In pictures: Unseen North Korea

Despite the deprivation, children will always find creative ways to play. As they are too poor to afford ice skates, these boys have improvised with knife blades stuck onto blocks of wood. They propel themselves along with sticks.

The ice on this lake is about 25cm deep. As people walk across it you hear pistol shots ringing out as hairline cracks develop. But it is perfectly safe and in the winter people cycle across the lake to get to the other side.