13. A Blackout in the Capital

A nighttime image of Pyongyang in near-total darkness went viral. Only a few buildings show light—likely government facilities. The rest of the city fades into black. Taken from space, this photo compared North Korea to its brightly lit neighbors and exposed the country’s energy crisis. It contradicted the state’s promises of energy independence and revealed the extent of power rationing. The shocking contrast between light and darkness spoke volumes about life inside the regime.

14. Fake Construction Sites for Show

This photo shows workers pretending to build something—digging the same hole repeatedly. The site was set up for a scheduled foreign visit. A source revealed the construction stopped once the visitors left. The image captured the regime’s obsession with appearance over substance. It blew the lid off a long-running tactic: staging development to impress outsiders. This fake project became a symbol of how much deception is embedded in daily life under North Korean rule.