Surreal and mysterious, North Korea was a black hole to outsiders wanting a glimpse of the country. That all changed in 2012, when Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder led the opening of the bureau's newest office inside North Korea.

A seasoned crisis reporter, Guttenfelder spent his 20s photographing bloodshed in Africa and his 30s on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan. He became obsessed with the idea of reporting in North Korea after his first trip to the country in 2000, and he ultimately helped lead the formation of a full-time AP bureau in the country in 2012.

Guttenfelder now spends more than 100 days a year in North Korea, photographing whatever he can wherever he can, shedding light on the country through the AP wire and on Instagram.