First ever 360-degree aerial video of Pyongyang shows North Korea's bizarre capital like never before

nknewsorg via Youtube

Pyongyang, as seen from a microlight plane.

• A photographer took a 360-degree aerial video of Pyongyang for the first time ever.
• The video reveals another side of North Korea, as well as many striking scenes and landmarks.

Outsiders know North Korea only as the scary, totalitarian state where Kim Jong Un rules with an iron fist, but Singaporean photographer Aram Pam just completed a world first - filming Pyongyang from a microlight plane with a 360-degree camera.

Pam, a Singaporean photographer who provided photos and video to NK News, negotiated strict regulations and bans on photography and media to capture Pyongyang as it had never been seen before.

The aerial view of Pyongyang reveals a strange juxtaposition, as brilliant high-rises line major streets like facades, but low, dull buildings hide behind them. North Korea's tall, modern-looking buildings tower over broad streets with virtually nobody on them. Major highways intersect without a traffic light. Gleaming space-age stadiums contrast sharply with other massive structures that seem to rot nearby.

In the video below, see all of North Korea's great and mysterious structures: the Hotel of Doom, the Rungrado May Day stadium, one of the largest stadiums in the world, and countless waterfront skyscrapers.