North Korean authorities contacted me. They demanded I delete the photos from the internet. They pressured, threatened, and tried to silence me. “You violated our trust,” they wrote.
I refused. I told them: “I show life as it is. Both the good and the bad. I will not make an exception for North Korea.” That was my last word in our dialogue.
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The response came quickly. I was officially banned from entering North Korea. For life. I became persona non grata for showing a girl at an off computer and a tired soldier.
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But I have no regrets. The price of truth is always high. My photos flew around the world, opening the eyes of millions. I will never step on Pyongyang soil again, but my images will remain there forever.