North Korea

North Korea bans leather coats to stop citizens from copping leader’s iconic look Hyemin Son

• https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/leather-11242021180637.html Nov 24, 2021 "Authorities in North Korea are cracking down on residents wearing leather trench coats, saying that it is disrespectful to emulate the fashion choices of the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, sources in the country told RFA." Radio Free Asia

North Korea sentences U.S. student to 15 years hard labor Tiffany Ap and Brian Todd 

• http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/16/asia/north-korea-warmbier-sentenced March 3, 2016 This article explains background about Otto Warmbier, an American charged and sentenced by North Korea for allegedly stealing a North Korean propaganda poster.

Escape! - Full Video 15:53

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r-OpfIcw2Q&t Aug 19, 2015 Escape from North Korea was his only hope!  To feed his family in North Korea, Dae Sung Kim illegally traded goods across the border with China, and was put on a government watch list. To save himself, he had to flee south.  Life in South Korea was much different. In North Korea, there were times he went without food for a whole week and his only dream was to eat a stomach-full. In South Korea, he found plentiful food and a place where people had bigger dreams.  Dae Sung Kim became a venture capitalist for other North Korean refugees, helping them start businesses and transform their dreams into reality.  Learn how Korea became two very different countries divided by the 38th Parallel. Hear Kim's story of Escape! from North Korea, and how he hopes to one day return to his former homeland.  "In South Korea, everyone is entitled to have a dream." – Dae Sung Kim izzit.org

The Unusual Logic of North Korea's Fake Elections 1:46

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPKnGLwiHQE Mar 10, 2014 North Korea held its first parliamentary election since the succession of Kim Jong-Un on Sunday -- an election with one name per ballot. Via The Foreign Bureau, WSJ's global news update.

North Korea tests its 'largest intercontinental ballistic missile test ever' 1:53

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKM8C829oN8 Mar 25, 2022 North Korea tested what is thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test ever on Thursday, in what would be the first full-capability launch of the nuclear-armed state's biggest missiles since 2017. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had detected the launch of an “unidentified projectile” from North Korea, revealing that the launch was assumed to be a long-range missile, possibly an ICBM fired on a “lofted” trajectory high into space, Yonhap news agency reported. Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/03/24/north-korea-conducts-largest-intercontinental-missile-test-ever The Telegraph

Kim Jong-un stars in film of missile launch on North Korean TV 1:27

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzZKIN4TuDA Mar 25, 2022 North Korean state television has broadcast a Hollywood-style film that purports to show Kim Jong-un and military officials overseeing the launch of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile. The launch drew international condemnation. North Korea confirms test of its largest intercontinental ballistic missile yet ► https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/24/n-korea-confirms-missile-testing-ahead-of-long-confrontation-with-us Guardian News

North Korea:detained American student speaks 3:14

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er7uhMkQzro Feb 29, 2016 Brian Todd reports on the tearful confession of an American student detained in North Korea. CNN

N. Korea Sentences US Student to 15 Years of Hard Labor 1:29

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mTZjWePlxI Mar 17, 2016 Otto Warmbier, 21, was found guilty of what the North Korean government calls "subversion." ABC News

That Moment I Escaped North Korea 5:12

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBWc0LImWv4 Jan 11, 2019 We talked with another advocate of the organization Liberty in North Korea, Geum Hyok Kim. Geum is a defector from the ruling class of North Korea who didn’t realize the nature of the regime until he left. He tells his beautiful, reflective story of growth, understanding freedom, and realizing what’s important. Featuring: Geum Hyok Kim

I Survived North Korea 6:20

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ziqq5gUXu8g May 17, 2018 Charles tells the story of his eventual escape from North Korea in 2008 at age 14. After a brief period of time in China at the age of 8, he was sent back to North Korea to work in a labor camp where he was starved and beaten... What have you survived? SoulPancake

The North Korean Government Explained 2:46

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGCodBnM2hI Jul 29, 2015 NowThis World explains background about how the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is actually a totalitarian theocracy. NowThis World

North Korean Parliamentary Elections (1948 - 2019) 1:29

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuM46BfpM6s Apr 1, 2019 On this special day, the first of April. I thought I'd make a bonus video on the elections of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea! Enjoy! Ze Emperor

How North Korea Deals With American Prisoners | The New York Times 4:02

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_SmIfRDyuo Jun 27, 2017 At least 16 Americans have been arrested in North Korea since 1996. Each situation is unique, but there are common threads when it comes to how and when they take Americans into custody. Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/U8Ys7n​ President Trump recently banned people from traveling to North Korea. This is in wake of what happened to American tourist Otto Warmbier. The New York Times

Everything We Know About Kim Jong Un 6:47

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Y9tbmMyRE May 15, 2020 Kim Jong Un has been the supreme leader of North Korea since December 2011. Despite how secretive North Korea is, the leader's life isn’t a complete mystery. From spending much of his childhood in Switzerland, to his admiration for former NBA player Dennis Rodman—here’s everything we know about Kim’s life and family Editor's note: Donald Trump is a sitting US president, not an acting US president. Insider regrets the error. Business Insider

Pyongyang calling: we spent a week in North Korea 13:14

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJRTzsW3GT4 Nov 24, 2018 In rare footage of the North Korean capital, the Guardian gained an insight into what daily life is like for its citizens. Escorted by government minders at all times we were invited to visit a nursery, zoo, swimming pool, funfair, parks, factories, festivals and more, but were left questioning if anything was real. After returning to the UK, Emma Graham-Harrison reflects on what it's like spending a week immersed in a personality cult. The Guardian

Undercover Footage From Real North Korean Refugee Rescue Missions 5:00

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkQRKe9oi3w Jan 9, 2019 Rarely-seen footage from real North Korean refugee rescue missions. You can help rescue more refugees today. Liberty in North Korea

The North Korean prisoner who escaped with her guard - BBC News 6:40

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHtCmp3oN04 Mar 1, 2020 How a prison guard and a prisoner made their break together from one of the world's most secretive states.

What Happens To North Korean Defectors After They Escape 5:55

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAvgXmM7Elg Aug 5, 2018 More than 1,000 North Koreans try to escape the country every year. They risk being killed, imprisoned, or trafficked, as they escape through China, Mongolia, and different regions of southeast Asia. This is Yeon Mi Park. She escaped North Korea when she was just 13 years old.

How I Escaped the Army of North Korea 12:08

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v138cKCHx7c Nov 23, 2019 Life in the mysterious country of North Korea is a challenge to survive, even for soldiers in the military. But what happens when you have had enough and want to escape? What is it like to leave your friends, family, and fellow soldiers behind and try to cross the border across the dangerous DMZ (demilitarized zone). This is the story of one soldier who became a defector and ran from the North Korean army. Will he be able to succeed in his attempt to find a better life in South Korea? Find out in this original 3D, HD, full episode of I Am. This video is inspired by true real life events.

Do North Koreans want to return to North Korea? | The Red Box 3:29

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHzSnwHW2to Aug 25, 2020 Our North Korean friends have not been to North Korea since they escaped and defected. Here's why. Liberty in North Korea

How one North Korean woman is using her freedom to help refugees 3:06

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLfmqN5gvqI Dec 2, 2020 “I want to do whatever I can for the North Korean people. My dream is that together, as one people, we can begin to write our own future.”  What does freedom mean to you? What would you be willing to risk for it? Noel escaped North Korea in 2009 and reached freedom the following year. This is her story.

Kim Jong Il Dead: N. Korea Really Mourning? 2:12

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd9YEISLlJk Dec 20, 2011 Sincerity of North Korean grief in question following dictator's death.

North Koreans mourn death of leader Kim Jong-Il 1:11

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTKopeQhiDo Dec 19, 2011 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has died aged 69 of a heart attack, state media announced Monday, plunging the nuclear-armed, famine-ridden and deeply isolated nation into a second dynastic succession. AFP News Agency

Alone in an Empty North Korean Airport 12:25

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf10ZV2dnuQ May 25, 2019 I had to fly out of the Pyongyang airport and needed two North Korean guides to take me there. Then when I arrived, the airport was completely empty and I was the only one inside. Bizarre experience with Air Koryo flying me back to Beijing.

How to watch banned videos in North Korea 4:02

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8MlsLWcFOI Jul 14, 2020 Foreign media is banned in North Korea. But that doesn't stop the North Korean people from listening to K-pop or watching Hollywood movies.   Our North Korean friends talk about how they watched banned media in North Korea.

North Korea defectors: Why it's getting harder to escape - BBC News 7:56

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q42kRVCCkcQ Jan 1, 2021 Every year, hundreds of people make the perilous journey out of North Korea as they escape from the "hermit kingdom".  But the number of defectors has been steadily dropping in recent years, as North Korean authorities have clamped down.  Ha Jin-woo, a defector who left in 2014, used to help other North Koreans escape. He explains how the route to freedom has become even more arduous.

What's school like in North Korea? | The Red Box 5:20

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqy5E_8BULk Apr 27, 2020 What is school like in one of the most isolated countries in the world? 4 North Koreans describe what it's like to attend school in North Korea —from the school subjects to being forced out of the classroom and onto the farm to help during the planting season.

CNN reporter to N. Korean child: Do you want to shoot me? 2:43

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNwuGlG5sKw May 4, 2018 Despite a looming summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong Un, North Koreans may still view the US as public enemy no. 1. CNN's Will Ripley reports. CNN

How Kim Jong-un Gets His $500,000 Mercedes | Visual Investigations 5:11

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSe9JDVczUc Jul 16, 2019 Kim Jong-un frequently shows off the Mercedes he has obtained in open defiance of U.N. sanctions intended to ban luxury goods from North Korea. Using shipping data, corporate records, satellite imagery and interviews, our investigation tracks the circuitous routes used to import illicit goods. The New York Times

What Kim Jong Un’s Outfits Reveal About North Korea | WSJ 6:39

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oDG7mQIpTk Dec 19, 2023 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has had shifts in his public appearance over the past 12 years. From being pictured on a white horse through Mount Paektu to photos of Kim meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Kim’s clothing and appearance is selected purposefully. WSJ delves into the subtle changes in Kim's attire, shedding light on the nuanced signals he intends to convey both domestically and on the global stage. 0:00 Kim’s appearance over the past 12 years 0:49 Symbolism 1:52 Mao suit vs. Western suit 3:32 Covid and weight loss 5:21 Being his own man The Wall Street Journal

Ontario man stumbles upon “mind-boggling” North Korean state TV broadcasts 2:10

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBknQAwKe8c Aug 21, 2024 North Korea is one of the most isolated and secretive countries in the world. Its 26 million residents are cut off from the outside world, while North Korea’s government is extremely selective about what it chooses to show to outsiders. Despite all of this, an Ontario man was able to tune in to a live feed of North Korean state television. Global's Jeff Semple speaks with Peter Fairlie about how he stumbled upon the network and what he saw. Global News