[custom_adv] After just seven years under the rule of Kim Jong Un, North Korea is in a moment of change. [custom_adv] Most visibly to the outside world, Kim — the third generation of North Korea's founding family to lead the nation — has made 2018 a year of unprecedented diplomatic engagement, with South Korea and the U.S. [custom_adv] Signs of change are visible inside the country, too. Once thought of as a Stalinist relic preserved in amber, with empty streets, cold gray buildings and an outdated airport, Pyongyang of today looks increasingly modern, as do a handful of other cities targeted for development. [custom_adv] Conditions are worse in less favored areas — there are still shortages of food and electricity — but the country's economy is improving despite sanctions, and, overall, quality of life has come a long way since the famine of the 1990s. [custom_adv] During our six-day stay there, timed to the 70th anniversary of the country's founding by Kim Il Sung, we were brought to witness a classic set of North Korean spectacles. [custom_adv] Chief among them were the massive parades — one during the day to showcase the county's military power; the other, at night by torchlight, a display of a population in actual lockstep. [custom_adv] We were taken on highly orchestrated tours of factories, a school and a farm. The country and its message are still tightly controlled by the grandson of North Korea's founder. [custom_adv] We sought to both document these events and look beyond them for a glimpse at normal life for North Koreans. [custom_adv] In those moments, and in between them, we saw a changing North Korea that was at turns impressive, surreal, beautiful, melancholy and human. [custom_adv] For years, the country barred foreigners from bringing in cellphones, and images of North Korea were rare. [custom_adv] While the rest of the world descended into selfies, Instagram and Snapchat, the flow of photographs from North Korea remained tightly controlled by the government, which produced most images seen in the West. [custom_adv] Then, in early 2013, the country added a 3G mobile Internet network for foreigners and allowed them to bring cellphones in for the first time. The world's most closed society opened a sliver. [custom_adv] Now, practically everyone who visits North Korea — journalists and tourists alike — takes and shares photos with their phones, capturing their own moments of spontaneity and humanity. Those of us outside North Korea are seeing more of the country than ever before.