« Fashioned as we are by Western values, we take pleasure in observing, ironically and delightedly, the simulacra of Korean happiness. But who are we to judge their happiness? The great strength of this album is that it sows doubt in our mind. These couples, these families, these men and women presented in the intimacy of their private life are surely very like us. The expressions on their faces make us think of our own questionings about what we want to do with our lives. The book contains cracks through which we catch glimpses of scenes and details that give the impression that North Koreans have a gift for inventing moments of happiness in spite of everything. Scenes from everyday life, shared moments, a break in the protocol: it is these scenes and these smiles that make us doubt. The happiness is not actual joy but it is the sign of it. Signs, like those which all the people in the book convey to the photographer, are a link with the spectator.»

Michel Poivert