Inside Pyongyang: rare state-guided tour of North Korea | 60 Minutes Australia

counting out thousands of euro and a taxi in Beijing China is a strange way to start a story about North Korea but before we can even travel to the reclusive State we need to hand over a lot of money cash only of course we have a very strict procedure about who can enter into the country because we are very tired of propaganda media 24 hours later Beijing Airport we bought an odd-looking Russian built aircraft for the 90 minute flight to another planet North Korea's proper name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea not the DPRK [Music] since the late 1940s the country has been ruled by three generations of the Kim dynasty latest dictator the baby-faced 32 year old Kim jong-un I think he's really the perfect person to continue the revolution so Spaniard Alejandra Cardenas is one of only a few foreigners the North Korean government trusts and somehow he's become the official mouthpiece for the regime I would say first that he's very hard-working because when whenever I had the chance to see him his eyes are red and he's just thinking all the time [Music] well this is an extremely rare experience inside North Korea we've already been warned numerous times that we'll be monitored and critiqued the whole time that we're here now the Torah itself we know that will be highly staged managed but for once at least we do get to take a bit of a peek into the world's most secretive state [Music] people move about freely but they seem reserved certainly wary of us maybe even worried they're being watched there's some men just standing behind a tree over there strangely peering at us every few seconds however the thing that really stands out here is just how many North Koreans are dressed in khaki tell us just how big welcome of Karina we could say that at 24 million people in DPRK they are all a full army everybody learns how to shoot a machine gun and to throw a grenade that's to everyone everyone in secondary school you start your military training even the children will help will help to for example steal secrets from the enemy and they did it already so every child at school learns how to shoot a machine gun or throw a grenade yes it's very aggressive mindset for children it's no no no no not at all it's just a practical way to keep the people operative in case of an invasion Kim jong-un might pay the current later but his dead grandfather and father still wield enormous influence in the country they are our parents the parents of the nation and the parents of our ideology Western history judges Kim il-sung and Kim jong-il harshly but here they are revered and it's customary for locals and foreigners alike to live flowers at their fate [Music] it's an awkward dilemma for me insult our hosts or bow to their strange beliefs as it's early in my visit I choose an uncomfortable diplomacy a US president famously described Kim jong-il as evil how does that make you feel well it's normal from such an ignorant person like yours double do you wish to to make this kind of insults and talk about the country that he doesn't know at all [Music] North Korea's enemy is the West heighted most is the United States and it's drilled into everyone that their duty is to defend the country at any cost how big is the nuclear arsenal of course it's a secret but I can say that it's around 15 20 and nuclear missiles but again with capability to strike any part of the world any including Australia necessary if anyone attacks this country will answer with all our power and they and if they try to destroy Korea there will be no world standing a global Holocaust yeah exactly the global Holocaust means Korea is willing to kill 7 billion innocent people no don't say Korea is going to defend its right to live don't forget the culprit is the one who attacked innocent people not us why you always trying to point it DPRK as we are the one threatening no no this is the BOK respected [Music] this is a country ever ready for war even their subway is really a bomb shelter having everyone believed that West is evil is the best way of keeping the outside world out what adds the feeling of being trapped here is the fact that as a foreigner there's absolutely no way you can use your mobile phone and access to the Internet will no chance of that if you want information from the outside world well the local press here or let's be honest propaganda is pretty pointless unless you want photos of Kim jong-un pointing at things and headlines like why all the fuss about human rights people living here cannot access the Internet at all from the West to get any information why are they cut off because we act as a family DPRK is a family is not an individualistic society we promote our common values and we want to prevent things that are bad for society from entering for people to runagate information from one source the government that just heads third the theory that everyone here is brainwashed every human being is always influenced by their families by their society by their friends there are many points where you can get you know information so brainwash we could say that we are all everybody brainwashed somehow [Music] while human rights groups complain there aren't any in North Korea it's difficult for us to really know what these people are thinking what might happen to them if they thought it out aloud tell me about the re-education camps and oh you don't like the West calling them concentration camps yes because they are not we don't have political political prisoners why then has the UN said that Kim jong-un should be tried at the International Court human rights abuses and political abuse this is because United the Nations is under control of the United States and has been since very long time so it's these grace frankly speaking United Nations is a disgrace organization under the hands of the Empire used by the United States to pursue their goals of invading and attacking all the countries [Music] not surprisingly the so-called reeducation camps weren't included in our itinerary and neither were these very drab apartment blocks where most normal North Koreans live instead we were taken to a virtually brand-new block to meet the very happy and lucky mr. Pak and his wife mrs. hun it's a big honour for us to live here and it's all thanks to our leader marshal Kim jong-un cynically I fear this couple may have come straight from North Korean central casting of course housing is free in this communist country but the praise they lavished on Kim jong-un for providing it was just a bit too much how do you feel about Kim jong-un I was he is the most beloved leader of our people and all Koreans love him so much there are upsides to life in the north the country is spotlessly clean there's no graffiti no street advertising except for state propaganda and surprisingly very few cars in the capital Pyongyang they also despise any comparisons we might make to life in South Korea which is only 150 kilometers away who do you think has a better quality of life now people living in South Korea or people living in North Korea if we have to compare people in DPRK lives better because majority of people non-authority all people has a house for free education for free and healthcare for free well in South Korea it depends on your luck it depends on your daddy hurry cheese and your luck then you'll find a good job most of the rest of the world would laugh at that suggestion because they have no idea about this country ask all the varies in the United States and Spain they would love to come here every day or receive hundreds and I say hundreds of requests to live and work in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea towards the end of our stay in North Korea we hit the open and empty road and got out of the city [Music] there was a chance for a glimpse of rural life which looked primitive and poor until our mind is assured us the farming practices here were as modern as anywhere in the world [Music] back in Pyongyang the locals were out celebrating founding dictator Kim il-sung's birthday the reminder we all need to hope these are the only explosions we see and hear from this strange country what do you foresee happening is it going to take a war for an eventual peace what's the future not at all our position is that where we are always ready to sign a peace agreement we don't want war we want peace but we'll never beg for it [Music] hello I'm Tara brown thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our Channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minutes content

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 1,249,072

Rating: 4.6889129 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Ellen Fanning, Peter Overton, Karl Stefanovic, Ray Martin, Peter Stefanovic, Jana Wendt, Jeff McMullen, Jennifer Byrne, Mike Munro, Richard Carleton, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, Sarah Abo, north korea, kim jung un, tour of north korea, journalists inside north korea, pyongyang, inside north korea, inside pyongyang

Id: cau1lhtYaro

Length: 12min 45sec (765 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 20 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/i-love-seals]

I don't think there is much new here, but it has Alejandro Cao de Benós and his English is quite good! Anyone seen the full episode? Did it have anything more interesting?

[u/NealR2000]

Same old answers from Alejandro. Gets angry when the questions are a little difficult to answer from a believable perspective.