Singapore photographer Aram Pan has captured rare aerial footage of Pyongyang, offering viewers a closer look at what the North Korean capital looks like.

Mr Pan, 41, posted a 6½-minute video of his "Flight over Pyongyang" on YouTube last Saturday. "It is a rare treat that a foreigner is allowed photography and filming over the skies of North Korea, and even rarer to be doing so in a Piper Matrix PA-46 light plane," he wrote in the caption.

The footage shot in May last year has been featured on several news sites, including Britain's Daily Mail, this week. Colourful buildings and highways can be seen, though the city seemed devoid of people.

Mr Pan is known for his photography of North Korea, and was given permission by its government to conduct photographic flights last year.

He told The Straits Times he has made 15 trips there since 2013 for his project, DPRK 360, which aims to "open a window into North Korea" via photos, videos and virtual reality.

"It was quite an exhilarating experience overall. I felt quite privileged as being allowed to fly over Pyongyang in a light plane was usually reserved only for diplomats," he said.