2003 Photo Contest, General News, 2nd prize
Photographer

Olivier Mirguet

for Le Monde 2

01 May, 2002

Laborers repair a railway line that runs from China, through North Korea to South Korea. After the Korean War, the then North Korean president Kim Il-sung introduced a socialist philosophy of Juche, or militant self-reliance. For decades North Korea was one of the world's most secretive societies, but in recent years relations with South Korea and some other states appeared to be undergoing a thaw. International relations were dealt a blow in late 2002 during controversy surrounding North Korea's alleged nuclear weapons program. Talks about re-opening road and rail links with South Korea stalled.

About the photographer

Olivier Mirguet

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