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Photographer Damir Sagolj has taken a series of compelling images that perfectly capture the surreal world that is daily life in North Korea. Shot from China across the border, the pictures illustrate the stark contrast between Chinese lifestyle and the drab uniformity of the North Korean villages located near the Yalu river.

Click through the gallery for an eye-opening glimpse into this secretive nation.

▲Using binoculars on Chinese territory, it's possible to observe activity in neighboring North Korea. Here, two women can be seen crossing the bridge that connects Namyang with Tumen, in China.

▲A garment is used to bundle together strands of a barbed wire fence erected near a closed bridge spanning the Yalu river.

▲Seen from the Chinese side of the Yalu river, a couple in North Korea contemplate the icy waters under the shadow of an observation tower.

▲Chinese ferry boat passengers traveling the Yalu River near the city of Dandong are able to clearly observe neighboring North Korea from the deck.

▲Braving freezing conditions, North Koreans pan for gold along the banks of the Yalu river. To help protect themselves from the sub-zero temperatures, they wear rubber suits.

▲According to an article published by Reuters, North Korea has an estimated 2,000 tons of gold reserves, the sixth-largest in the world.

▲Gold prospectors gather on the banks of the Yalu river in bone-chilling weather, and can be seen panning for the precious metal from the Chinese city of Lianjing.

▲From Dandong in China you can observe the skyline of Sinuiji, a city in North Korea. Included in the desolate architectural canvas is this antiquated Ferris wheel.

▲A lone woman provides a point of focus as she walks among the drab, monochrome landscape that is Hyesan. The North Korean city faces Changbai, in China.

▲A sign hoisted on a fence close to the border near the Chinese city of Dandong reminds North Korean citizens of their responsibility to maintain order along the frontier.

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In Dandong, China, along the banks of the Tumen river, visitors take souvenir snapshots of themselves with the landscape of their secretive neighbor providing a suitably austere backdrop.

▲A lone North Korean observation post near the Yalu river, seen from China. The lookout towers enable guards to observe everything that occurs in the vicinity.

▲A North Korean citizen collecting water from the Yalu river. The frozen landscape makes the job particularly difficult.

▲Two North Korean people washing clothes at the river's edge, a scene observed from the Chinese side of the Yalu.

▲A man takes a selfie with North Korea in the background. A bridge that once connected the two nations lies in ruins.

▲Perched on top of a Chinese lookout tower, a tourist using binoculars scans the North Korean countryside. From there, it's also possible to observe Russian territory.

▲From Chinese territory, curious observers can get a glimpse of the small North Korean village of Hyesan.

▲Newlyweds pose for wedding photographs on a boat moored on the Yalu River. North Korea makes for an interesting backdrop.

▲Chinese anglers trying their luck on the Yalu River under the stark outline of a North Korean watch tower.

▲Chinese women in colorful attire dance near the border. Their vivid clothing is in stark contrast to the dull uniformity that characterizes North Korea.

▲A North Korean border guard stationed near Hyesan stares back into Chinese territory.

▲A giant screen, located near the Yalu River and facing North Korean territory, broadcasts Chinese propaganda films.

▲Seen from China, a North Korean soldier and two civilians gather on the banks of the Yalu river.

▲North Korean children appear to play and collect water along the banks of the Yalu River in North Korea.

▲The Chinese side of the Yalu river also affords observation of life near the North Korean city of Sinuiju.

▲China's near but isolated neighbor always fascinates, as this Chinese citizen demonstrates as he gazes intensely through binoculars across the river. Behind him is the bridge connecting Dandong with the North Korean city of Sinuiju.

▲Appearing as though underneath the Chinese flag, which is hoisted over a bridge across the Yalu River, a North Korean fisherman steers his simple watercraft.

▲An observation point in China set high above a bridge that connects the two countries provides a clear view of pedestrian traffic.

▲Riding past a collection of houses almost abstract in design and devoid of color, a lone North Korean cyclist follows an icy path home.

▲Chinese fishermen navigate their small boats along the North Korean banks of the Yalu river.

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A citizen of Linjiang, in China, walks along the Yalu river, close to the border with North Korea.