For real. So sad to see that look of utter defeat in life like they had. I found myself hating the host parading around in there with a camera at that point to be honest.
@4:44 That fantastic shot of the colonel looking stern then bursting into laughter saying "you just want to photograph and don't need an explanation" that right there is powerful and I believe worthy of an award.
Elena Komleva Yeah that’s how shit works, taxes to pay for schools, hospitals, and welfare. And loans, to pay back the money YOU borrowed. It would be great if we lived in a world where everyone cared for everyone, but it isn’t like that sadly. You’re welcome to give up all you have and live in the woods if you’d like.
@@jonahruiz4101 "....Yeah that's how shit works..." EXCELLENT response. 😂 Are you a fellow American because I'm American and that's how we respond to things.
@Johney Smith That is true. The true intention of the DW Documentary seems to be keep on bashing North Korea until it submits to the capitalists and the oil companies.
If I walked into a house and instead of pictures of people's children or other family, there were pictures of the country's leaders on the wall I would want to get out that house again as quickly as possible.
all those places are set up for when people come to vissit. they dont live in those buildings. Its all fake.. It's set up to make it look like theyre living normal lives but they arent. far from it
like bruh, here, we also have picture of our old leader (the one that is considered to be the best) but only in places that are tied and built by the government such as schools, political meeting room, etc forcing to have it at home sounds like a nightmare here the pictures represent our appreciation to the leader as well as people liberated the country, in North Korea it is like some thing you will be fucked for spilling water over it
Nobody who lives in a capitalist country is free, except for the bloodsucking self-entitled CEO's that steal the paychecks of 200 million hardworking Americans.
An touching humanistic view of N. Korea, the first such portrayal I've ever seen. It shows that people are just people, no matter what their situation. Whether they say it or not, they no doubt yearn for a better future. They're just waiting for that day to come.
People are the same everywhere. Although the particulars change from place to place, don't we all want the same things: security, raise our kids, a refrigerator. We're all the same.
This is a great documentary. I've watched many documentaries where the reporters have been extremely provocative and asked the people questions that could potentially put them in danger. They were deliberately trying to ridicule the country. Meanwhile this is a refreshing film because the journalist has been very respectful towards the people, not forcing them to answer provocative questions. He sees the friendly, normal human side of these people. I love the sentence in the end about how generalizations serve no purpose. Very professional documentary.
I know. So-called 'journalists' who put North Koreans into that position should be ashamed of themselves. And fired. All they are doing is revealing to us that ratings are more important to them than human lives. They're fully aware of the trouble they can get these people into, and they do it anyway.
@@Julia-nl3gq they're actually showing you the truth, not this glazed over crapola. These people are indoctrinated and scared and the government perfected it over 76 years so please spare everyone the typical lib responses.
This is so far my favorite documentary on North Korea. He's actually very respectful despite the situation. He doesn't just focus on the negative light but also positive aspects. Very nicely done. I hope in my lifetime I'll see news about the liberation of North Koreans. Please God
My favorite North Korea Documentary's made by SAO Documentary. The people asking the guides questions are from CHINA so they'll have more cultural knowledge.
They are nervous about the camera for reasons that you're not considering. If I rarely saw foreigners and suddenly theres someone filming my daily life with a professional camera shoved in my face I'd be scared. Imagine you're skating or shopping at a grocery store and 4 men you don't know begin recording you..... THAT is scary.
Imagine visiting a place where you get off the airplane and you’re in a museum; a museum with guides to ensure you take in the perpetual performance art as the artist intended. THAT is N Korea
a museum with living souls. it absolutely CRUSHES me when i see these people. the kids too. this is all an act they put on for the outside world to see. and when eyes look away, they go back to their “normal” which is what we consider inhumane. i feel so bad that there is LITERALLY nothing we can do BUT to stop visiting and funding kim and his military. it’s the biggest income they have for their country. WE fund, what will ultimately be our demise, if kim isn’t just bluffing.
My heart ❤️ truly goes out to the N.Korean people who has a heart & soul but aren’t allowed to freely express it though. My hope is that they’ll someday be allowed to and that both Koreas will once again be unified as one . That’s a realistic dream even though it doesn’t currently seem like a reasonable one. I’ve watched this documentary several times, and honestly, you did a superb job!!! My dad served proudly for 13 months in Seoul SK in the army on the DMZ where He didn’t serve during the Korean War but years later. Keep up the great work !! I’m a US citizen and it’s such a pleasure to know you and You’re so brave having visited a country 7 times which is so isolated from the world. Many thumbs up to you and your crew !!
Communism/socialism destroys its citizens. All Communist countries had massive famine. USSR, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, China……. And their politicians wonder why ppl want to flee. God bless those poor citizens starving, working 10-12 hour shifts for very little, zero rights, and being forced against their will.
Roger Baker - There is a difference between a Republic and an Imperialist government. With a Republic one has choices whereas with an Imperialist one choices are made by the sovereign (I.e. the king).
@@N7-WAR-HOUND I think it all depends on what kind of family you are born in. if you are below the middle class you are completely fucked and if you are born into a rich family, you have much better chances at the country.
Why, low crime rate, did you see any drug addicted homeless people living in their thousands, any obesity epidemic, any racial divide, anyone dying because they can't afford medical expenses. Mate you need to open your mind to what you are being shown and the reality of what goes on in your own backyard
Yes. America is holding the people of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea hostage by U.S. aggressive sanctions, mock invasion exercises, and America's propaganda campaign.
A young cousin of mine went to attend a North Korean university after her father got a job related to diplomacy there. A few months later he suddenly died of some kind of illness, and now my cousin is still living alone in N. Korea because she hasn't finished her education yet. Our family keep wondering what really happened to her father, and can't wait for her to come home.
Terrific documentary. Plus, nice touch playing Mike Oldfield's "Let There Be Light/Oceania" at about the 14:40 minute mark from the album "The Songs of Distant Earth" during your narration. Haven't listened to this great album in nearly 25 years ... Thank you.
It looks exactly like my workplace in London. Misery and terror all year long and then someone from head office comes to visit and for that one day everything gets staged to look like everything is perfect.
Sounds exactly like nursing homes and hospitals here in the states. The nursing directors and administrators run it like it's their own fiefdom but when inspectors come knocking once a year or whenever there's a complaint, all is staged to show that "standards" are being met. I know of one nursing home that had a separate set of records to show the "state" and the actual ones were under lock and key.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 ikr! Reminds me of when I was in school and the principal would schedule a day to come sit in the back of our class and we'd all pretend to be an absolutely perfect learning environment.
You should have seen how the town I live in was swept and manicured when the king and queen came to visit. Broken streetlights, graffiti, cracks in the pavement... suddenly there was enough money and enough workers to fix it all!
I'm from Indonesia. In the 1990s my middle school had a 'surprise' visit from the Minister of Education, and at the only day of the rehearsal to welcome the minister, I decided not to come... Unfortunately, when he dropped in to the 'special day', the minister came straight at me and decided I was that one lucky student that will be asked for questions. Since I didn't attend the rehearsal, I was staged at the corner most location at the lab equipped with a broken microscope that only function if there is a natural light shining directly to it (which I didn't know). Needless to say, I did my best to avoid eye contact, and turned my back at him and start looking at my petri dish, quickly pretending I was busy with my microscope. But he was adamant, and still eager to look what I was looking at. To my surprise my microscope came back with an empty image as the minister stood straight next to the natural light source for that particular microscope and blocking the way.... He asked me deadpan what is it that we're looking at? and I just can't explain it to him since I wasn't there at the rehearsal and didn't know the issue. I can't forget the look of the Head of Education department, my principal, and my teacher...none of them prepared me with that question, I swore I could hear a pin drop during my speechless moment. Eventually, I did say we were looking at either an amoeba or an algae...while stuttering. This video reminds me to be grateful. I used to think Indonesia in the 1990s is like North Korea, but now I can gladly say that Indonesia in 1980-1990s, dictatorship was far far less deadly than NK. failing a staging doesn't warrant a child to be enrolled in forced labor or concentration camp and teachers let children to be their awkward-self. Even though we have a dictator rule at that time, I can remember that my teachers still appreciate my little protest at compulsory doctrine curriculum by putting 'I doubt it' or 'unsure' at every likert-scale test that worship the dictator, and gave me a pass even though I probably fail on every tests and never heard anyone went to any concentration camp for doing so.
Probably one of the best North Korean documentaries I've seen. So fascinating to get a look into such a private country. Excellent filming, Excellent documentary. Love your work!
It is nice to see you are showing different things rather than going on the tourist's tour and filming what you can already find a hundred times on RU-vid. You guys did a nice job and I really like the Kodak Portra theme throughout since it comes off as original and gives off an entertaining vibe. Give yourselves a pat on the back for not being so biased that it comes off as really annoying and fake.
Having a Foreign Tourists is probably one of the best times of their lives. It’s sad how everyone knows how to ACT like their happy and everything’s fine.
They are actually used to the regime, since they know nothing about the rest of the world, so they don't have anything to compare to. They think that NK is the best country ever, and praying for Kims and all that stuff becomes a natural habit in their lives, which means that the government succeed in feeding them propaganda
Thank you for uploading. Ten years ago, it was rare to see North Korea on RU-vid. Recently, many people who traveled to North Korea have posted videos on RU-vid, so we can easily see the deeper situation in North Korea on RU-vid.
You're not seeing NK. The capitol is a city where only those loyal to the regime are allowed to live. And the parts you see in these videos are what NK wants you to see, it isn't how life really is. Most of this is staged, actors made to portray NK in a light that makes it appear to be modern when the truth is very different.
Excellent documentary video. I hope other viewers can appreciate all the accomplishments you've made that got you to this point where you were able to make a video like this under such challenging circumstances. John - northern California
john r. Just say California!! We all one state here! I’m from SoCal but originally from central coast (San Luis Obispo), NorCal is no different. Just slightly more seasonal. It’s all one state bro!
I was really surprised when the soldier towards the beginning of the video asked how they report on the Korean Peninsula in Austria. Given how they feel about outside information, I didn't think that was something he was allowed to ask.
Imagine if N-K would actually be a super advanced civilization, living underground with state of Art artificial sun and sky and controlled seasons and unlimited food resources and every north korean on the surface would actually be a clone or robot with no need To eat or rest
@wO yeah, but they've got a few restrictions the rest of the world doesn't have Like freedom of thought and access to reality...they sound, look, and act like blithering idiots. Although if I were scared to death, maybe I could say "Look! A microscope!" like it's the newest thing in technology...
But we'll never get a glimpse into the truth of this because of laws prohibiting any photography of any malnourished, and sad, or any "less than perfect" scenery or persons.
23:41 shocked me; I’ve watched so many North Korean documentaries etc and I’ve never seen a teenager there act like any other teenager in the world - looking at his phone and then waving with a smile. It looked so casual I honestly thought I’d imagined it at first. (He must be rich af, look at how many bottles of random drinks he’s buying lol)
Its for show. They show you what they want you to see. Thats why they try to keep you in pyongyang where the elites are. Its all a facade and most are acting. The others are brainwashed.
Yeah, they are beautiful blissfully ignorant propaganda shows. Painting a wonderful picture of the not so bad country. While in reality what they show is the only city in the contry which is filled with the elite while millions of people literally rot away in the death camp with children being sliced open and burned alive for information on their parents ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QUhj4JQkqAs.html The fact that you call this propaganda piece "the best" is sickening and also scary. It's stunning that people believe this side of it so easily. NK is a horrific death zone and documentaries like this one of DW are appallingly minimizing the horror that goes on there.
@@FirstnameLastname-pe3ky You are basically right. But I think the journalist is trying to do very small steps each time he visits the country. As he said, he is trying to establish deeper and deeper relations with his "overseers" (building up a network of people who might - some day - will give him true and propaganda-free information). Basically Salami-Tactics ;) NK's government will not let anyone inside the country again who was too critical etc. And btw: he makes more than clear that most of this stuff they show to him is staged propaganda bullshit and he was not allowed to film this or that etc. (so where is your problem?)
This DW documentary on North Korea is eye-opening! It’s fascinating to get a glimpse of daily life under Kim Jong Un's regime. Looking forward to more hidden stories from DW!
I’m sorry did I hear that correctly - they buy flowers to leave at the monument, then they take them an put them back in the store to RESELL them. LMAO.
@@jeffreyg4626 we have it SO MUCH better than any single one of these people. it isn’t a competition.. and if it was, they have us beat by a very very verrrrry long shot.
7:30 - This is a great example of someone talking for thirty seconds in Language A, and the translation in Language B being only like five or six seconds long.
It's not fake there's a political faction that even has government influence that's christian. Although a minority, and I doubt there isn't discrimination and heavy surveillance of some christian institutions I find it hard to believe they'd be too upset at what's essentially a small minority. Unless someone has a source saying otherwise.
@jxhensley Yeah, but pointing out a microscope as of its some kind of hyper-advanced phenomenon is pretty ridiculous considering that every middle school, high school, and university science lab I have ever been in had dozens of them and nobody made a fuss over it.
Tittiytiytiytiyiyiytiyiytiyiytytiyitiityiytiytitiyiytiytiityiyiyiyyiyriyriyriyiyyiiyiiyyriyriyiyririyiyiyriyiyiiyiriyryiyryyyiyiyriyiyriyiyriyiyiriyiyiriyiyrirriyriyiyriryiyriyiyiyiyiyriyiyriyiriyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyriyiyyiiyiyriyiyriyiriyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyriyiyiririyriyiyiyiyiyiriyiyiyriyiyiyiyiyriyriiryiyiriyiyriyiyriyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyyiriyiyriyiyiyyiiyiyiyryiyiyiriyiriyiyiyiyyiyiyiyiyiyriyriyiyiyyriyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyriyiriyiriyiyiyiyiyriyiyriyiyiyiriyiyyiyriyiyiyiyriyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyriyiyriyiyyiriyiyiriyiyyiyriyriyiyyiyiyiyriyiyriyiyiyriyiyiyrriyiyiyiyriyiyriyiyiyiyiyiriyriiyiyyiyiryiyiyiyiyiyriyiyiyiryiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyriyyriiryiyiyyiyiyiyririyiyiyiyiyiyriyiyiyiyiyiyiyîryiyyyriyiyiyriyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyriyyiyiyiyiyiyiyriyiyiyiyyiyiyiyiyiyiy ur uttrutyiy
seemed to have some weight on him given the fact most kids in n korea his age are extremely malnourished .....either he has extremely important parents or north korea doesnt in fact starve their people.
they planted chubby people!!! there were maybe 2 or 3. That little boy, and then the 1 worker in the textile factory they paid the most attention to! I swear, being larger is their job, and I bet it is not because they eat well. They are probably forced to eat nasty things like left over fats, ect.
as a S. korean, we can go abroad except N.korea which is so sad to me. hope to go there see and talk to the people in my life. Thanks this precious docu. for inviting unvisitable place to me
My grandma who lived in the Soviet Union in Estonia, recalls that they knew that they were lied to, they just didn't know how much they were lied to. The same thing is in North Korea.
I kind of wonder if that North Korean student was just thinking: "What? Leif Erikson discovered it, and before him an unknown person." And maybe the teacher was like "Dammit, Europeans are stupid!"?
Who discovered Canada? There was no Canada, or US. There was the Americas -- the entire Western Hemisphere, that we describe as 'discovered.' That's like asking "Who discovered Saskatchawan" or "Iowa," for Crissake. Its one solid land mass, plus the Caribbean.
Difference there is I have the freedom to figure that out and research it. In NK they're probably like "No one discovered America! They're all mutants there!"
Wow! They are malnourished, not allowed to trade with anyone but still manage to build railways and skyscrapers. Pretty impressive people who do a lot with so little. Thank you for the documentary, DW. You rarely dissappoint with your quality of stories.
And hardly any people out & about, the country is like a ghost town. They either r restricted to go out or to scared that something they do or say could be misunderstood by the military & be punished or even killed for it.
@456 546465 impossible, we used to live under Soviet Union regime, these are slightly alike regimes, there were no such kind of places in the USSR, if the government officials knew the woman engaged in prostitution she would be punished and condemned publicly.
Deanius DaGenius I wrote 4 words on a comment and got 5k+ likes (and counting) It was on “Are You Lost In the World Like Me” It’s the one uploaded by Marco Z
I have seen a lot of documentaries about North Korea, where journalists put people in difficult situation and treated hem like aliens. This documentary is one of the best. The reported showed us real people at their work and treated them realy nicely. He was careful not to put them in danger with his questions.
Nearly every American is kind to North Korean visitors / defectors. So 330,000,000 people are nice. Maybe 20 Americans or so make money off this. So let's get this straight -you reject the kindness of 329,999,980 people who get no money for kindness because of the 20 who do? What kind of communist math is that?
As the narrator said himself, there is a person under the uniform. So if I was him, my biggest concern would be the soldiers well being, and not trying to show the world some insignificant things, that the soldiers regime may find offensive. Because that soldier may get sent to a gulag for showing me something he was not supposed to. Or letting me slide on some miniscule thing like a picture I was not supposed to take. That would be my main concern, especially if I got to know that individual on a friend basis, over a long stretch of time. But these journalists sometimes love to push the envelope, and thereby endanger the ones that let them slide in the first place. I think we must never forget, how oppressed the north Korean people actually are. This country is hell on earth, because where else could your entire family be punished with death, for a mistake you made?
yet these are claims without backing really makes you think geuss who wrote that opinion? what grounding does it have? why do you think the north koreans hate america?
Drink deeply of the most efficient Western news propaganda. It is so pervasive, it takes almost a life time to break through, but once you do, you will never be the same.
I amcarbonandotherbits. Lol how American to think the money collected is their money. They are selling Kim’s flowers and collecting Kim’s money. Many people just stop getting paid for a while. Poor Souls.
@@pamelaraney4654 exactly you might make enuff to eat if your lucky enuff that kim crack head does not need to buy another mazarati to sit in his garage lol ...this pos will die soon so will his hole empire it is kinda funny to watch it all happen
@@pamelaraney4654 and also pathetic and sad that one mans greed and power can kill and destroy and starve the mind body and soul of so many people .....
That was such a silly comment from the journalist. As if they wouldn’t be learning math.....how does he figure anything there gets done without math?!?
An opinion. You cannot prove God or disprove God exists. And please don't try and sell me the idea that order was created out of chaos. That would not be science.
Recycling the flowers and having dedicated people to do so is just so mindblowingly oppressive and gives a morbid creepy bureaucratic vibe in it's circular logic. Just seeing defeat and sadness in those worker women's eyes was soul crushing. We are very fortunate in the free world, folks.
NO WEAPONS they cant even afford uranium or even its bastard brothers.They are on their knees ,the weapons as anyone can spot are all ex russian pre digital missiles - these can be defused on tyhe fuckin internet ffs ,only way they leave tyhe ground is if America allows it to happen ,yanno ...."like another pearl harbour"
Sadrack Jean Baptiste currently western countries have the best human rights. There are no none westernized countries with good human rights. So yes, these countries must first accept capitalism and westernize their societies to progress
Propaganda Journalism. The target is not North Korean, its to poison the world with lies about North Korea. Becareful about the west. Journalism propaganda is their last effort to destroy NK after bombing and Sanctions failed. The narrator is telling lies throughout the video play that is not supported by the film shortage/scene. He relies on the viewers curiosity about NK to mislead our perception and interest. Shame to him.
Actually, a lot of the north Korean people are happy. If you watch videos on NK defectors, they say the only positive thing about NK is the people and how, no matter what, they are happy and loving to one another because there isnt any competition or jealousy (such as wanting the newest shoes or wanting to be rich etc) it's all family and friend love, even when starving, which makes it even more sad
Pretty sure not a NOrth Korean. Maybe Chinese like others say. He is too camera ready. Most other people in other NK videos almost never smile and waive at cameras.
