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Composite: Ed Jones/AFP

Parallel lives: matching portraits from South and North Korea – in pictures

This article is more than 5 years old
Composite: Ed Jones/AFP

As South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, visits Pyongyang for the third summit with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, take a look at the photographer Ed Jones’s comparative portraits from the two countries

by Ed Jones/AFP

Jones said of his photos: “You can put the pictures side by side but the people can’t stand side by side in real life and there’s something inherently captivating about that.”

Staff at shooting ranges in Seoul and Pyongyang

Lee Chi-yoon, an instructor at the Mokdong shooting range in Seoul, on 25 May 2017, and Kim Su-ryon, a staff member at the Maeri shooting range in Pyongyang, on 21 February 2017.

Men on boats in Seoul and Pyongyang

Kim Kun-ho, 25, on his watersports boat on the Han River in Seoul on 19 August 2017, and Kim Il-soo on his tourist boat on the Taedong River in Pyongyang on 25 November 2016.

Soldiers on the south and north sides of the truce village of Panmunjom

Cpl Woo on the south side of the truce village of Panmunjom, within the Demilitarised Zone, on 2 August 2017, and Lt Kim on the north side of the village on 2 June 2017.

Students in computer labs in Seoul and Pyongyang

Jenni Lim, 21, a student, at a computer lab at Yonsei University, Seoul, on 10 October 2017, and Ri Young-hwa, 19, a volunteer staff member and student, at a computer lab at the Scitech building in Pyongyang on 26 November 2016.

Women at water parks in Seoul and Pyongyang

Kwon Ye-seul, 30, at the Caribbean Bay waterpark south of Seoul on 6 August 2018, and Ri Song-hui, 21, at the Munsu water park in Pyongyang on 22 September 2017.

Children after dance performances in Seoul and Pyongyang

Yoon Hyerim, 10, after a dance performance at Dongdaemun Design Plaza during Seoul fashion week, on 20 October 2017, and Kim Song-jong, nine, after a dance performance at a Children’s Day event in Pyongyang.

Staff at water parks in Ilsan and Pyongyang

Kim Young-hoon, a lifeguard at the One Mount water park in Ilsan, on 30 September 2017, and Choe Un-hwa, a staff member at the Munsu water park in Pyongyang, on 22 September 2017.

Students in Seoul and Pyongyang

Lim Jun-beom, 24, a student, in the Sinchon area of Seoul on 5 May 2018, and Pak Kum-ryong, 23, also a student, in a public square in Pyongyang on 22 September 2017

Fathers and children at supermarkets in Bundang and Pyongyang

Hong Sung-cho, 35, with his son Hong Jinu, two, at a supermarket in Bundang, near Seoul, on 1 September 2018, and Han Gwang-rim, 34, with his daughter Su Ryon at a supermarket in Pyongyang on 4 June 2017.

Petrol station staff in Goyang and Pyongyang

An unidentified pump attendant at a petrol station near Goyang on 15 September 2017, and Kim Su-hyang, 18, at the petrol station where she works on the road between Pyongyang and Nampho on 24 July 2017.

Food factory workers in Jincheon and Wonsan

Kim Si-eun, 49, at the Spam factory where she works in Jincheon, south of Seoul, on 28 August 2018, and Hong Kum-ju, 27, at the food factory where she works near Wonsan on 11 April 2017.

Tour guides in Seoul and Pyongyang

Bang Sung-hee, a tour guide, on the viewing deck of the 63 Building in Seoul on 8 September 2017, and Choi Hee-ok, also a tour guide, on the viewing deck of the Juche Tower in Pyongyang on 28 November 2016.

Participants in rallies in Seoul and Pyongyang

Retired R Adm Park Sae-hun holding a placard during a rally in Seoul demanding the redeployment of US tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea, on 12 September 2017, and Ri Kum-hui after a military parade and mass rally on Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on 15 April 2017.

This article was amended on 20 September 2018 to correctly identify Jenni Lim and Ri Young-hwa in their corresponding photos.

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