Honorable Mention TOKYO-2017 Editorial / Political

The Epitome Of Waste

  • Photographer
    Mario Schmied

While its people starve, North Korea continues to misallocate its scarce financial resources to projects of no tangible use – military or megalomaniac buildings and infrastructure. As a visitor you repeatedly find yourself at a loss for words and in some uncomfortable middle between amusement and empathy when looking at the streets and motorways of North Korea. The photo shows the center of a 200’000 people city, Kaesong - six lanes, traffic officers, no cars – somewhat comical, somewhat depressing.