In a photograph, five schoolchildren stand before a blue wall. Their starched white shirts throw them into sharp relief. From behind the tinted lenses of their bright yellow sunglasses, they look directly at the viewer. Just as the viewer looks at them.
When French photographer Stephan Gladieu’s request to travel to North Korea was approved, he knew he wanted to focus on capturing the country’s people. “I made it clear from the beginning that I will not do architecture photography or photograph empty places—that had no interest for me,” Gladieu tells Euronews Culture.
