North Korean civilians including women and the elderly appear to have been involved in tough manual labor for long hours without adequate tools or machinery in a major construction project at Samjiyon, photos and testimony shared with NK Pro shows.

While much of the footage and images from state media show primarily workers dressed in military or military-style uniforms carrying out construction tasks with machinery and tools, images taken from the ground in the second quarter of 2018 paint a contrasting picture.

A source present at the site, who wished to remain anonymous due to sensitivities