Made in North Korea: The graphic design of a pariah state

A printed poster saying ‘Let’s innovate the fish industry!’ Fishing is a dominant industry of the North Korean economy. (1981) — Image caption,
This printed poster from the exhibition is captioned: "Let's innovate the fishing industry!" Fishing is a huge industry in North Korea but under international sanctions it can't sell its seafood overseas.

Getty Images

It's not uncommon to find state-published comic books distributed amongst the more privileged classes. Comics are just one of many mediums of propaganda used by North Korea, which tightly controls state TV, local radio networks and its official newspaper amongst others.

A hand painted poster saying ‘Let’s develop our Korean traditional medicine, our national heritage!’ (No date) North Korea has developed its own medical style, described as ‘Korea Medicine’ or ‘Eastern Medicine’.

A hand-painted poster saying "Let’s develop our Korean traditional medicine, our national heritage!". North Korea is proud of its homegrown medicine, but is known to have huge domestic nutrition and health problems. Earlier in 2017, a North Korean soldier who defected was found to have "enormous" parasitic worms in his intestines.

Cover of canned beef. On the cover below, ‘Tomato’ is written phonetically in North Korea's style of writing.

A label of a tin of canned beef in North Korea. Meat is not usually accessible to many people in the country who live in poverty. According to the UN, North Korean diets are made of mostly rice, kimchi and bean paste and are lacking in essential fats and proteins.

Getty Images

These metal badges celebrate North Korean sporting achievements.

Covers of tin cans produced in Yongsong Food Processing Plant, one of the biggest state-run factories in North Korea.

These tin can labels were produced in the Yongsong Food Processing Plant, one of the biggest factories in the country. All factories in North Korea are state-owned.

Cigarette cases. ‘Paradise(left)’ and ‘Establishment(right)’. Tobacco smoking is very popular among North Korean men.

These cigarette cases bear the words "Paradise" (left) and "Establishment" (right). According to 2012 survey by the WHO, more than half of North Korean men are smokers, one of the highest rates in Asia. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been pictured smoking on several occasions.

Ticket for Korean traditional performance ‘Arirang’. Seat and row numbers are handwritten. ‘Free’ is stamped on the centre.

A ticket to the annual Arirang mass games in North Korea which celebrate patriotism and support for the Kim family. Thousands of performers are involved in the games, which feature co-ordinated performances by dancers and gymnasts among others. The games are named after a folk song popular in both North and South Korea.

Visitors are staring at North Korean posters. On the centre poster with fluorescent green coloured background, a young woman is emphasising the importance of kindness and servitude.

These North Korean posters are part of an exhibition of hundreds of everyday objects, a collection owned by Nicholas Bonner, who has been leading tours to the country for 25 years. North Korea is one of the world's most isolated countries, though it does still maintain diplomatic links with a handful of countries, including China and Russia.

Commemorative stamps of Diana, Princess of Wales. North Korea and the United Kingdom established diplomatic relations in 2000.

Commemorative North Korean stamps of Diana, Princess of Wales. According to Mr Bonner, it's not uncommon for postage stamps depicting various foreign people and historical events to be issued in North Korea.

Holographic cards Nick Bonner has collected from various tourist spots in North Korea. From the left, a woman in traditional Korean costume holding ginseng, a worker ploughing field, and a woman practicing embroidery.

These holographic cards depict scenes from life in North Korea. Citizens in North Korea are cut off from the rest of the world, with state-media tightly controlling what its citizens know. Internet use remains restricted to a small section of the elite, and state TV often contains reports from the government, party and military. Made in North Korea runs at House of Illustration in London until 13 May.

More on this story