"When only the exceptional is publicized, the everyday details become the most intriguing," reads the text on a New York Times photo and video piece by David Guttenfelder on North Korea. "The stories of 25 million lives, unabstracted by politics. They are the mysteries most worth revealing."

Perhaps it is a search for this revelation that makes trekking to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea so appealing to the masses, who descend on it and the many tourist attractions that exist in its surroundings.

It feels like both an attempt at touching the Hermit Kingdom and an unabashed voyeurism of the plight of a nation, the 25 million people who exist and live beyond the reach of an increasingly interconnected world.

Following are some of the photos taken on a trip to DMZ in the fall of 2014.

Tourist buses arriving in the morning, DMZ observation park

Amusement park near DMZ observation zone