As concerns around the nuclear conflict with North Korea grow, British photo-journalist Sean Gallagher revisits his 2009 venture to North Korea on assignment for the Globe & Mail. Naturally, shooting proved difficult in the sequestered country. Posing as tourists, Gallagher and his colleague were accompanied at all times by a tour guide and government minder who were always a step behind them. He says of his experience:

From our four days within the country, it was almost impossible to get close to the people to photograph. As much as I would have liked to, getting close to the everyday person proved to be almost impossible. Hence, my photographs from this journey have a sense of isolation about them. It is an isolation probably born from my own feelings while being there. People are dwarfed against the mighty, imposing communist-era architecture, small and insignificant against the overbearing size of the buildings.—Sean Gallagher

You can read more about this fascinating experience on Gallagher’s blog.