With North Korea being ruled by a ruthless dictator and South Korea enjoying a democracy, the nations appear to be worlds apart–even though they call the same peninsula home. In his “Korea-Korea” project, German photographer Dieter Leistner used pictures he took in both North Korea and South Korea to illustrate how different the two countries are.

Take a look at the stark contrast between the neighboring countries.

(H/T Upworthy)

Forget different countries, these photographs look like they were taken in different centuries.

If you’re wondering why North Koreans don’t leave their outdated land behind, well, it’s a lot more complicated than that. To put it simply, there’s no way they’re seeing any pictures of the modernized country below them. Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un goes to great lengths to isolate the nation from the rest of the world.

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