Photos give a rare glimpse into the lives of North Koreans in Pyongyang

The photos were published after the nation marked the liberation of the Koreas

North Koreans pause to give way for passing vehicles as they cross a road in Pyongyang, North Korea, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015. North Korea celebrated the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Koreas from the Japanese colonial rule on Aug. 15. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

A newly released set of photos taken on the streets of the North Korean capital of Pynongyang have given a rare, albeit state-approved, glimpse into the everyday lives of citizens in the highly secretive state.

The images show apparently candid scenes including a man cutting a boy’s hair on the balcony of a high-rise apartment, a man peering into a glass cabinet holding stamps, and women chatting as they wait for a bus.

The photos are in stark contrast to those showing colourful celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Koreas from the Japanese colonial rule.

One such event saw citizens dressed in white and blue waving flags, and featured an all-woman brass band, just metres away from South Korean and US soldiers on their side of the truce village of Panmunjom, next to the Demilitarised Zone.

The parade was staged after North and South Korea failed to agree on any joint celebration of the landmark anniversary of the liberation of their peninsula from Japan.

The jubilations came under a backdrop of stiffening relations between the two nations, after Pyongyang said the South had committed an act of war by broadcasting anti-North propaganda across the border.

Additional reporting by AP