In the recent days of May, CNN correspondent Will Ripley and photojournalist Brad Olson have been taking a tour, so to speak, of North Korea. In a strange move for a country that rarely allows visitors, North Korean officials invited the pair into the country. Together, the two journalists put together a vivid picture of North Korean life in upscale district and capitol of North Korea– Pyongyang.

The pair was first invited to take a tour of North Korea’s DMZ (Korean Demilitarized Zone) on May 4^th, an invitation which they happily accepted. The DMZ was established at the end of the Korean War and is a strip of land that effectively separates the two Koreas. Access to the DMZ is rarely granted, and even when it is, most of it is off limits. Almost three fourths of North Korea’s standing army is stationed near or on the heavily fortified border.

Although the pair of reporters did not get to see much of the DMZ, they were able to tour the surroundings of one of the military bases there and a waterpark reserved for military families. While the military base was rather unremarkable, stiff necked guards patrolled the outside of a grey and brown rectangular building, the water park was more interesting. Once visitors bow to a statue of Kim Jong Il they are free to enter the park, which is remarkably well-kept considering there is no entrance fee. The park is reserved for high ranking residence of Pyongyang and their families, people like doctors, government officials, and military personnel.

Much like the waterpark, the upscale apartments in Pyongyang are reserved for important members of the population. The apartments are pre-furnished by the government, filled with all the amenities a North Korean citizen could need, including a framed picture of Kim Jong Il in every room. All housing is pre assigned and free in North Korea, with only the most upper echelon of citizens receiving the good or even acceptable housing.

The pair of reporters ventured to many other parts of the country’s capital, with most places having the same general feeling as the apartments. Everything seems very clean and preordained by the government, with an extreme reverence for Kim Jong Il.

Not only did the pair paint a picture with their words, they took real pictures, too.

You can view them here.

It’s rare to have a glimpse into North Korea, and though it is probably carefully filtered, it does allow the general public insight into unfamiliar territory.