While you may not be gaining a visa to travel to this mysterious and secretive dictatorship nation anytime soon, the pages of Nicholas Bonner’s Made In North Korea will take you on a journey there anyway. Nestled between the cover lies an uncensored and unfiltered portrait of North Korea, as Bonner peels back the curtains for a view of ordinary life in the world’s most secretive nation, featuring many never-before-seen graphics.
Bonner uncovers the fascinating and even beautiful graphic culture of North Korea, whether in food packaging, hotel brochures, luggage tags, or tickets to their famous mass games. Working as a tour operator for journeys to North Korea for more than 20 years has given Bonner the vantage point to both collect and dissect this vast collection of graphic memorabilia. His thousands of items are portrayed with more than 500 illustrations and provide an insight into the country’s state-controlled graphics output and the lives of numerous ordinary North Koreans.