10 Days in North Korea. Inside the most isolated country in the world

Video Statistics and Information

Video
Captions Word Cloud
Reddit Comments

The way North Koreans constantly praise their 'dear leader' is sick and reeks of fear. Surely nobody can think that being ruled by a tyrannical asshole who gives them no freedom and locks them away in brutal labour camps if they say anything 'wrong' is something that is good and should be accepted?

👍︎︎ 11 👤︎︎ u/puppy2010 📅︎︎ Nov 08 2014 🗫︎ replies

For those who disregard the documentary without watching it; Yes, it's scripted propaganda interspersed with a few noticably tense interviewees. But for those that dismiss RTs INTENT, I'd like to quote the narrator from the ending:

"On our way to the hotel we stared around the unfamiliar streets, certain that we'd be able to gain some insight into the most unknown country in the world. Ten days later, we knew different. An impermutable barrier, separating us from them blurs every story we hear about this country. Giving it the sense of.. incompleteness. And that imprecision holdes true for the story you've just seen too. Everything we heard lacked the voices and opinions needed to be credible. What really happens in this far away land ruled by a young marshal is anyones guess."

👍︎︎ 9 👤︎︎ u/Lynxface 📅︎︎ Nov 08 2014 🗫︎ replies

Moderately interesting but the endless interviews with the mindless zombie style praise of the dear leader got old pretty quick...

👍︎︎ 34 👤︎︎ u/dabo415 📅︎︎ Nov 08 2014 🗫︎ replies

Translation isn't all that great, but it's close enough.

Although, i'm mostly sure all the interviews are pretty much scripted answers.

Or they are only allowed to ask questions to those who have government approval to answer.

edit: i learned something knew. I actually never knew about the wall. I knew it was called 38th line , heavily guarded by military, but not actual wall. Interesting.

👍︎︎ 13 👤︎︎ u/Alexander_Maius 📅︎︎ Nov 08 2014 🗫︎ replies

The information box that kept popping up was really annoying since they layered it over the subtitles.

👍︎︎ 17 👤︎︎ u/kebab4you 📅︎︎ Nov 07 2014 🗫︎ replies

I shot the whole thing. I'm open to questions.

👍︎︎ 4 👤︎︎ u/pablomediavillacosta 📅︎︎ Nov 14 2014 🗫︎ replies

Yeahhh, I personally wouldn't trust russian state media to objectively report on North Korea.

👍︎︎ 48 👤︎︎ u/Mefaso 📅︎︎ Nov 08 2014 🗫︎ replies

Fucking propaganda.

👍︎︎ 16 👤︎︎ u/sendmessage 📅︎︎ Nov 08 2014 🗫︎ replies

"The quality of the animation is known world wide" Yeah, that's some Pixar shit right there for real....

👍︎︎ 2 👤︎︎ u/wareagle8608 📅︎︎ Nov 08 2014 🗫︎ replies
Captions
Every day, from Monday to Saturday, more than 24 million people work to maintain the socialist machine of North Korea. This is the present-day result of a unique political experiment that’s been running for almost 70 years. It’s all at the expense of an isolated and subjugated people. Or, as those we spoke to during our visit prefer to say, ‘A people protected from the outside world by the leader.’ ‘The Sun of Korea’ is how the great generals are referred to in children’s songs. Kim Jong-un’s exact age is a mystery, even to North Koreans. Like his father and grandfather before him, the young general is head of state in a country at war. A country with a growing economy. And a country which, however cautiously, is gradually opening its doors to investors and tourists. But at the same time, remains inaccessible and mysterious. Pyongyang, the flatland. It’s the centre of power for the North Korean regime. The capital city and the face of the republic, it’s where we’ll spend most of our time in this almost completely unknown and isolated country. A few months ago, biology professor Kim Chol Ho was given the keys to his new home. He now lives in one of the most modern buildings in Pyongyang. At the entrance is a poster reminding citizens that, at any time, they should always be ready to show respect to the great leader, Kim Jong-un. Inside, we’re given a warm welcome by the proud owners of the large 240 metre flat. A gift from the marshal to his indispensable scientists. ‘It’s an incentive to work harder and more quickly,’ says Chol Ho. A sickle, a hammer, and a brush in the centre of Pyongyang symbolise the solidity of the country’s only political party to hold power. Almost 90% of all members of parliament belong to the workers’ party. The remaining seats are taken by representatives with the dependent social democratic and Chondoist parties, but have no real power. There’s also a handful of so-called ‘independent’ members. The last parliamentary election was held earlier this year. Kim Jong-un was re-elected as a deputy with 100% of the vote from the same assembly that chose him as the country’s supreme leader. That was two weeks after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, eternal general secretary of the workers’ party. Kim Kyo Sun is a farmer, just like his father before him. He has worked at the Mikok Collective Farm for 8 years. He joined after leaving the army where 10 years of service is obligatory for almost all men. Working to uphold the system and achieving goals set by the government is a question of honour. Agricultural workers are constantly reminded of this by propaganda that’s widely distributed throughout the collective farms. Loudspeakers, broadcasting rousing music and speeches, call farmers to their daily work. Students with revolutionary flags and flowers take turns to boost the farmers’ morale. The slogans encourage everyone to be patriots and surpass the entire world. Or at least to follow the Great Marshall’s example and contribute as much effort as he does, to ensure that his people thrive. Certificates on the offices of this glass factory proudly honour employees of the month and year. Last month, Oh Yong Nam broke not a single sheet of plate glass while packing. He considers that an acheivment. Students pursue the same goals. At least that’s what’s said in front of a camera. ‘To serve my country,’ says Ji Chung Hyok. In this case, he’s talking about technological research. He’s on his way to study at the country’s main library, ‘The Grand People’s Study Palace.’ Even prisoners are bound to contribute to the stability and development of the North Korean system. The exact number of convicts is something else that’s kept secret. The punishment for any felony is compulsory labour or, for less serious offences, community service. That’s what we were openly told by Alejandro Cao de Benós, from Spain. As president of the Korean Friendship Association, he cooperates with the government. He helped sort out all the issues we had to face to enter the country, and he’ll accompany us throughout this trip. Fields, construction sites, and mines are the most common destinations for prisoners sentenced to punitive labour. A foreign ministry official recently confirmed to a handful of journalists that there are, indeed, special camps for this kind of labour. Some agencies say, ‘Their purpose is to reform criminals.’ High treason and subversion carry the death penalty. General Jang Song-thaek was executed last year. He was the young marshal’s uncle and thought to have been his mentor, the second most important figure in the country. A military tribunal accused him of corruption, and plotting to topple the revolutionary North Korean regime. Our visit ends in Pyongyang’s victorious war museum. Special effects and music portray the exploits of the People’s Army and their struggle against their southern neighbour and the United States. The latent conflict lasted more than 60 years, and North Korea commemorates the end of military action with a grand annual parade, demonstrating its military prowess. ‘Victory Day,’ as it’s known here, marks the armistice in the Korean War. Last year saw the 70th anniversary parade, where, as well as missiles, tanks, and troops, for the first time ever, Kim Jong-un used the occasion to demonstrate to the world, that North Korea had successfully produced its own drones. There are more than a million soldiers in the regular army, not including the highly militarised police. More than 15% of GDP is spent on the military. Mangyongdae Revolutionary School even prepares children. For the regime, the army is a source of inspiration and above all, order, defining the precise military way in which the society is organised, a society on constant full combat alert. This is a country based on military ideology, absolutely everything is literally imbued with combative spirit. A metro system more than a 100 metres deep was constructed in the 1970s with help from the USSR and China. This underground space would serve as a refuge in the event of a nuclear attack. A gigantic sculpture graces the southern exit from Pyongyang, where two women symbolise Korean reunification. On official maps, North and South are marked as a single country called the Korean People’s Democratic Republic. Just 3 hours drive along a run down, but wide, spectacularly clean and practically empty road, takes you from Pyongyang to the border. This highway with limited access could also be used for military maneuvers. From time to time, you encounter army checkpoints, where filming is strictly forbidden. Locals wait patiently in line to show their permits to pass through the barrier. Panmunjom village is where Lieutenant Colonel Nam Tong Ho delivers military history lectures for visitors. This would seem to be one of the most important tourist attractions in the country. According to the guide, in this very hall and at these very desks on July the 27th, 1953, North Korea and the USA signed the armistice agreement without the participation of the South. It was a precarious non-aggression pact, that should ultimately have led to a final peace treaty, but never did. There are no South Korean soldiers to be seen along that clearly marked military border today. It’s said they keep it under surveillance using binoculars and cameras, or remaining where tourists won’t see them. Technically, a state of war still exists between the parties, following the conflicts that resulted in millions of casualties and ravage to the peninsula. Several metres away, a group of American Christians, some of South Korean descent, pray for reunification. There are now huge differences between the two sides, historic, economic, and cultural. Even the language has begun to differ. But families living on opposite sides of this divide still try to preserve ties between close relatives torn apart by war. It’s a painful issue that’s often used as a bargaining chip in talks between Pyongyang and Seoul. Dozens of people from the South, all selected by drawing lots, came to the mountains in Compang region in North Korea’s east coast in search of brothers and sisters nephews and even children they were never given the opportunity to know. After several years, in February, family members separated by war are granted just 3 days to see each other. For many, it's their last chance. I don't, involve, any of the politics or, any of the, um, religion part, but we just wanted to; this is a one country, and this is a one people. On her second trip to the country in 8 years, Mrs. Lee met us in Kai Sung, the next stop after our trip to the border. First trip was very sad. It was really dark, no lights. You know, during the, um, the meal time, lights go off like 5-6 times, and there are no, um, smiles on peoples' face, but, um, now I think it's, uh, economically changing, but I think, uh, some, something life, some kind of life is coming back. The differences between Kai Sung and Pyongyang are striking. This city is one of the few examples of direct economic cooperation between North and South. The only joint industrial complex is based here. It encompasses over a hundred South Korean companies, employing 53 thousand North Koreans. Kernel Kim Chan-yun comes with us to the so-called "Demilitarized Zone," which ironically is one of the most heavily armed areas in the world. He's talking about the wall erected on the South Korean side. It was completed in 1979 and Washington and Seoul deny its existence. Though they do acknowledge there are certain anti-tank facilities in place. This 4 kilometer wide natural barrier divides the peninsula. South Korea looms in the distance. Seoul is a little over 50 kilometers away. From here on the North Korean side, and using the Colonel's binoculars, we're able to see South Korean military bases, flying UN flags on the opposite side. We can also see what the North Koreans are talking about: a five meter high wall stretching from east to west. Chan-yun can take pride in just how much trust the marshal vests in him, keeping him posted on the main border, and in his 40 years of continued service in the People's Army. Revolutionary policy in the DPRK is based on the principles of Songun, meaning military first; a philosophy that reached its heyday during Kim Jong Il's reign, that lasted more than 20 years. The more time passes, the more complex and controversial the concept becomes. A 170 meter tower keeps this fire burning at the monument to Juche. Idealogically, a permissive and slightly spiritual adaptation of communism ascribed to Kim Il-sung. It promotes national and personal self-reliance, or rather, reliance on the masses who are dubbed the masters of revolution and national development. Although the ideology may seem controversial and mysterious, and even dangerous to foreigners, it is constantly referred to. The state-endorsed image of utopian self-reliance and self-sufficiency is in stark contrast to economic reality in the country, which remains dependent on outside help and suffers from an acute shortage of currency. Cargo ships sail into the locks of the East China Sea bringing goods from China, still the main supplier of provisions and aid received through international assistance. Last year, more than 2 million people in the DPRK benefited from United Nations aid. Chinese goods fill the model supermarket shelves in Potonggang, alongside locally manufactured products which serve as an example of the country's economic prowess. The closest estimate was from the Bank of South Korea. According to Seoul, its northern neighbor demonstrated 1.1 percent of economic growth in the last year. However, as is so often the case, Pyongyang has released no official data. Small shops and food distribution centers where local people pick up their monthly food rations didn't feature in our itinerary. We were also warned not to film construction sites and especially construction workers, many of whom are servicemen. They told us that work when smeared with cement, would give a false impression of the country. However, we were allowed to film, from afar, this footage of the Teachers Tower in the capital, along with the construction of a new terminal building and tarmac at the airport. Renovation of them made the first football stadium and construction of the five star Ryugyong hotel, housed in the tallest building in Pyongyang; which is still underway after 27 years of work; plus many other buildings and complexes, whose construction was initiated by Kim Jong-un. So, we started construction of this museum in September 2012, and under the wise leadership of the pristin, I, I mean and the West leadership of the marshal Kim Jong-un, we finished the construction within only ten months. The museum and the weapons expansions outside and all the renovations, the monuments, everything was now within only 10 months time. The news block at the state-controlled TV channel focuses entirely on the country's economy. The biggest share of North Korea's GDP is from industry and mining, followed by the service sector and agriculture, which isn't enough to meet the population's needs. Slightly over fifteen percent of the land can be farmed. Tourism and disguised foreign investments are sources of foreign currency badly needed in the country living with sanctions and economic war. Tourists are only allowed to pay in Euros, US dollars, or Chinese yuan. They have to pay higher tourist prices. The few foreigners who visit the country, many of whom are Chinese, are constantly accompanied by one or several "guides". Tourists can't leave their room in the 47-story hotel, complete with five restaurants and a souvenir shop and walk unattended to the casino in the basement; it's leased by a company from Macau. Only twice did we get the chance to walk the streets of Pyongyang. The rest of the time we were chauffeur-driven in a minivan. Every morning and night, several times a day, this disturbing melody can be heard playing on the many loud speakers in Pyongyang's railway station. Newcomers are immersed in a nightmarish atmosphere: a funeral march serving to remind all who pass through of the great eternal generals. Every visitor to the capitol brings flowers. They must pay their respect to the colossal bronze statues standing at the top of Mansu Hill. North Koreans say that they are required to perform the ceremony each and every time they visit any city. A quite remarkable number of literary works are attributed to the great generals. The national library contains the selected outstanding works of the founder of the nation. There are more than seven hundred volumes of Kim Il-sung's speeches, books, and plays. One of the best known by the eternal president is a speech calling on the people to support his son, Kim jong-Il, who would soon take over from his father. It's almost three years since Kim Jong-il died. Throughout that time his image has been closely linked with that of his father, the eternal president. Kimilsungia orchids and Kimjongilia begonias grace all public gardens and civic buildings. Images captured by a camera have to be perfect. The taking of partial pictures of the general's statues or photographs marred by lens flare is strictly forbidden. North Koreans all wear special insignia near their hearts. The badges bear portraits of the leaders, and among other things they show the wearer's merit and how close they are to the government. We were told that the hardest to obtain depicts the smiling faces of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-Il together. Buildings are generously adorned with their portraits. There are two separate but identical halls, each of which contain the leaders in embalmed bodies. The council's own mausoleum represents the apotheosis in the leader's cult. Photography inside is strictly forbidden. Two seemingly endless moving walkways are decorated with the generals' pictures, portraying their lives and work. They lead to pharaonic marble holes, containing the mummified leaders, surrounded by treasured objects from their respective eras: Armored trains and cars, an array of medals and decorations, even a huge map giving a detailed account of their travels. North Koreans dressed in their finest clothes and flock in their hundreds to the mausoleum. Earlier today, our film crew was among them. We'd asked that North Korean worker for his thoughts about the new leaders rule. Leaning on a cane, Kim Jong-un reappeared in public after being absent for a month and a half. North Korea's mass media attributed his low profile to his indisposition. The disappearance coincided with our visit, although we only learned of it when we left. The leader, though, didn't seem to have become subject to rumor or gossip, and the few who are lucky enough to see him at close quarters were thrilled. At that time, I were, it was too sudden to see, him. So, uh...uh...I can feel it, it was real, so I thought, uh, it wasn't just like it was real, I felt like "Is it, is it just a dream?" or something like that. Later he passed across in front of me and then I knew that I really met him. In real life. For most though, daily contact with the exalted leader is limited to the opening minutes of the evening news broadcast, which is a rule to report his latest activity. When Kim Jong-un didn't appear in public, the bulletins aired recordings of previous official engagements. A sample of what was said when we were able to interview people on the street. Even though this was outside our planned itinerary, no spontaneous responses were forthcoming. Our attendance carefully selected the people we could talk to, and particularly sensitive topics were very much off limits. Ideological upbringing and loyalty to the regime begin with early childhood. The first kindergarten in North Korea was reorganized during Kim Jong-il's rule. It's open from Monday to Saturday to accommodate the children of working mothers. In one school whole, three and four-year-olds put on a performance for newcomers. Five children sing a heroic song, telling how their beloved leader became a steel commander, because ever since he was a child, he understood the importance of military force. During a revolutionary history lesson, the teacher shows a model of a fantasy paradise where they say Kim Il-sung was born. They repeat the place and date of his birth. "He was born in spring just like magnolias," says the teacher. During a science lesson, pupils are told a story about how the great generals once sent children tomatoes, pears, and grapes that they had personally picked themselves. A squirrel and a hedgehog are the heroes of the most popular children's cartoon. Agile and smart, North Korean squirrels fight their enemies: ferrets and mice. The quality of animation has been acknowledged internationally. That's why overseas studios higher Korean animators in Pyongyang at very low rates to work on their films. The International Movie Festival in Pyongyang provided the pretext that allowed our crew to secure an invitation to enter North Korea. "The Flower Girl" represents the classics of North Korean cinema. The screenplay was written by Kim Il-sung when he was 20. It was made into a movie 40 years ago, and is now one of the five greatest revolutionary operas. It's the story of a young girl from a poor family who was suppressed by a wicked landlord during Japanese occupation. On the banks of the Taedong river that cuts through the city, everyday life overshadows the exotic and mysterious atmosphere enveloping North Korea. Oblivious to the international headlines, three boys try their luck at casting lines from the riverside, while another family takes to boating. Local teams are replaying a classic game, a match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. But this is the volleyball version; it's one of the most popular sports in the country. People pay a visit to the Changyuan beauty and aesthetics parlor on Wednesdays. A poster displayed near the entrance to the salon features the most popular women's hair styles. The women usually wear heels and will never let their hair down if it's too long. Among the styles most often recommended by men's hair dresses, is the one sported by the country's leader. There's no place for extravagance here either. Excessive attention is paid to order, cleanliness, and symmetry in the capital city's streets. The harmony and serenity that prevail in the city are there to conceal the controlled lifestyle that North Koreans must observe. The highly paternalistic policy of the state prescribes exactly what citizens must hear, read, and see. Using these computers in the People's Palace of Education, access to the country's intranet is easy. It's a localized network isolated from the outside world full of sex in American propaganda as one North Korean resident told us. The internet is available to a select few: scientists and research workers for example. In 2014, Pyongyang by night has little in common with how it was described a few years ago. The main avenues are brightly illuminated with neon lights and street lamps. Although smaller residential areas and streets do succumb to darkness when night falls. Some members of one very popular band, graduated from this conservatory, considered the most important in North Korea. They say that the five members of the Moranbong Band were personally hand-picked by the current leader, Kim Jong-un. The first woman's pop band looks more rebellious than its lyrics actually suggest. This represents something of a departure from the norm in the country: meticulously arranged and monotone aesthetics. In Spain, and a year before preparing for this trip, we spoke to Choe and other aerial artists. Few ever represent their country abroad like they do. Or even earn foreign currency for the system like workers laboring in the Middle East. Not many get the chance to see anything beyond North Korea's tightly sealed borders. One plane filled with workers took off for Kuwait on the day I was landed in Pyongyang. On our way to the hotel, we stared around the unfamiliar streets, certain that we'd be able to gain some insight into the most unknown country in the world. Ten days later, we knew different. An impermeable barrier separating us from them blurs every story we hear about this country, giving it a sense of incompleteness. And that imprecision holds true for the story you have just see too. Everything we heard lacked the millions of voices and opinions needed to be credible. What really happens in this faraway land ruled by one young marshal, is anyone's guess.
Info
Channel: RT Documentary
Views: 5,765,363
Rating: 4.5546012 out of 5
Keywords: RT, Russia Today, RT Documentary, RT Doc, RT docs, documentary, North Korea (Country), Politics (TV Genre), Kim Jong-un (Politician), personality cult, Kim Il Sung
Id: 5xs--To414I
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 47min 33sec (2853 seconds)
Published: Fri Nov 07 2014
Related Videos
Note
Please note that this website is currently a work in progress! Lots of interesting data and statistics to come.