Parallel lives: opposites and echoes either side of Korea's DMZ

On either side of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Koreas, a soldier stares at the camera, the emblematic blue huts of the truce village of Panmunjom behind him.

Seoul's President Moon Jae-in will fly straight to Pyongyang on Tuesday for his summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un -- but for ordinary citizens of both countries, travel between them is banned.

On either side of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Koreas, a soldier stares at the camera, the emblematic blue huts of the truce village of Panmunjom behind him.

Seoul's President Moon Jae-in will fly straight to Pyongyang on Tuesday for his summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un -- but for ordinary citizens of both countries, travel between them is banned.

The two soldiers at Panmunjom were standing less than 100 metres apart, but getting from one location to the other would require a journey of more than 2,000 kilometres, via China.

Seoul's President Moon Jae-in will fly straight to Pyongyang on Tuesday for his summit with the North's leader Kim Jong Un -- but for ordinary citizens of both countries, travel between them is banned.

The two soldiers at Panmunjom were standing less than 100 metres apart, but getting from one location to the other would require a journey of more than 2,000 kilometres, via China.

The images are one of a series of paired portraits taken by AFP photographer Ed Jones in the two countries, one of them a capitalist democracy and the other an isolated, nuclear-armed state.

The two soldiers at Panmunjom were standing less than 100 metres apart, but getting from one location to the other would require a journey of more than 2,000 kilometres, via China.

The images are one of a series of paired portraits taken by AFP photographer Ed Jones in the two countries, one of them a capitalist democracy and the other an isolated, nuclear-armed state.

From farmers, factory workers and petrol attendants to tour guides, shoppers and schoolchildren, the photographs highlight the visual similarities and differences between the two societies and their peoples.

The images are one of a series of paired portraits taken by AFP photographer Ed Jones in the two countries, one of them a capitalist democracy and the other an isolated, nuclear-armed state.

From farmers, factory workers and petrol attendants to tour guides, shoppers and schoolchildren, the photographs highlight the visual similarities and differences between the two societies and their peoples.

Reflecting the countries' geographical locations, the Northern portrait is always the top of the pair.

From farmers, factory workers and petrol attendants to tour guides, shoppers and schoolchildren, the photographs highlight the visual similarities and differences between the two societies and their peoples.

Reflecting the countries' geographical locations, the Northern portrait is always the top of the pair.

AFP is one of only a handful of international news organisations to operate a bureau in Pyongyang, giving it unusual access to the isolated country -- Seoul-based Jones is the only photographer living in the South who regularly visits the North, giving him a unique perspective on the two.

Reflecting the countries' geographical locations, the Northern portrait is always the top of the pair.

AFP is one of only a handful of international news organisations to operate a bureau in Pyongyang, giving it unusual access to the isolated country -- Seoul-based Jones is the only photographer living in the South who regularly visits the North, giving him a unique perspective on the two.

"It's less about the technical aspects of the picture and more about the access," said Jones. "It's a rough style of photography which is more about the story of the two countries.

AFP is one of only a handful of international news organisations to operate a bureau in Pyongyang, giving it unusual access to the isolated country -- Seoul-based Jones is the only photographer living in the South who regularly visits the North, giving him a unique perspective on the two.

"It's less about the technical aspects of the picture and more about the access," said Jones. "It's a rough style of photography which is more about the story of the two countries.

"It's less about the technical aspects of the picture and more about the access," said Jones. "It's a rough style of photography which is more about the story of the two countries.

"You can put the pictures side by side but the people can't stand side by side in real life and there's something inherently captivating about that."
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