Social media users are wondering who is behind a TikTok account that posted videos about daily life in North Korea.
The page, called northkoreanlife, contains a compilation of 19 videos of North Koreans walking to work, playing games on mobile phones and driving cars from brands such as Audi, Hyundai and Mercedes.
All posts were uploaded in February this year and there has been no activity on the page since then.
It is unclear who controls or owns the account, but many believe the account was used as a propaganda tool by the North Korean government.
The account has more than 227,000 followers and 4.9 million likes on its posts, but the majority who viewed and commented were not fooled by this glossy presentation of one of the most repressive countries in the world.
The Tik Tok account, called northkoreanlife, features a compilation of 19 videos of North Koreans seemingly enjoying their lives
One post showed a local player playing games on a smartphone, despite only having internet access
The driving of Western cars from brands such as Audi, Hyundai and Mercedes is also shown
Each post contains a caption depicting the joys of living in the Asian country.
Panoramic images of the capital and surrounding countryside are tagged with sayings such as “busy street in North Korea,” “Pyongyang has the best nightlife” and “driving through the North Korean countryside,” followed by emoji with amorous eyes.
Under the rule of Kim Jong Un, the third leader of the nearly 75-year Kim dynasty, North Korea has become a state without opposition, without free media and without religious freedom.
The totalitarian government maintains its fearful obedience by threatening execution, imprisonment and enforced disappearance, with thousands of political opponents reportedly being held in large forced labor camps.
There are strict restrictions on communications with the outside world, with internet access granted only to members of Kim’s government and televisions limited to three channels – all controlled by those in power.
This isolation from the rest of the world means we don’t really know what life is like in North Korea, but the cultural and economic separation means its 26 million residents suffer from malnutrition and live in extreme poverty.
This is obviously not visible on this TikTok account, which films people in suits walking to and from work, or young people in school uniforms spending time on the playground.
Even then, there are only a small handful of these people in the footage, with most videos featuring deserted streets, empty roads and everyone walking in the same direction.
This has led to a number of online claims that the videos are staged by the government as they continue to pump out their distorted version of North Korean reality to the Western world.
It is unclear who controls or owns the account, but many believe the account was used as a propaganda tool by the North Korean government
Each post includes a caption that captures the supposed joys of life in the Asian country
Most videos feature deserted streets, empty roads and everyone walking in the same direction
A number of TikiTok users have alleged that the videos were staged by the ruling authorities
One user commented: ‘Why is everyone walking in exactly the same direction?’
Another said: ‘Why do I feel like these are actors’
A third wrote: ‘Notice how no one else has a phone’
Some were sympathetic to those in the clips, with one person writing: ”I really feel sorry for them”
One further added: ‘That’s a simulation’
Others accused the videos of being doctored and claimed the cars on display were actually computer generated.
“Literally CGI cars,” said one.
The country is also known for its absurd laws that impose a rigid and controlled life on the population.
Residents are only allowed one of 28 haircuts – 18 for women and 10 for men – not including Kim Jong Un’s.
After a visit to the country in 2013, Google CEO Eric Schmidt described the country as a ‘strange place’, full of staged encounters.