Today, it is almost impossible to believe that North and South Korea were ever a united land.

The repressive and underdeveloped northern state and its prosperous neighbor look like different universes in German photographer Dieter Leistner’s powerful project, entitled “Korea-Korea”.

Leistner was given official permission to photograph public spaces in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang in 2006. Six years later, he returned to the peninsula to find similar locations in South Korea’s capital Seoul. German photographer Dieter Leistner sought comparable, everyday locations in both states to highlight the shocking differences.

See the photos