. Washington and Seoul officials said they've seen no evidence that Pyongyang is actually preparing for a major conflict, though South Korean defense officials said the North appears prepared to test-fire a medium-range missile.]()
365 of 431![North Korean farmers work in a field inside the Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjom, North Korea.]()
366 of 431![A North Korean traffic policeman stands at an intersection in Kaesong, North Korea on April 23.]()
367 of 431![North Koreans walk bicycles along a street in Kaesong, North Korea.]()
368 of 431![North Korean children walk in front of an apartment block in Kaesong, North Korea.]()
369 of 431![North Korean soldiers stand on steps overlooking the border village of Panmunjom, North Korea.]()
370 of 431![A painting, depicting North Korean soldiers ambushing and killing U.S. troops hangs on a gallery wall at an art exhibition Friday in Pyongyang.]()
371 of 431![A North Korean boy practices his lines -- "Our country is the greatest in the world" -- as he is filmed by a local television crew at an exhibition of traditional calligraphy in Pyongyang.]()
372 of 431![North Korean children perform in front of an image of weapons and bayonetsat Mangyongdae Children's Palace in Pyongyang.]()
373 of 431![Children practice a musical performance at Mangyongdae Children's Palace.]()
374 of 431![A guide stands in a waiting room at Mangyongdae Children's Palace in Pyongyang. Portraits in the background show North Korea's late leaders Kim Il Sung, left, and Kim Jong Il.]()
375 of 431![Children work at easels during a drawing class at Mangyongdae Children's Palace.]()
376 of 431![A North Korean soldier plows a field on the outskirts of Pyongyang.]()
377 of 431![North Koreans walk along a sidewalk in Pyongyang.]()
378 of 431![A North Korean soldier walks through a parking lot as workers paint a building block across the street in Pyongyang.]()
379 of 431![A North Korean soldier guarding the entrance to Pyongyang's Kumsusan mausoleum, where the bodies of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie embalmed, looks back through the doors of the main gate Monday, April 15, 2013. North Koreans turned out on Monday to mark the 101st birthday of Kim Il Sung.]()
380 of 431![A North Korean man misses the turn and loses control of his go cart on a track at the Fun Fair in Pyongyang on Tuesday, April 16, 2013.]()
381 of 431![A North Korean child covers the eyes of her father as she sits on his shoulders watching mass folk dancing in front of Pyongyang Indoor Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. Oblivious to international tensions over a possible North Korean missile launch, Pyongyang residents spilled into the streets Monday to celebrate a major national holiday, the birthday of their first leader, Kim Il Sung.]()
382 of 431![North Korean commuters ride on a city trolley bus in Pyongyang.]()
383 of 431![Marathon runners pass by a long row of North Korean soldiers as they cross a bridge in Pyongyang on Sunday, April 14, 2013. North Korea hosted the 26th Mangyongdae Prize Marathon to mark the April 15, 2013 birthday of the late leader Kim Il Sung.]()
384 of 431![A North Korean woman walks past the outer wall of a construction site where a propaganda billboard depicting the launch of North Korean rockets in Pyongyang, North Korea. The billboard reads: "Lets open up an era to a strong economic country."]()
385 of 431![North Korean children hold up red scarves to be tied around their necks during an induction ceremony into the Korean Children's Union, the first political organization for North Koreans, held at a stadium in Pyongyang on Friday, April 12, 2013.]()
386 of 431![North Koreans dance together beneath a mosaic painting of the late leader Kim Il Sung during a mass folk dancing gathering in Pyongyang Thursday, April 11, 2013, to mark the anniversary of the first of many titles of power given to leader Kim Jong Un after the death of his father Kim Jong Il.]()
387 of 431![A North Korean man pushes a bicycle up a hill on the outskirts of Pyongyang.]()
388 of 431![North Korean man drives a small tractor in central Pyongyang, North Korea.]()
389 of 431![North Korean pedestrians walk on a sidewalk past a large nationalist painting in Pyongyang, North Korea.]()
390 of 431![North Korean children carrying brooms walk on a sidewalk in Pyongyang on their way to help tidy up the area around bronze statues of the late leaders as the capital city prepares to mark the April 15 birthday of its founder Kim Il Sung.]()
391 of 431![A North Korean soldier passes by roadside propaganda depicting a North Korean soldier killing a U.S. soldier in Pyongyang. The poster reads in Korean "Life or Death Battle. Merciless Punishment to U.S. Imperialists and Puppet Traitors."]()
392 of 431![An apartment block stands among the buildings at dawn in central Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, April 10, 2013.]()
393 of 431![Reflected in the airport building glass, passengers disembark from North Korea's Air Koryo flight as they arrive at the Pyongyang International airport on Tuesday, April 9, 2013.]()
394 of 431![North Korean soldiers march through Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, on March 16.]()
395 of 431![Two North Korean boys hop a ride on the back of a city tram March 14 to cross a bridge in Pyongyang.]()
396 of 431![North Koreans select apples and oranges, imported from China, at a supermarket in Pyongyang on March 13.]()
397 of 431![A North Korean soldier works at a computer terminal under portraits of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il inside the Grand People's Study House in Pyongyang on March 12.]()
398 of 431![A bus is covered in camouflage netting in a parking lot of a building in Pyongyang on March 9.]()
399 of 431![A children's pop-up book, displayed by a teacher March 9 at at Kaeson Kindergarten in Pyongyang, depicts a U.S. soldier killing a Korean woman with a hatchet. For North Koreans, the systematic indoctrination of anti-Americanism starts as early as kindergarten.]()
400 of 431![A North Korean girl readies a toy gun that fires rubber corks as she and others play a shooting game at a carnival March 8 at a park in Pyongyang.]()
401 of 431![A Mercedes rides along a street in central Pyongyang. The U.N. Security Council responded swiftly to North Korea's Feb. 12 nuclear test by punishing the reclusive regime Thursday with new sanctions that target the communist nation's economy and leadership. Pyongyang responded with the threat of a pre-emptive nuclear strike on the United States.]()
402 of 431![An image depicting a female North Korean soldier leading an attack is projected on a screen behind performers during a concert in Pyongyang marking International Women's Day. The text at the top of the screen reads, "We are the General's female coastal artillery troops."]()
403 of 431![North Koreans rally March 7 at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang in support of a government statement Tuesday that vowed to cancel the 1953 cease-fire that ended the Korean War. The statement also boasted of North Korea's ownership of "lighter and smaller nukes" and its ability to execute "surgical strikes" meant to unify the divided Korean Peninsula.]()
404 of 431![North Koreans carry bundles on their backs as they cross a frozen lake north of the capital city of Pyongyang on Feb. 24.]()
405 of 431![A North Korean woman sings karaoke at the Hyangsan Hotel at the foot of Mount Myohyang on Feb. 23.]()
406 of 431![North Koreans cross a railroad bridge over a riverbed south of Mount Myohyang, and north of the capital city of Pyongyang.]()
407 of 431![A North Korean traffic officer patrols a street Feb. 22 in central Pyongyang.]()
408 of 431![A nurse looks out of a window at a neighborhood health clinic in Pyongyang.]()
409 of 431![A North Korean man stands next to a tractor and wagon on the edge of a snow-covered field near the village of Ryongsan-ri, south of Pyongyang.]()
410 of 431![Pedestrians walk along a street Feb. 21 in central Pyongyang.]()
411 of 431![A nurse comforts a baby at a nursery inside Pyongyang Maternity Hospital on Feb. 20.]()
412 of 431![Well-wishers wave flower bouquets as buses carrying North Korean nuclear scientists and other officials pass by in Pyongyang. Scientists and other officials involved in the North's underground nuclear test on Feb. 12 arrived in the capital city Feb. 20 to a celebration.]()
413 of 431![Photos showing different hairstyles hang inside a barber shop in Pyongyang.]()
414 of 431![A 2013 calendar, showing a picture of North Korea's Unha-3 rocket, hangs inside a hair salon in Pyongyang.]()
415 of 431![A North Korean portrait photographer instructs soldiers to pose for a picture under a mosaic of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at an exhibition in Pyongyang on Feb. 17, where Kimjongilia flowers, named after Kim Jong Il, were on display.]()
416 of 431![A North Korean woman, with a fake Kalashnikov rifle used in a theatrical performance, stands in front of the Pyongyang Grand Theatre waiting for a ride.]()
417 of 431![Soldiers ride an escalator past a model of their country's Unha Rocket as they enter an exhibition in Pyongyang.]()
418 of 431![A musical performance is held in Pyongyang with the words "Let's strike the imperialists mercilessly with the same success we had carrying out the 3rd nuclear test" projected on a screen.]()
419 of 431![Soldiers gather along a Pyongyang street during heavy snowfall.]()
420 of 431![Female North Korean traffic officers gather in Pyongyang near bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to commemorate what would have been the 71st birthday of Kim Jong Il, who died Dec. 17, 2011.]()
421 of 431![Children play with the camera of an Associated Press photographer as people gather in front of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on Feb. 16.]()
422 of 431![Soldiers lay flowers at the base of bronze statues of the late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.]()
423 of 431![Offerings of flowers are lined up as North Koreans bow in front of bronze statues of their late leaders.]()
424 of 431![Pedestrians pass under a bridge in Pyongyang on Feb. 15.]()
425 of 431![Cameramen use an elevated boom camera, left, and a older film camera to cover the opening ceremony of a figure skating exhibition in Pyongyang.]()
426 of 431![North Koreans watch the opening ceremonies of a figure skating exhibition in Pyongyang. Hanging in the arena is a banner with the word "Peace" in English and Korean.]()
427 of 431![Synchronized swimmers perform at an exhibition in Pyongyang. The exhibition was one of the events commemorating what would have been Kim Jong Il's 71st birthday.]()
428 of 431![North Koreans leave an ice skating rink after a figure skating exhibition.]()
429 of 431![A poster showing a model of North Korea's Unha-3 Rocket hangs in the lobby of a hotel in Pyongyang in Feb. North Korea is upgrading one of its two major missile launch sites, apparently to handle much larger rockets.]()
430 of 431![North Koreans stand before a roadside mosaic of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay their respects to the dead leaders. Kim Jong Il died in 2011, Kim Il Sung in 1994.]()
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Almost everyone agrees a war would be catastrophic, with the potential use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons that could cause the deaths of millions in North and South Korea, and possibly in China and Japan. The impact on the global economy — and even the climate —could be severe.
North Korea says its nuclear weapons program is designed to deter any U.S. attempt at regime change. Many analysts agree. Joseph Cirincione of the Ploughshares Fund argues the world needs to learn to live with a nuclear-armed North Korea, just as the western world contained the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
There are reports that the Trump administration is considering limited military action. Again, though, those reports could be messaging to convey the appearance of coercive diplomacy to Pyongyang.
Pentagon war-gamers have repeatedly found that a limited war with North Korea is not a realistic option, while the player representing North Korea consistently chooses to escalate the conflict in such war games. Most analysts add that conventional weapons are unable to take out underground missile sites, making the only realistic U.S. option for a pre-emptive strike being a nuclear attack.
“I’m going to go with no war (in 2018),” predicts Isaac Stone Fish, an international affairs analyst for PRI’s The World. Stone Fish is a senior fellow with the Asia Society, and a former Newsweek correspondent in Beijing.
He said his prediction is based “in part because I’m optimistic in the holiday season. And in part because all the sides recognize that they have more to lose with a war than without a war.”
He believes “cooler heads will prevail.”
Stone Fish said it also depends on how you define war. “One could see the likelihood of a small shooting skirmish, with a few soldiers dead on either side, as far more likely.”
He also points out that North Korea has the capacity to simply ignore an attack. “One can imagine a scenario where the U.S. has a surgical strike on North Korea — I don’t think this is a good idea — but one can imagine them doing so; killing North Korean civilians; killing North Korean soldiers; and Pyongyang decides to just completely cover it up."
Stone Fish cites as a precedent the exchange of fire between North and South Korea in 2010. “The North Koreans shelled a South Korean island, killing four people. The South Koreans responded; we don’t know exactly how they responded — but presumably, North Koreans died as well. And then the North Koreans basically just dropped it.”
Stone Fish has another concern. “My biggest worry,” he said, “is that Trump faces a more serious domestic crisis, feels like he’s really losing the grip of his base, and decides to do something against North Korea to regain popularity.”
But he said even that is not likely. “I just don’t think he (Trump) or the people around him will ever be in a situation — and again maybe this is just me being hopeful — where they feel their best option, or their only option, is to attack North Korea.”
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