North Korea’s huge water park, Munsu Water Park, was personally requested by leader Kim Jong-un, and photos show a different side of the mostly bleak country.
The 37 acre large water park has indoors and outdoor pools, wave machines and slides, all painted in bright colours.
The shocking photos show North Korea citizens playing on rides, swimming and throwing beach balls.
“For me, [it] was the best place to mingle with the locals,” said Israeli lawyer Ariel Shalev, 32, who visited the park.
He described it as a Walt Disney style propaganda site for the socialist country.
“In North Korea, in all of these propaganda places, you feel like you are inside a Walt Disney dream.”
“It’s kitsch and you feel like you’re inside a fantasy – it’s a fantasy for me as a Westerner, so of course it’s a real fantasy for the locals.”
However, hardly any of the North Korea population will get to see the park, which is strictly for the country’s elite.
A single four hour visit costs $ 10 (£7) – almost a third of the average weekly wage in North Korea of $ 33 (£24).
While North Korea has an estimated 25 million people living there, reports say the park had just 100,000 visits in the first half of 2016.
Assuming one visit per person, this works out to less than 0.1 per cent of the population.
Ariel also described the shocking lack of privacy in the park, where guests have to be accompanied by guides.
He said he couldn’t even get “privacy” in the water park’s changing room: “As a foreigner, I couldn’t get privacy.”
Illegal tourist photos from North Korea shows what it’s really like for most people living under Kim Jong-un’s regime.
The bleak photos show a grey river view without any lights or advertising.
There is also a photo of a North Korea school class room which has a photo of Kim Jong-un on the wall.
