North Korea / The Lies and Truth of Kim Jong Un / How People Live (2019)

so they take us to some random hallway of some random house and here behind that utterly random door with no signs or anything is a shop that exists only for locals [Music] [Music] [Music] my people today I will show you what it's like to live in a country where you need to take the labels of coca-cola bottles before entering cars and villagers here run onward every PC must be registered with the police who will then check it on a monthly basis and local people dream of traveling to Czechoslovakia and the German Democratic Republic countries that haven't existed for over thirty years newspaper statement their president can predict the weather and if God forbid you take down a government slogan plate you risk not only be punished but actually jailed 15 years of labor to be precise a disrespect we will travel to the most protected sites of North Korea concrete blocks that are supported by wood that can be taken out when needed to block this road will interview not only those who managed to escape the camp but the country itself I went to the prison camp when I was only 13 years old and I got out when I was 41 I'll show you how people live in villages not the postcard Pyongyang that foreigners usually get to see the actual North Korean slums we have a rare opportunity right now to see villagers up close behind me is a woman who collects grass all of this will happen under 24-hour control and fear of being caught filming are you filming no no I think it's filming no it's not at first glance it looks like a wonder of the world just look down there its slums that no one pays attention to of course I brought presents for you some local money which is mega exclusives since it's prohibited to move them outside of the country so yeah definitely exclusive also a poster and some snake moonshine a draw for which will be done on my channel and I'll fill you in on how to participate [Music] this is little and our series on people subscribe and I won't disappoint you see this guy next to me he's a journalist from ap that woman in national dress is part of his convoy two more are waiting outside and one of them is a Secret Service agent this is how it's done here for journalists to enter the country he must be invited personally by the government in some kind of report the guys from another acclaimed TV series were also hoping came here filming but in the end the show got cancelled because there are trained people who meet you follow you everywhere and introduce you to well-dressed and media train people who by total coincidence love their president and think that Americans are bastards she is reporting everything he says to check it before he gets published then there is another team that goes over it all again and provide permission to publish or don't provide it one reporter managed to hide the hard drives that later weren't checked his name is vitaly Manske he then made a documentary showing the backstage of filming and an interview with the local family which was filmed in 7 takes because actors weren't laughing enough expressing a happy family with a house full of food you have to eat a lot of kimchi I am eating it here eat more kimchi Simmi you have to eat lots of kimchi okay dad send me eat your soup okay send me you have to eat lots of kimchi I am eating lots of it so I decided to eat lots of kimchi and visit as a typical tourist but problem is that if you're a reporter you'll never be given a tourist visa so I could employed by a law firm and work there for two months then got my papers and was granted a permit since Koreans fully trust the papers our plane to China then train actually it's the only chance to talk to North Korean so we're not specifically prepared to talk to foreigners [Music] so does the ginger [ __ ] on this Psalm a change of maple tensions [Music] they are letting us onto the train now this is my ticket this is what it looks like if you ask me whether I have fear to be honest I do because when I was preparing for the trip I had peace of mind but then I stumbled upon a story when an American student went to Pyongyang with the same tourist visa just like mine stayed at the same hotel even his itinerary was the same and he wanted to steal some propaganda it wasn't a flag wasn't a crest not the president's picture just a red poster that read let's all be patriotic like Kim Jong he got 15 years of labour camps a disrespect an international scandal followed suit even Trump took part in it the student was released but in some strange States as five days bond his return to the US the guy just died according to UN there are two hundred thousand prisoners in North Korean labor camps and taking into account population of 25 million it's about 800 people 400,000 which is more than in the US China Russia and everywhere else in the world apparently the whole National North Korean football team that lost the championship in 1966 was sentenced to a camp partly because they got drunk before the game North Korea denies this they even made a documentary about them thirty years later showing the players in good health but then again you never know where they were for the intervening 30 years [Music] the train split into two parts the red carriage of Chinese was Korean carriages agreeing with separate access checks much more security they then weigh your luggage and as I speak we are greeted with North Korean security they are badges with pictures of their leaders they ask me twitchy twitchy dunno what to say so I pried torchy and he let me go don't know what it means let's go in it's a nice carriage by the way aircon works well first good impression this means of getting into the country usually gives a good first indication there used to be three shelves per compartment but later it was decided that it was much more important to make a good impression on foreigners Center profit from additional seating also if the Train is fully booked and then some tourists appear they will remove North Koreans and put them on the following train all guys looking for their seeds but they don't have them since we're here similar to Russia everyone has lots of backs everyone is sweating moving luggage around changing their clothes since they have to look good when entering the country and share food all around the carriage officer then decides to move me he called me like this and showed me an empty compartment I told him I don't understand and that I'd like my suit he then repeats himself a bunch of times and then stopped smiling and once again pointed to the other compartment I decided not to argue once we took off koreans got their food out and since a table was not enough these guys were using their luggage case they'd like to have loads of plates on the table and would never put rice and chicken on the same plate this is why you need room here's a light back for you to open your beer you put chopsticks underneath the lid and then bang them on a table they just ban me from filming I'm in the loo know this is what the sink looks like the goal is to save water so you wash your hands and flush using the same water I then checked out the Chinese part and they were totally opposite use as much water as you want so there is no sink I'm walking through the Chinese park it's about 10 carriages long and I'm getting closer to the two Korean carriages where my seat is go check this out there was a sign on the door that connects the two parts the door is locked and I have no idea how to get back the carriage work has seen me he's opening the door for me another example of North Korean isolations do we need to knock now oh he doesn't have the keys for the North Korean side so I knock I guess yep there he is our North Korean friend with his shirt I'm done letting us into the North Korean side entering the isolated part of the train once I'm in he caught up with me made up his shirt and asked me to film myself intact oh sorry ass asked me to film him buttoned up they actually understand Russian don't give it away but actually they understand it it takes one day to get to the border and one more day through the DPRK boo you'll stay at abominable weeds see this also for your Dustin ginger [ __ ] on this summit angel may pull some polio pensions [Music] made us singers it's not hair we're getting closer to the border border control is meant to come to check the bags phones laptops than the rest I need to prepare offly ten officers enter the carriage Colonels and lieutenants and look they ask people to remove the labels from coat poor guy rips it with his teeth because it's from an enemy state but when you don't have a label no one would know the other guy rips off labels in the Tabasco sauce in the bathroom since it's also made in the USA hatred towards the US is one of the pillars of this ideology we'll discuss that later even Chinese iPhone coffees are found in the country or a Canon camera price it around $3,000 although canon is a Japanese company it is also hated as Japan nearly annex North Korea 100 years ago of course it is forbidden to film how security confiscated enough hardware to open a shop I on the other hand hid my GoPros and USBs and my socks constantly risking being figured out since I can easily be looked up on YouTube and Internet is still available at the border my job was to eliminate any excuses for them to do so and as I was constantly filming carriage officers constantly asked me Who am I really my friend is asking what your job is Loida journalist known armed I'm a lawyer oh okay then the only thing that saved me when security asked to browse my phone for pictures and videos is that I moved it all to another folder prior to the search by the way phones were banned in North Korea up to the year 2013 they confiscate it in the border and return it to you once you left today they allow you to keep it but will most likely check your photos and ask you to declare all Hardware you import you separately have to mention if you have a sat-nav standard phone or a satellite phone and a number of cameras everything you bring in you have to leave with and God forbid if the numbers don't match one of the Koreans put headphones on my shelf saying that they won't be confiscated from a foreigner I've read the tourist anchors searched but it's not true they check everything took everything out of my bags opened every box I had everytime I want to film I have to find a secluded place so no one sees me behind me now is a guy who is watching out for us they open everything every bag check the carriage itself check the floor the bins then ask the worker to empty it for accumulated cigarette bucks because everything needs to be clean when you enter the country Korean shave and get dressed nicely this guy put trousers over a tracksuit although it's 40 degrees see outside right after the border locals crank some Chinese vodka and invited me to join once slightly drunk they shared what real wages are but we'll return to this later we're now leaving China where River acts as a border behind me a bridge that doesn't reach North Korea you can see the last pillar and then it's just nothing as like many other connecting bridges has been purposefully demolished people here is a question for you how long do you think North Korea has existed for 40 years 70 years 200 years a thousand the right answer is 71 years as it originated after World War two prior to that the United career was a colonial state of Japan in 1945 Japan surrenders and is left without its colonies just like Germans and was Russia and the u.s. decide on Korea's future citizens rush to create a new government Russia in the u.s. split it into two parts that will soon begin to hate each other the border is set across the 38th parallel at the helm of a capitalistic state Americans put an anti-communist read sing man whilst the USSR takes full control of the northern part which comes handy as it expands existing borders establishing a socialistic state called DPRK Moscow inaugurates a 33 year old kim ill sung who at the time was a battalion commander both of the rulers strive to unite korea hence constant skirmishes that turned eventually into the fully fledged korean war soon u.s. joins in and sends its troops to the south whilst USSR with chinese help as a result three years of war and a resolution that splits the peninsula into roughly equal parts turning it into a demilitarized area concrete blocks are supported just check this out by wooden planks that can be taken out to let them roll and block the road which connects the two sides in case army or tanks come from the south there are loads of these blocks here that's what they look like [Music] [Music] the hatred between the two parts is so big that North Korean propaganda states that children have to give blood in capitalistic South Korea in order to pay for school and university and after lessons they clean shoes for the US Army all roads that lead deeper into the country most concrete blocks it can be triggered in case of danger they can be found both on highways and on secondary roads a town close to the border is accounted for as an enclosed area and all visitors must file for permit two weeks before visiting and your reason for visit must be incredibly good this is what the permit looks like it has to be shown every four checkpoints mind you I could have been jailed for espionage for taking these photos of a government checkpoint this is the border between North Korea and South Korea lots of US soldiers on that side and as they say in North Korea the South Korean toy army both South Korea and North Korea do not regard themselves as either north or south it's what foreigners called North Korea think that South Korea is part of their country temporarily occupied by US capitalists it is for decades that North Korea has isolated itself in the world trying to prove to its people that it won that war this is done by not letting anyone out of the country except for approved government officials and this is why it's a norm to see barbed wire close to water so no one can abandon the state they are also eager to reassure the outside world but the postcard North Korea finishes as you delve further into the country on our way from China we see a promenade and broken carousels to make it look nice from the Chinese side in reality it's all rusted never works and there is no one around since it's a militarized area next you see the truth herds of sheep next to buildings people fish in puddles not even lakes kids swimming in gray water [Music] for a child playing in the leftover sand from construction works [Music] the fields are plowed manually lawns are trimmed by hand across the entire country all of this is because there is hardly any fuel in North Korea whilst more than half of the country lives without electricity 56 percent according to the World Bank this is how North Korea the crest of which includes a power plant looks from satellite from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. electricity is cut even in the capital which is the reason why there are solar panels hanging from nearly every window balcony in front of the house even a train is wired to one hanging from the door handle locals reaction to our super modern train is as follows the real North Korean trains that no foreigner has ever stepped into to look like at this the carriages are so old that they can't even be scrapped but are still used on routes and instead of air conditioning its plastic bottles that hold the window open people are setting one on another there is clearly not enough space the architecture of all of the towns along the border very similar to one another I guess it works as follows along the train rails there a treat it's a nice painted housing and behind its slums there usually fenced so you can't see through although there are places where the fence is either in ruins or hasn't been built yet which allows us to see what's on the other side it is clear that there is more than one family living under the same roof a building with different roofing means that one family saw styles and that the other didn't bother and left metal sheets only and some just pile wood planks this is what the slums look like from inside some wood because no central heating naked stone walls plates and belongings on the floor as there is no furniture there is no asphalt in the villages no plumbing locals wash their clothes and bathe in the river these soldiers are bathing after work you can also see cars running onward in some areas this picture was taken by an AP reporter in 2014 [Music] slums also exist in the cities I'd love to say that they were extinct but compare this picture taken by our cellular leopard up in 2006 and this exact place today from the same point of view I don't see changes the only difference is that the fence is made to look like the building has changed color from white to green and when I asked my guide what it is she pointed in the other direction and said that's where the beautiful lotus flowers are grown mind you people even live in partly demolished houses half of which is missing but people still live there after work the parks are full of people sitting on the ground in their office we're playing card games women are also here but grouped separately at their own spots main thing is to take off your shoes Koreans have a strange way of resting two women are sitting on bricks some guy pissing next to the main military museum [Music] someone's casually chatting on has full a girl sitting on the law these are random shots the area where a foreigner usually ends up it's generally predetermined this is the most good-looking street in Pyongyang it's teeming with new builds including the most beautiful building that I saw here our country gives these flats to university employees yeah this version of socialistic wonderment is told to everyone from tourists to foreign government officials that same street from bird's eye view around 50 tall buildings taking into account that a nine-story building houses roughly 150 flats although these buildings are much higher we end up with 25,000 flats where do they find so many professors I struggled to understand but most of these parts are empty absolutely no signs of life empty balconies here is a populated house for comparison curtains flowers mops dresses new builds are the postcards and for foreigners to see it's the only Street where you're allowed to walk although with security and only for 10 minutes North Korea strives to make an impression as an example there is a nice bright house behind this monument that symbolizes prosperity now if you look closer it doesn't even have windows no one lives there it's just a box built so the background looks nice here is a train station looking nice and beautiful you would never guess that its roof is rotting from rough mountains nevertheless work and a nice looking but how much do they cost to run these outdoor pumps run on electricity which is like gold across the country even the most expensive hotels are sometimes left without it including the lids typical schools never get shown to visitors you can see children cleaning the grounds I spotted this from the 20th drawer whilst girls wash the fence these guys take care of the grounds that are clean as it is they just wipe air for about 30 minutes can't say they're keen anyways a separate employee to make sure that both students and teachers are never late opposing Li this is the school I was brought into the building looks like a parliament house inside is a kind of a school for exemplary children and an exemplary performance on stage these girls looked a little bit weird to me so I zoomed in and saw they're not actually playing at all the music is pre-recorded and this is just part of the show Sam comes out of a JBL speaker which is another hostile company next door kids are on exemplary laptops some of which hunt connected to the mains and don't have any cables in general computers run on Windows 95 but not many people know that North Korea has its own operating system based on Linux it looks like a Mac OS but buttons to close and enlarge the window a square instead of being round instead of Apple in the corner you get a red star which is what the OS is called this OS makes occasional screenshots of your laptop saving them to a folder a user can't access all computers in North Korea even if you can afford one must be registered with the police you have to go to the police station and then they will come and visit you once every two months to check your PC moreover this OS does not open files that were not made on your PC unless there was a special chip in place if a company that you work for gives you a USB with such chip you'll be able to open your files but if it's an on-chip USB you won't open even a text file internet isn't not allowed in North Korea foreigners are most close to the government have it but even if you're a tourist you have to fill in a form with personal details to send an email then a specialist will come to power up the dial-up modem library PCs have internet and access to 28 internal websites it's where you can catch up on government ideology cooking websites and others you can even access these on mobile and North Koreans have access to just one it has a fingerprint sensor and they are extremely proud of it and four main apps phone book an app that has addresses and since sat-nav is forbidden it's just store street names next is messaging and the last app that lets you receive messages from the government that's we can read newspapers line this out newspapers really as for games there is chess North Koreans pride themselves at the phone needs to be charged only once every two days and it's understandable since there is no data I only saw a government officials with these phones and its cost is around three hundred dollars journalists who managed to test the phone wrote that they checked the serial number and turns out the phone is made in China and only OS is set up in North Korea don't know if the mobiles are tapped but they definitely record the foreigners each hotel room has a radio local thing I'm really surprised by this by the level of the country's development and how extremely advanced it is a typical radio needs one cable this though has a myriad when I showed this to tapping professionals they said that's too many cables even for recording equipment suggesting add-ons I cannot confirm if this is tap equipment the current tech allows for microchips to be attached to TV cables or even a window decoding vibrations from glass I doubt they tap absolutely everyone but there is definitely an opportunity to do so it's interesting the radio doesn't work in any of those ELLs tourists are under constant control and even within hotel buildings you can't just go anywhere you're out and walk around your floor and the first floor stairs a band also the itinerary of every tourist is planned well before you visit and must be approved by the government it is then constantly verified by minute 24 hours a day and followed by three people and I mean followed all the time I can't even go from my room to a breakfast area without being followed they meet me and take me there that's them there by the way our guide has that phone I showed earlier six missed calls from the government it is interesting that it takes roughly 20 steps from my hotel to a restaurant and still you see that woman behind me so now just stand there and watch me walk just in case I decide to turn somewhere else as a tourist you don't get any free time to walk around if you disobey you risk being deported your guides who stay at the same hotel as you but with different rooms of course file daily reports that woman there is currently doing they are all basic guys but those who can randomly ask you to show that your phone first time it happened I was at all gave him a locked phone he didn't know how to unblock it and asked me to show him pictures started going through my family photos but luckily North Koreans don't know the existence of a recently removed full I have a few spare seconds now and check these number plates out they are all blue there are three types of cars in Pyongyang those registered as companies blue plate military with black plates and the government with white plates an average local can't afford a car they start four thousand US dollars and this to expenses a rare occasion when a local gets a car he or she becomes a popular singer says to the government gifts them a vehicle top management drives Lexus and Toyota it is a new class of rich Koreans that we'll discuss later whilst common people will drive Chinese FA WS and even ladders but mainly to go to work only if you have a car here you are the boss but one car would ever stop at a pedestrian crossing even on the most postcard street you can see how people let the cars pass and only then cross the road outside of the capital it is hard to find any cars at all and locals walk on the road not even looking over to check the transport riding a horse or a cow is still the norm the official version of why there aren't many cars around is as follows the government doesn't allow cars to eliminate traffic jams yes but the sake of the people so if it's still unclear to you Pyongyang is the best city on earth because you can see it from this street parks on one side houses on the other and only in the middle the truth begins one more site that strives to make an impression is the Wonder supermarket this looks similar to shops we used to have during the USSR they tell me I can't film inside your bags get packed up and then it's shelves with produce and prices that will blow your mind milk three dollars reason being is that there are many cows and farms full of bulls that plow the fields locals use dry milk that is then used to make yogurts sweets ice cream let's try the North Korean ice cream it has a taste of no not strawberry it's like calcium in case you are unaware it's chalk powder at least it's vitamins it's not great tastes like kimchi very watery and not that sweet the taste of wood maybe because of the wooden stick no no still some would taste import products our most expensive in a Nescafe can cost $13 green tea is $20 local produce is much cheaper instant noodles cost 50 cents but mind you the taste is very different there's no Coke it no phantom next sprite since us products are banned there are similar drinks this fake Fanta is 1/7 of $1 hold your applause though someone appeared right when I was about to test the coke so I've saved it until now to give you my genuine impression first difference is the label a very unstable label with a QR code yeah a QR code who needs it here in the country with no internet a distant taste of coke with added other tastes of some car liquid like engine oil is on the brake fluid this supermarket is generally for tourists and government officials some products are only available to locals as for example we couldn't buy a notebook with for school use written on it's not the average Koreans that come here either there is a face control on the doors and these two women tell the security who to let in and who to turn away like here for example he just tells these people to leave the grounds the average locals buy produce under bridges here women on bikes sell fruits and veg and all of them sell something separate one sells apples one sells watermelon lemons and so on to eliminate competition villagers on this street sell ice cream of course they have markets here also with bags of rice on the ground regardless of whether it's rain or snow even soldiers sell produce this one has seaweed this is an example of a city shop brand and black door and a shop sign some though don't even have a sign this is a random porch of a random house and here behind some random door with no signs is a grocery shop for locals only opposite to a fire extinguisher is the entrance with a Clarke's phone number in case he's not in employees live right in the shop they have a washing machine a shower head with sleeping quarters down the hall these shops can be found in residential areas so you don't have to carry produce over a long distance groceries are given with ration cards everyone has a special card book and this is how we get groceries yes that's right so you get rice what else rice you may boil pasta on holidays we get additional stuff like sweets and cookies we also get soap toothpaste and chemicals and even close is it like a uniform something's the same that everyone wears no just casual stuff not pants but underwear general stuff toys for boys main stuff basically and if it's some other clothes then you pay with a book if you have to work for that according to propaganda the average wage in Pyongyang is 50 dollars but those who fled the country say it's 5 this is still alive oh let's assume that the actual number is 20 to 30 dollars in order to earn more you need to have a permit to work abroad the shop that I showed you just now was filmed in the North Korean part of China to understand how these guys were allowed to open a private shop of a socialistic state but abroad it's important to highlight their Soviet system began to crack as early as the 90s breakup of the USSR resulted in a dry up of oil coal and other supplies at preferential prices from then on the North Korean government had to pay for everything in cash and at market prices a free 700 gram ration that originally included flour potatoes and corn got decreased to 492 grams and then to a hundred and eighty grams for pensioners and disabled this is roughly half a glass this was followed by floods and an extreme hunger began you were lucky to even catch her a rat and people turned into cannibals with dead bodies filling the streets propaganda states that around 10,000 people died foreign organizations state a different number from 1 to 2 million people 15% of the population women and orphans try to flee but the government stopped them by every method [Music] Chinese police catches North Korean refugees my first public execution when I was a seven years the sky authorities want to pepper live in a constant state of fear so they forced us towards public executions so sometimes the schools cancel their classes so all the students couldn't witness the public execution to isolate those who tried to flee a punishment system was put in place that exists even till today 77 kilometers from Pyongyang we passed a place called camp 14 there is a minimum of six of these cameras where 80 to 120 thousand Koreans are jailed the camps we know of our camper Varon located 70 kilometers from the Russian border 300 guards with prisoners jailed for food theft for trying to flee to China camp 16 the biggest camp out there located in a remote mountain location with 20,000 life sentence prisoners mainly those who are against the government camp 14 is the one we passed five prisoners work in textiles and on the mines this is where the famous Lisa and oak fled from after spending six years here she shared stories of rapes abuse abortion and other Horrors she mentioned it in her book later camp 11 mostly for females and according to some it has been closed prisoners here were jailed prostitution theft and Fleance the camp is surrounded by fields where prisoners are occupied with farming these camps just like places of weapon development are the most secret in the country it's only the satellite images that give us a glimpse of them most of far from civilization and can be spotted with characteristics like multiple security towers these shots show how armed soldiers watch over farming prisoners who later carry stones and wood unfortunately we don't know where these shots were made and there is a chance it's not even a camp things that happen inside can only be shared by those who were there and managed to flee this is kim hye-sook he managed to speak out once in South Korea I went to the prison camp when I was only 13 years old and I got out when I was 41 Hado was my entire family to prison some were taken to the mountains others were put in different labor camps all because of my grandfather's one mistake he escaped to South Korea during the Korean War yeah in North Korea the whole family of a criminal gets jailed husband and wife are allowed to live together and there is a school for kids born in these camps camp consists of two parts absolute control part for those doing life where you won't find ideology letters and portraits of the leaders prisoners are deemed hopeless and unworthy of North Korean ideology everywhere else though portraits are a must and Underground carriages they cover the made in Germany plaques government prefers to tell its people that everything is manufactured locally while some trains are made in western Germany the cult of the leader began to form a year after North Korea was established up til now remaining one of the pillars of North Korean ideology [Applause] [Music] even the country's calendar starts from the leaders date of birth formally it's not 2019 here now it's the Year hundred eight from the beginning of juta which is what the ideology is called the ideas behind it are that a man decides everything it doesn't sound bad prompting you to be independent but upon application these ideas are there just to justify the closed state of the country whilst making its leaders look godlike today is three of them Kim il-sung his son Kim jong-il and his grandson King John thorne every time you pronounce their names you have to add Supreme Leader whilst kim ill sung is the son of the nation newspapers mentioned that their leaders can predict weather and god forbid you fold the newspaper if it has the leaders picture i mean i've tried my best but don't know how best to fold it religion has for a long time been banned and is still not favorable if you get caught with a Bible you get sent to a camp there is the same that God doesn't help you and if you bring flowers to the statue of the leader your life will be full of luck it's the first place where tourists get taken the 25-meter statues avoid see ed the ideas our leader is the father of our country don't you think that's right if I'm going through hard time I come here our leader has not only United the country but also freed us became the stepping stone for the country we lived in serving as an example of how to overcome difficulties so I look at him and think that just like him I will overcome my personal problems it's how you calm yourself right this is what calms me it is mandatory to buy flowers on the way to the statue these flowers are real unlike those that were bought for kids which were later returned to the shop there are rules when you approach the statues do we stand here you form a row and bow for about five seconds twisted in half afterwards there are even more rules to enter the building where embalmed bodies of the leaders are you have to wear a suit then you form a row of four people each rows with locals are organized by height then everything is taken from your pockets and even there's one pill the fell out of my pocket had to be left outside you have to button up fully and walk with your hands in front of these interests or along the body not behind your back once you reach the body you have to bow three times once near the feet then their left side then the right side there are people there navigate you around showing what side of the column to take they are all armed it's an army but simply yeah it's not an excursion it's a visit because kim ill sung is obviously alive taking selfies in front of the building your hands must be close to your body you cannot smile much and can't hold hands with your family if anyone is still not convinced in the greatness of the leaders there is a Museum of gifts to change that 4 hours of non-stop walking floor to floor endless rooms gifts in details about the what country etc starting from planes all the way to knives and the most basic cups that can be found literally anywhere for pennies I mentioned this gift a crocodile with a tray of cups in the visitors book which sparked endless questions as per why the crocodile did it look funny to me I said that it is a symbol of strength but the DPRK does not use aggressively and they were happy with this lots of presents from Russia minimum 10 bear furs from some regional municipalities factories and other organizations everything is described in detail how much the gift weighs even weight of cars is mentioned there were gifts from Stalin they asked me if I've ever seen such cars I replied positively and they got upset saying that in this museum you were meant to see things that you've never seen this is how they form the cult of the leader and for a child I'd assume it's all very impressive getting him to think the leader is really the supreme one the biography of Kim il-sung is one of the main subjects in school and children who only have holidays in August parade the streets singing patriotic songs the flags cannot be put on the ground it's not only the uniform that is the same for everyone but also haircuts clearly displayed by these girls slogans and posters aimed at supreme leaders can even be found in kindergartens where children learn how to read such posters with guns and spires are also the norm here whilst it is recommended to only draw pictures that would bring joy to the leaders here is a picture of us a tank in flames hatred towards the US is ingrained from a young age as one of the most popular cartoons its remaining for 35 years is a chipmunk and a hedgehog in which the US is represented by wolves the baddies during school years children visit museums of damaged US tanks which are kept in pristine condition wiping dust on a daily basis these are American bombers that they dropped on us during the war this is all in great condition we look after it all there is a funny film about a u.s. ship that was captured fifty years ago that has constantly shown him and just listen to the words they choose those arrogant imperialists from the US tried to impose their sick minded will arrogantly raging across the whole world did not even look back trying to escape the hate is so big that locals don't know a single world celebrity Duman beetles you heard of them no I happen do you like Michael Jackson we are not allowed to listen to any music only other singers came so it's only for musicians right it's strange the hatred towards the US did not stop with Kim Jong Il from having a MacBook Pro with a 15 inch display which can now be found in the museum but filming was not permitted there are many speakers in the rest areas of the city by which leaders can communicate to the people pushing their ideologies serving is another form of propaganda moreover cars that drive around with speakers transmitting slogans of the party and evening news about the leaders on TV with added or inspiring voice I managed to translate some of it for you and I'm surprised how this wasn't written by a king or queen all farmers actively took progressive thinking of our supreme leader sinking it deep into their hearts our leader Kim Jong moon has visited a kindergarten following his promise these kids have no deprivation and limits this is how it will be from now on set the supreme leader there are two main TV channels in North Korea one starts broadcasting from 7:00 p.m. whilst the second works on Sundays only this channel is Chinese and it is aired in hotel zone for the rest of the time North Korean channels would look like this as for international news that broadcast once a week on Sundays only what surprised me I recently met a local Korean and she is aware of some local Russian news but also dreams of visiting Czechoslovakia and East Germany can you believe this they managed to know some local minuscule Russian news but fail to know that certain countries no longer exist for decades stories about failing socialistic regimes do not work in favor of the government and propaganda is one of the main budgetary expenses take a dance show for example that as part of the ceremony leaves even Olympic Games behind [Music] [Music] [Music] tickets are distributed via factories and organizations it's not really a leisure show but two hours of brainwashing excuse my location but it's the only safe place to film from the show is about the fact that supreme leaders are the greatest sound so socialism is key and the only way for the grated potatoes tomatoes and bright future in general another important thought is that if leaders are happy the crop will also be great this show is conducted daily during summertime daily during summertime Jesus Christ I've just been told that there was a Russian reporter somewhere there and chances that he recognizes me are huge if that happens and he mentions me to his guide I think I'll be jailed for life in the next episode you'll see me hiding from Russian journals and women sunnies and how I try and escape my guide two metres away we'll find out how much the locals earn and translate them chatting to one Miller as it turned out to be very interesting they clearly didn't expect that I'd ever be able to translate it what should I tell this ring I will also show you why North Korea is not a socialist state any longer and how did the upper class appear with Burberry bags buying those empty flats in the post car quarter flats there are empty because supply is much greater than demand flats below the fifth floor are most popular as when there is no electricity they become the most convenient I will also travel to the Russian border and speak to those who not only saw but captured refugees alright guys this is what we're giving away today before I tell how to win all of this and how to follow me on instagram let's try that powdered tea let's try that powdered tea that I bought in the supermarket North Korea it's weird because it's just powder with no smell at all well maybe this is how human ashes smell all right it smells even more of ashes now creepy smell no freaking disgusting tastes of powder has been picked up from the floor that's what this taste is so back to the giveaway a banknote of 5000 Vaughn real North Korean money that I managed to get by exchanging something with a local by texture reminds me of old Russian rubles very similar quality then we have the snake moonshine 700 milliliters it also comes with a QR code that you can test of course and get acquainted with North Korean technology this amazing poster behind me it is handmade includes kim il-sung and adi passing rocket handmade by an artist who I met in the Demilitarized Zone on this South Korea North Korea border so what do you have to do as you know North Korea occasionally launches rockets and conducts nuclear tests it's always breaking news and they are everywhere your task is to guess on what day Kim jong-un will do the next launch I'm looking for an exact date and your answer must be posted on my Instagram now if you want to follow me there and this is why I started all of this I promise to give all of this away won't leave anything for myself just a fair exchange between us on my IG you'll find a picture of me in this tracksuit and this is where you need to post your answers link to that pic can also be found below so you don't mess anything up when is the next launch guys gifts will be given to those first three to call out the correct date of course subscribe to the channel second episode is coming out soon where you'll find very interesting investigations I actually think that it was pretty lucky that I stumble across that those guys on the train for example I won't talk about it now and I'm sorry for delaying this book to those who comment that I'm a total but taking too long to produce these videos I'm terribly sorry and hope you understand please subscribe [Music]

Channel: The People

Views: 11,734,632

Rating: 4.8693452 out of 5

Keywords: north korea, north korea documentary, documentary, life in north korea, how people live, north korea life, live in north korea, travel north korea, impressions of North Korea, north korea tour, north korea vlog, travel pyongyang, kim jong un, kim jong il, kim il sung, pyongyang, south korea, united states, tours, escape north korea, anton lyadov, lyadov, the people, travel korea, visit korea, north korea travel, korean people, north korea tourist, north korea pyongyang

Id: inebLA3HqPo

Length: 52min 48sec (3168 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 04 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/ptownpaul]

This is one of the best reports of life inside North Korea I have seen.

[u/Bitcoin_to_da_Moon]

i hope there is a place in hell for the leaders of NK

[u/UnKaveh]

Wow I can’t believe how good that was. Never seen or heard of this dude but goddamn that was good content

[u/VallleyNL]

Is there a non-narated version with subtitles available?

[u/Falkuria]

Hey he talks about how he is easily recognizable but I've never seen this guy among the travel channel I've watched. The YT channel it is uploaded to doesn't seem to be directly tied to him, either. Where can I find this second episode he speaks of?

[u/Wanrenmi]

Great video. The guy dubbing the English is really good.
But kinda weird all the music is mandarin? Why not some Korean music?

[u/icyflakes]

I traveled for a couple weeks to the DPRK about 6 years ago, this is mostly accurate to what I saw when I was there.

I will say, he copped a bit of extra flak for his constant attempts to film in unwanted areas, and definitely because he was living there for work. As a tourist, I had a gun pointed at me on the train when I couldn't explain what a Nintendo DS was to the army guy at the border (I had been on a long trip otherwise, so had a ton of stuff just from regular travel). But apart from that, i was mostly left alone and treated well.

It was definitely hard to identify the difference between what is planned surveillance and what is just weird. You do tend to automatically go into "truman show" mode, thinking everything that happens is because you are being watched and manipulated. In reality, a lot of what you see is just normal life, and they don't necessarily try to divert attention from the bad. Our guides were reasonably honest about the challenges they face - they definitely aren't pretending they're the glorious nation.

Also, the fact that the only real "behind the scenes" shot he got was of a shop in Beijing is pretty annoying. I wouldn't say anything he filmed otherwise was too out of the ordinary for anyone who spends a bit of time there.

We were able to confirm a test (social manipulation, not electrical) with the radios in the room being bugged.

[u/[deleted]]

I fee like all the music cuts and useless zooming and shit could cut the film time in half.

[u/ilecim]

I’ve been as well several years ago. While a lot of it is the same, it seems life for some has gotten significantly better. That grocery store doesn’t even compare to the one they were so proud to show us.

Also, I remember a tourist who was there gifted little packages of vegetable seeds to people we encountered - one woman in a museum was confused about how to grow them and shocked they produced food with only water. I can’t imagine they’re that deprived, but it certainly seemed authentic as compared to so many of the other theatrical interactions.