Quick: Google the terms “rare glimpse North Korea.”

You will quickly find, if you didn’t know already, that articles claiming to show unique, ground-breaking images from inside the country are not so rare.

The content of those articles, for that matter, is rarely new.

These glimpses, often captured by tourists on restrictive organized trips, claim to show the real North Korea, but rarely provide insight into life in the country that are unknown to the outside world.

But can such pictures nonetheless be instructive? And how might tourists who visit the DPRK best capture a glimpse that, rare or not, is still valuable?

NK News spoke to Pierre Depont, one tourist who has captured “unseen” footage during his visit to North Korea to find out what constitutes a “rare glimpse” and how one obtain it. Among the challenges Depont notes are the other tourists, namely, getting them to get out of the way.

While as with the other “rare glimpses” Depont’s footage may not be particularly rare, at least this time it is beautifully shot.

NK News: The ability to capture footage in North Korea, like the trips themselves, is restricted. What are the challenges of filming in North Korea and what issues did you run into when trying to capture footage?

Depont: The main challenges of filming in North Korea, bar the obvious restrictions of not been able to film people in uniform and scenes of poverty, are the whole pace of the tours. There is very little time to take shots. Also, being in a group is difficult, trying to keep tourists out of shot and constant camera flashes when you’re inside. Generally everything you see in North Korea is what they want you to see and this is reflected in photos and video clips taken there. It’s hard to get natural, everyday shots.

The journeys and the people are the most interesting aspect of visiting North Korea. The actual destinations and sites are generally pretty boring and painful

NK News: What were the most interesting aspects of your trip, what surprised you and what did you see that you wished you could have captured?

Depont: The journeys and the people are the most interesting aspect of visiting North Korea. The actual destinations and sites are generally pretty boring and painful. What surprised me most last time I went was going onto their new restaurant boat in Pyongyang; it just seemed surreal with its popcorn stalls, a swanky bar full of top brand spirits, pretty stylish air hostesses serving our food and lots of locals enjoying an expensive day out. I spent one extended day after the tour and I went to a very posh pub/lounge above a small supermarket, which is nicknamed “Waitrose” by some. What made these places so interesting is that they were full of locals. They kind of seemed disconnected from their country. After traveling extensively by bus and train through the countryside, it would’ve been great just to stop at any of the villages or towns on route and stroll around and take some shots.

NK News: Did you ever run into trouble when trying to film? Did anybody else in the group run into trouble with photos or footage they were trying to capture?

Depont: On three occasions I had my camera checked. On one occasion I had photos deleted that were taken at the airport near Chongjin, they were photos of MiG fighter jets, so I couldn’t complain. On the last night of my tour I was discreetly asked to bring my camera down so my Korean guide could look at my photos. She said that our bus driver up in the north of the country had seen me take photos from the bus. In earlier camera checks this seemed to be more of a formality and they didn’t seem that interested in the photos, yet wanted to be seen doing it. Once when I left North Korea on the train a companion had a few photos deleted at the border.

NK News: Given that there are so many alleged “rare glimpses” of North Korea being published by tourists and journalists these days, what do you think makes the footage you have shot stand out?

Depont: This was the first time any tourist, including Western guides, have traveled from Hamhung to Chongjin and back (sleeping on the train). Being there on previous occasions made it easier for me to film as in how much you can push the guides. This also enabled me to film it from a more relaxed, neutral perspective and not just looking for shock value. What stands out for me is that, even though you might presume it’s taken by a tourist, it’s not obvious when you watch it.

NK News: On the whole, whether or not it reveals something new, what are the benefits of capturing footage in North Korea on these trips?

Depont: The benefits of these videos, even though they are all taken on controlled tours, is that they still show glimpses of ordinary people doing ordinary things. Nearly everything we see on North Korea in the West comes with sensational headlines (and) is generally negative stuff. So anything that shows that there are human beings behind the freak show headlines has got to be good.