Instagram of the Week: Candid, Vibrant Street Photos From Inside North Korea

Few people give North Korea any thought until its leader threatens to fire a missile at someone. Of course, it's hard to think about something you know nothing about. The country's totalitarian regime does its best to keep anyone from seeing what life there is really like.

Still, social media provides occasional glimpses into the Hermit Kingdom. Some of the best come from Drew Kelly, who taught English and business in Pyongyang and returns there occasionally while traveling throughout Asia. Beyond his personal account, which documents his adventures around the world, Kelly curates Everyday DPRK, an Instagram account rich in snapshots and short videos that take you beyond the stereotypes and state-sanctioned stories.

"North Korea's narrative is a complex one—filled with difficultly and frustrations, but it also holds humanity that is beyond the leadership and Party," he says. "Every photo I take is a time-capsule of a culture and society unlike anywhere else in the world."

Kelly was teaching at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology when he started posting to Instagram more than three years ago. That's no easy feat in a country largely closed to social media, and it requires using a VPN. Kelly likes shooting with an iPhone because he finds it "less threatening as you go for the perfect candid street shot." He's got an excellent eye for pattern and color, and his images are richly detailed. "I try to look for pure candid moments with the idea that photography should allow you to transplant yourself to the moment it was taken," he says.

Kelly now lives in California, but returns to North Korea from time to time. He recently organized a visit for several photographers, and believes Instagram can be a "a tool for micro-diplomacy." That's an old idea updated for a new medium and applied to an enigmatic country.