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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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(broadcaster speaking Korean)
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LISA (off screen):
On September 3, 2017,
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a man-made earthquake,
6.3 on the Richter scale,
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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is felt on the Korean peninsula.
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The North Korean leadership
boasts a successful test
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of a hydrogen bomb.
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(crowd cheering)
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MAN (speaking Korean):
As long as Kim Jong Un is with us,
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the victory, without question,
will be ours.
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NEWSCASTER (on screen in Korean):
Much congratulations must be given
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to our nuclear scientists and technicians.
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(dramatic music)
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LISA (off screen):
The underground explosion
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strikes fear and anger
throughout the international community.
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BESSHO: The Security Council
must act to stop North Korea.
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NIKKI: We have kicked the can
down the road long enough.
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There is no more road left.
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DAVID SANGER (off screen): I think
they've come to the conclusion
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that they have a much greater
chance of survival
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by being a threatening power
than being a cooperative one.
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LISA (off screen): North Korea is
the most secretive
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and isolated nation in the world,
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and its actions have been
vexing America for 70 years.
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In 2006, I went undercover there
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and found a world
of absolute conformity...
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Government minders...
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Tomorrow you're going out of our country.
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LISA (off screen):
And unimaginable horrors
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that people risked their lives
to escape...
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(man speaks Korean)
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I'd never felt as isolated as I did
as soon as I touched down in North Korea.
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Then, three years later,
it got personal
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when my sister Laura was abducted
and imprisoned there
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while on assignment for Current TV.
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LAURA: The soldier raised
the butt of his rifle
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and brought it down on my head,
and I just blacked out.
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The next thing I know, I'm in North Korea.
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LISA: In the light of a new leader
and increased global concern,
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I look back on my trip in 2006
and my sister's capture.
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Inside North Korea, Then and Now.
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(uneasy music)
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LISA (off screen): When I went
into North Korea in 2006,
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the dear leader, Kim Jong Il,
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ruled with absolute power.
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♪ ♪
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He died on December 17, 2011.
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In the capital, Pyongyang,
the funeral procession lasted for hours.
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The dear leader's disciples' grief
will last much longer.
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His youngest son, Kim Jong Un,
has become the third Kim
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to rule this dynastic communist nation.
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He is called the supreme leader.
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To the watching world,
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not yet 30-year-old Kim Jong Un
was an unknown,
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and is today still enigmatic
and unpredictable.
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DAVID (off screen):
When Kim Jong Un took power,
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he systematically went out and wiped out
his opposition
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with a brutality that we had not
really seen
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from his father or his grandfather
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and was smart enough to quickly
change his appearance,
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his haircut, whatever
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to remind everybody of his grandfather,
the country's founder, Kim Il Sung.
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He may have been young.
He may have been callow.
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He may have been mistrusted.
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He came out on top.
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LISA (off screen): It is estimated
Kim Jong Un has assassinated
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140 senior leaders,
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including an uncle
and likely his half-brother.
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His regime has tested over 80 rockets,
successfully launching ICBMs--
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intercontinental ballistic missiles--
that threaten its enemies.
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In 2016,
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American college student Otto Warmbier,
touring North Korea,
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was arrested and sentenced
to 15 years' hard labor.
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OTTO: I beg for forgiveness.
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LISA (off screen): He was freed
after 17 months,
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but not before mysteriously
falling into a coma.
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He died shortly after his release.
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President Obama told
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then president-elect Trump
that North Korea would be
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his most urgent international challenge.
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Every time there is
a new American administration,
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it seems like the North Koreans
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try to test the new administration.
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The difference this time is,
Kim Jong Un seems to be
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a lot more unpredictable
than his father,
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and the United States' president,
uh, is sort of an untested entity
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and is probably
the most unpredictable president
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who has ever sat in that seat as well.
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TRUMP: North Korea best not make
any more threats to the United States.
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They will be met with fire and fury
like the world has never seen.
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DAVID: What does Kim Jong Un want?
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What are his motives?
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Across the three Kim dictators,
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Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un,
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there's been one common theme,
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which has been
that their development
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of missiles and nuclear weapons
and their effort to combine the two
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is the ultimate survival strategy,
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that their number-one concern is survival.
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People treat you differently
as a nuclear power.
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LISA (off screen): The two successful
ICBM launches in July 2017
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showed that Kim Jong Un has missiles
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that appear capable of reaching
the continental United States.
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It puts the U.S. and North Korea
on a collision course
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not seen since the Korean War
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and proves that its nuclear program
is further along than previously thought.
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The nation even issues
commemorative stamps
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celebrating the events.
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(suspenseful music)
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(upbeat music)
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North Korea has one
of the largest militaries in the world.
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Parades like this boast
awesome power to its people
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and an ominous message to its enemies.
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(applause)
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And the North Korean people believe
they are still at war with America,
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though fighting ended in 1953.
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But the roots of North Korea's antagonism
toward foreign powers
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goes back over a century.
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In 1910, Korea was colonized by Japan.
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(crowd clamoring)
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The brutal occupation ended
more than 1,000 years
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of Korea's reign as a sovereign nation,
and was a major source of shame.
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Japan lost Korea in World War II,
and the country was split
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between the American-backed south
and the Soviet-backed communist north,
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led by a young rebel
named Kim Il Sung.
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(artillery booming)
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In 1950, Kim Il Sung invaded the south
to unify the country,
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and the U.S. opposed
communist expansion at all costs.
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As many as four million people
died in the Korean War,
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which included some of the most
brutal warfare the world has known.
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In a four-month period alone,
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the U.S. dropped
nearly one million gallons of napalm.
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Most major cities in North Korea
were at least half obliterated,
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including Pyongyang.
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In 1953, after three years of fighting,
Korea remained divided
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in almost exactly the same place
as it had been before the war began,
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the 38th parallel.
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There never was a peace treaty,
rather a perpetual state of ceasefire.
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The joint security area on the border
is the one place where North Korean forces
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stand toe to toe
with the rest of the world.
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On one side of this concrete marker
is North Korea,
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on the other, the joint
American-South Korean forces.
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Every flinch is monitored.
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Neither side wants to blink,
and nobody has for over 60 years.
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MICHAEL: You can see
on the North Korean side
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how they're set up.
They have two soldiers watching
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each other so neither of them defect.
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And then they have their leader
to the north, making sure
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that no one else from the North
will come down and defect.
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LISA (off screen): With everyone
watching, no one can cross here.
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And defecting anywhere else
along the DMZ is nearly impossible.
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The DMZ,
or de-militarized zone,
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is a two-and-a-half-mile-wide buffer
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along the border of north and south Korea.
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With more than a million landmines,
high voltage electric fences,
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and nearly two million soldiers,
crossing over is almost certain suicide.
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(uneasy music)
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♪ ♪
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South Korea's capitol, Seoul,
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is less than 40 miles
away from the border,
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but what makes this place so dangerous
is the uncertainty of what lies
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north of the divide.
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North Korea, officially
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
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is regarded
as an "intelligence black hole."
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DAVID (off screen): I think you
could certainly make a strong argument
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that North Korea has been
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the biggest intelligence failure
for the United States
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since Iraq's weapons
of mass destruction.
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The American intelligence agencies
don't take much heat for this
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because everyone understands
that North Korea is a very hard target...
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LISA (off screen): But we know
some basic facts:
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North Korea is roughly
the size of Mississippi.
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It has 25 million people,
a showcase capital, Pyongyang,
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but vast poverty most everywhere else.
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All three Kims were
and are absolute dictators,
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and worshipped in a personality cult
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perhaps more extreme
than any other in history.
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DAVID (off screen): Not only do you have
a population
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that has largely bought into the myth
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that this family is keeping
them safe
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against the Americans who would
overrun their territory,
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but that the myth all comes
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out of the founding myth of Kim Il Sung,
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and that everybody else's authority
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comes from the fact
that they descend from him.
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(crowd cheers)
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LISA (off screen): I'd never experienced
a kind of roboticism
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like I experienced in North Korea.
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CROWD: Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Un,
Kim Jong Un.
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LISA: And it was really difficult
to tell whether people really felt, um,
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as passionately about their dear leader
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or they felt compelled to act
like they did.
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Everyone is trained from birth
to love the leaders,
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and virtually no outside sources
of information are allowed.
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Newspapers and television
are controlled by the state.
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Many here don't even know
a man has walked on the Moon.
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While the elites at the very top
of North Korean society may have access
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to the global Internet,
for millions of ordinary North Koreans,
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there's no way to connect
to the outside world.
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And those elites with cell phones
can only speak within its borders.
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It is this isolation from the
rest of the world
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that earns North Korea the moniker,
"The Hermit Kingdom."
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I had always been so curious
about North Korea
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because it's just been
this enigma in the world,
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the country about which
the least is known.
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And so, when my renowned
cataract surgeon friend Dr. Sanduk Ruit
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invited me to follow along with him
and his medical team,
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I jumped at the opportunity to go.
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The caveat, though, was that
I couldn't say I was a journalist.
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I had to go under the auspices
of being part of his medical team.
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Thousands of people in North Korea
go blind
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due to a lack of even the most basic
medical facilities.
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DR. RUIT (off screen): The annual number
of surgeries performed
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is just, just very little.
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And the blindness magnitude is one
of the highest in the world.
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LISA: Dr. Sanduk Ruit planned
to travel from Nepal to North Korea
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to do more than 1,000 surgeries
in less than 10 days.
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His mission was purely humanitarian.
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Our entire crew posed as members
of Dr. Ruit's medical team.
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We were going to document his work
and show the world what life
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was like inside North Korea.
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-...send it back.
-DR RUIT: I'm sure you...
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LISA (off screen):
This meeting in a Kathmandu hotel room
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was the last time our team
could converse in private.
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So there will be
a North Korean man
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traveling with us the entire time?
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-DR. RUIT: Yes.
-LISA: From here to Pyongyang?
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DR. RUIT: From here to Pyongyang
and back to Kathmandu.
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LISA (off screen): North Korean minders
met us in Nepal
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and monitored every step
until the trip was over.
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Dr. Ruit knew our South African cameraman,
Brian, and I
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would be watched very carefully.
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Do you think that Brian
and I will be followed?
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DR. RUIT: I'm sure.
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LISA: And he was concerned
that the cameras
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would attract too much attention
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as we entered the country...
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DR. RUIT: We can put the camera
down there.
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LISA (off screen): And wanted to pack them
more carefully,
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buried beneath the medical equipment.
242
00:14:37,061 --> 00:14:39,031
DR. RUIT: Okay, and pack it with linens.
243
00:14:45,025 --> 00:14:47,038
LISA (off screen): A North Korean official
checks our luggage
244
00:14:47,045 --> 00:14:48,092
where our cameras are hidden.
245
00:14:51,045 --> 00:14:53,095
OFFICIAL: And everything
is okay with the luggage.
246
00:14:55,049 --> 00:14:56,076
LISA (off screen):
Two North Korean minders
247
00:14:56,082 --> 00:14:58,089
are already keeping an eye on things.
248
00:15:04,033 --> 00:15:06,003
DR. RUIT (off screen): All of us
will be watched very carefully.
249
00:15:06,010 --> 00:15:09,014
I think you should
shut the camera down now.
250
00:15:09,020 --> 00:15:12,054
LISA: In retrospect,
I think I was a little naive.
251
00:15:12,061 --> 00:15:15,071
I was surprised that
no one Googled who I was,
252
00:15:15,078 --> 00:15:18,021
because I was working
for National Geographic at the time.
253
00:15:18,095 --> 00:15:23,075
But I thought that if
it was ever discovered
254
00:15:23,082 --> 00:15:25,052
that I was a journalist,
255
00:15:25,059 --> 00:15:28,056
I would just be expelled from the country,
256
00:15:28,062 --> 00:15:34,070
so while I had my concerns,
I wasn't that scared.
257
00:15:37,003 --> 00:15:39,013
But maybe I should have been.
258
00:15:40,030 --> 00:15:42,074
After hours in the air,
we stole these shots
259
00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:44,044
as we approached North Korea.
260
00:15:45,061 --> 00:15:48,001
Normally, Americans were not
welcome there,
261
00:15:48,008 --> 00:15:52,058
and I was told I would be the only one
in the entire country.
262
00:15:52,065 --> 00:15:55,018
(uneasy music)
263
00:15:55,025 --> 00:15:56,062
♪ ♪
264
00:15:56,068 --> 00:16:00,032
On the ground, we got
our first glimpses of Pyongyang
265
00:16:00,039 --> 00:16:02,079
and shot undercover footage,
266
00:16:02,086 --> 00:16:05,066
no easy task with minders in the car.
267
00:16:06,059 --> 00:16:12,017
We passed 12-lane highways
with hardly any cars
268
00:16:12,023 --> 00:16:16,074
and saw images of Kim Il Sung
and Kim Jong Il everywhere.
269
00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:20,051
Pyongyang was and still is
a city of the relatively privileged.
270
00:16:20,057 --> 00:16:24,031
The government rewards strong supporters
by letting them live there.
271
00:16:25,035 --> 00:16:27,028
And unless you're
a high-ranking official,
272
00:16:27,035 --> 00:16:30,022
you need a permit to travel
anywhere in the country.
273
00:16:32,042 --> 00:16:34,036
So from the moment we landed in Pyongyang,
274
00:16:34,042 --> 00:16:35,092
I could tell I was in a place
275
00:16:35,099 --> 00:16:39,003
unlike any place I'd ever been before.
276
00:16:39,009 --> 00:16:42,090
All of our technological devices
were removed from our possession.
277
00:16:42,096 --> 00:16:45,070
We had to check them
into the airport.
278
00:16:45,077 --> 00:16:49,014
And we were assigned
eight government minders,
279
00:16:49,020 --> 00:16:51,031
and they followed us everywhere.
280
00:16:51,037 --> 00:16:54,068
They even stayed in the guest houses
where we were housed.
281
00:16:55,024 --> 00:16:56,071
And at a certain point,
282
00:16:56,078 --> 00:17:01,008
I realized that I was
in Kim Jong Il's North Korea.
283
00:17:02,055 --> 00:17:05,005
When we reached the hospital,
hundreds of blind people
284
00:17:05,012 --> 00:17:07,005
had already gathered for surgery.
285
00:17:09,052 --> 00:17:13,009
This hospital was probably
as fancy as it got in North Korea.
286
00:17:13,036 --> 00:17:17,093
Most of the cutting-edge equipment
had been donated by other countries,
287
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:19,067
but few doctors knew how to use it.
288
00:17:21,097 --> 00:17:23,020
DR. RUIT: This one is from America.
289
00:17:23,027 --> 00:17:25,081
Iris. Iris.
290
00:17:27,091 --> 00:17:30,041
LISA (off screen): The government let
Dr. Ruit and his team come
291
00:17:30,048 --> 00:17:34,035
because it was a way for Kim Jong Il
to get services to his people.
292
00:17:35,025 --> 00:17:37,089
Our team had to bring
most of our equipment
293
00:17:37,095 --> 00:17:39,022
and supplies with us.
294
00:17:41,019 --> 00:17:44,036
And because blackouts were common,
even here in the capital,
295
00:17:44,043 --> 00:17:46,059
we brought our own generator for power.
296
00:17:48,056 --> 00:17:50,086
I hoped we could see
what life was really like here,
297
00:17:50,093 --> 00:17:54,033
but the government
controlled our every move.
298
00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:57,070
And the rare times that it had granted
foreigners access,
299
00:17:57,077 --> 00:18:00,081
they had only been shown
idealized versions of the country,
300
00:18:00,087 --> 00:18:05,018
like in this Dutch documentary
called A Day In The Life.
301
00:18:07,015 --> 00:18:09,018
In this scene, a mother sings
nursery rhymes
302
00:18:09,025 --> 00:18:11,045
as she walks her child to school.
303
00:18:11,052 --> 00:18:12,095
MOTHER (in Korean): Sing along.
304
00:18:13,002 --> 00:18:16,026
♪ The pathetic Americans
kneel on the ground ♪
305
00:18:16,032 --> 00:18:18,053
♪ They beg for mercy ♪
306
00:18:18,059 --> 00:18:21,026
LISA (off screen): The film shows
only the cheerful façade,
307
00:18:21,033 --> 00:18:23,073
because here, image matters.
308
00:18:27,003 --> 00:18:30,010
Back at the hospital,
Dr. Ruit continued his mission.
309
00:18:31,031 --> 00:18:36,018
In the developed world, cataracts rarely
get so bad, especially in young people,
310
00:18:36,024 --> 00:18:37,074
that they result in blindness.
311
00:18:39,051 --> 00:18:43,002
But here, because of poor care
and likely poor nutrition,
312
00:18:43,008 --> 00:18:46,059
the incidence is as much
as 10 times higher than in the West,
313
00:18:46,065 --> 00:18:49,052
and afflicts young and old alike.
314
00:18:53,036 --> 00:18:55,096
But in North Korea, cataracts
are only a small part
315
00:18:56,003 --> 00:18:57,050
of the humanitarian nightmare.
316
00:19:00,083 --> 00:19:04,040
German physician and human rights activist
Norbert Vollertsen
317
00:19:04,047 --> 00:19:06,051
worked for over a year in North Korea.
318
00:19:08,014 --> 00:19:11,035
He shot pictures
of the horrible medical conditions.
319
00:19:11,041 --> 00:19:13,048
Bloody old operating tables...
320
00:19:13,055 --> 00:19:15,042
beer bottles for IVs...
321
00:19:15,048 --> 00:19:18,052
no antibiotics or anesthesia.
322
00:19:18,059 --> 00:19:20,075
NORBERT (off screen): Of course,
the North Korean government will tell you
323
00:19:20,082 --> 00:19:22,046
everything is free in North Korea.
324
00:19:22,052 --> 00:19:25,039
It's not true because it's not available.
325
00:19:25,046 --> 00:19:27,079
There is no medicine.
There's no running water.
326
00:19:27,086 --> 00:19:29,076
There's even no soap in the hospital.
327
00:19:29,083 --> 00:19:32,083
LISA (off screen): But it was the lack
of food, and its effect on children,
328
00:19:32,090 --> 00:19:34,080
that made the most lasting impression.
329
00:19:35,014 --> 00:19:37,044
NORBERT (off screen): When I was
a medical doctor in North Korea,
330
00:19:37,050 --> 00:19:39,094
I saw a lot of starving children.
331
00:19:40,001 --> 00:19:42,058
I saw children dying under my hands
332
00:19:42,064 --> 00:19:45,071
when I was too late,
when there was no more need
333
00:19:45,078 --> 00:19:50,092
for any emergency duty because the child
was dying when I came into the room.
334
00:19:50,098 --> 00:19:53,005
So I felt so helpless.
335
00:19:53,012 --> 00:19:55,029
(uneasy music)
336
00:19:55,036 --> 00:19:56,059
LISA (off screen): In the mid-1990s,
337
00:19:56,066 --> 00:19:59,083
natural disasters
and government mismanagement
338
00:19:59,089 --> 00:20:03,030
created a famine
that killed up to three million people,
339
00:20:03,036 --> 00:20:05,093
about 10% of North Korea's population.
340
00:20:07,073 --> 00:20:10,070
Taking place in the heart
of prosperous east Asia,
341
00:20:10,077 --> 00:20:13,074
it was one
of the worst famines of the century.
342
00:20:13,081 --> 00:20:15,028
Surveys done in the early 2000s
343
00:20:15,034 --> 00:20:18,041
showed that nearly
40% of North Korean children
344
00:20:18,048 --> 00:20:20,031
were chronically malnourished.
345
00:20:21,082 --> 00:20:25,092
The average 7-year-old boy in
North Korea was nearly 8 inches shorter
346
00:20:25,099 --> 00:20:29,026
and 22 pounds lighter
than his brother in South Korea.
347
00:20:30,032 --> 00:20:32,073
AID WORKER (off screen): I'd say
the damage to his bones is permanent.
348
00:20:32,079 --> 00:20:35,063
LISA (off screen): They were called
"the stunted generation."
349
00:20:35,070 --> 00:20:37,063
MICHAEL (off screen):
It's a tragic situation,
350
00:20:37,070 --> 00:20:38,037
and it's extraordinary,
351
00:20:38,043 --> 00:20:41,037
because same race, same people,
same basic diet,
352
00:20:41,044 --> 00:20:45,024
and that's all malnutrition.
353
00:20:53,011 --> 00:20:55,018
LISA (off screen): Over time, the Kims
isolated the country
354
00:20:55,025 --> 00:20:56,082
from much of the world,
355
00:20:56,088 --> 00:20:58,085
even cutting off foreign aid
356
00:20:58,092 --> 00:21:02,092
and communications with the neighbors
to the south for long periods of time.
357
00:21:04,099 --> 00:21:08,000
So the way we were able to convince
our North Korean minders
358
00:21:08,006 --> 00:21:11,020
that we needed to have our cameras
with us at all times is,
359
00:21:11,027 --> 00:21:15,024
uh, that I said I was a medical student
360
00:21:15,030 --> 00:21:18,021
and I had to document
everything that was happening.
361
00:21:18,094 --> 00:21:22,064
I thought that I would get
a very skewed perspective of what life
362
00:21:22,071 --> 00:21:24,038
in North Korea would be like.
363
00:21:24,044 --> 00:21:28,038
I thought that I would just be resigned
to just surgical facilities,
364
00:21:28,045 --> 00:21:30,082
but I decided after a few days
365
00:21:30,088 --> 00:21:34,002
to ask our minders
if we could visit the home
366
00:21:34,009 --> 00:21:36,009
of a typical North Korean family.
367
00:21:36,016 --> 00:21:41,090
And to my complete shock,
they agreed to take me to visit a family.
368
00:21:44,073 --> 00:21:47,037
LISA (off screen): Our minders led us
to the home of a blind patient.
369
00:21:50,020 --> 00:21:52,041
The blind woman lived
in a sixth-floor apartment
370
00:21:52,047 --> 00:21:54,001
in the heart of Pyongyang.
371
00:21:56,088 --> 00:22:00,055
Since I was told I was the only American
in the country, I felt lucky,
372
00:22:00,061 --> 00:22:03,065
but a bit surprised, that the minders
were willing to take me here.
373
00:22:03,072 --> 00:22:06,012
What a beautiful home!
374
00:22:06,019 --> 00:22:09,049
There were six government officials
watching our every move.
375
00:22:10,006 --> 00:22:14,063
But it was still a rare chance to see
inside a real North Korean home.
376
00:22:16,026 --> 00:22:19,013
Like others in Pyongyang,
this was a privileged family.
377
00:22:19,077 --> 00:22:22,074
The woman lived there
with four of her family members,
378
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:24,057
including her two granddaughters.
379
00:22:32,015 --> 00:22:35,028
The first thing I noticed was
that there weren't any family pictures...
380
00:22:35,035 --> 00:22:39,012
just image after image
of Kim Jong Il and his father.
381
00:22:39,039 --> 00:22:42,002
Of all their pictures,
which is your favorite picture?
382
00:22:42,009 --> 00:22:44,073
MAN (speaking Korean):
Every picture is our favorite.
383
00:22:44,079 --> 00:22:47,056
TRANSLATOR (off screen):
Every, every photo of...
384
00:22:47,063 --> 00:22:51,000
LISA:
Of course, every picture, absolutely.
385
00:22:52,010 --> 00:22:54,074
We were warned to photograph
the dear leader carefully...
386
00:22:56,044 --> 00:22:58,021
So from here up?
387
00:22:58,027 --> 00:23:00,001
What happens if it's only half?
388
00:23:00,007 --> 00:23:02,071
What happens?
Why not?
389
00:23:02,078 --> 00:23:04,001
No?
Oh, okay.
390
00:23:06,028 --> 00:23:08,058
We weren't supposed to ask why.
391
00:23:08,065 --> 00:23:12,065
We were supposed to sit down
and be entertained by the granddaughter.
392
00:23:13,095 --> 00:23:17,092
We wanted to talk to people,
but under the watchful eye of the minders,
393
00:23:17,099 --> 00:23:19,099
this was what we got.
394
00:23:20,059 --> 00:23:23,050
(upbeat music playing)
395
00:23:23,056 --> 00:23:30,057
♪ ♪
396
00:23:35,098 --> 00:23:38,004
Wow, that's amazing.
397
00:23:38,011 --> 00:23:39,085
(clapping)
398
00:23:39,091 --> 00:23:42,005
(speaking in Korean)
399
00:23:42,012 --> 00:23:44,095
Finally, we sat down with the family
and asked a few questions.
400
00:23:45,055 --> 00:23:49,099
How difficult is life
for your mother without sight?
401
00:23:50,006 --> 00:23:52,093
The son-in-law
answered without missing a beat.
402
00:23:52,099 --> 00:23:54,086
MAN (speaking Korean): The most difficult
thing for my mother-in-law
403
00:23:54,093 --> 00:24:00,013
is not seeing Kim Jong Il,
the Dear Leader.
404
00:24:01,007 --> 00:24:06,081
LISA: Why do you want to see
this supreme leader so much, so bad?
405
00:24:06,087 --> 00:24:10,024
BLIND WOMAN (speaking Korean):
My children and I live happily
406
00:24:10,031 --> 00:24:16,028
due to the honor of our Great Leader,
407
00:24:16,035 --> 00:24:18,025
so I want to see him,
408
00:24:18,032 --> 00:24:23,039
even a glimpse of him,
so I can thank him.
409
00:24:25,023 --> 00:24:28,036
LISA (off screen): She was obviously
moved, but what surprised me was,
410
00:24:28,043 --> 00:24:29,090
so was everyone else.
411
00:24:31,013 --> 00:24:34,057
This party official is crying.
Even this government minder.
412
00:24:35,017 --> 00:24:37,040
MINDER (speaking Korean): As I listened
to her, I started to cry.
413
00:24:37,047 --> 00:24:40,031
If our nation and leader didn't exist,
414
00:24:40,037 --> 00:24:42,038
we might as well be dead.
415
00:24:43,068 --> 00:24:45,015
My father was killed,
416
00:24:46,011 --> 00:24:49,005
so I was raised in the arms of
our Dear Leader,
417
00:24:49,012 --> 00:24:51,085
and now I'm a party member.
418
00:24:51,092 --> 00:24:53,059
LISA: Uh, I just wonder...
419
00:24:53,065 --> 00:24:55,069
can the Great Leader do anything wrong?
420
00:24:56,092 --> 00:24:57,072
MAN (off screen): What?
421
00:24:57,079 --> 00:24:59,076
LISA (off screen): Can the Great Leader
do anything wrong?
422
00:25:00,089 --> 00:25:02,083
Is there anything wrong?
423
00:25:02,090 --> 00:25:06,047
Or he's always,
what he says is, is magical?
424
00:25:08,054 --> 00:25:09,050
MAN (off screen): I couldn't understand
what you are saying.
425
00:25:09,057 --> 00:25:11,010
LISA (off screen): Okay.
426
00:25:11,017 --> 00:25:18,011
I truly believe that our minder
did not understand my question,
427
00:25:18,018 --> 00:25:21,021
because I think he may have perceived me
428
00:25:21,028 --> 00:25:24,038
to be questioning the authority
of the Dear Leader
429
00:25:24,045 --> 00:25:27,055
and that was something
just incomprehensible,
430
00:25:27,062 --> 00:25:30,056
and so he didn't even understand
431
00:25:30,062 --> 00:25:34,086
how to translate such a question.
432
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,086
North Korea is a very small country.
433
00:25:37,093 --> 00:25:44,084
How does the Great Leader
defend it against big powers like America?
434
00:25:44,091 --> 00:25:47,094
MINDER (speaking Korean):
Even though North Korea is small,
435
00:25:48,001 --> 00:25:52,055
we serve the greatest leader in the world.
436
00:25:52,061 --> 00:25:55,028
We have a strong arm of unity
437
00:25:55,035 --> 00:25:58,035
which is stronger than America's
atomic bombs.
438
00:26:01,005 --> 00:26:05,029
America has no idea how to deal with us.
439
00:26:08,016 --> 00:26:10,053
This is all because we have
General Kim Jon Il
440
00:26:10,060 --> 00:26:14,027
as the leader of our nation.
441
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:17,034
LISA (off screen): As the conversation
wound down,
442
00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:19,067
I wondered,
where did North Korea's willingness
443
00:26:19,074 --> 00:26:22,068
to face down the entire world come from?
444
00:26:22,074 --> 00:26:24,004
MINDER (speaking Korean):
Our country's unity is stronger
445
00:26:24,011 --> 00:26:26,021
than a nuclear weapon,
446
00:26:26,028 --> 00:26:28,065
so we're not afraid.
447
00:26:28,072 --> 00:26:32,005
LISA (off screen): How did
this powerful mindset take hold?
448
00:26:34,009 --> 00:26:36,092
North Korea's defiant stance
toward the rest of the world
449
00:26:36,099 --> 00:26:41,083
stems from a philosophy created
by Kim Il Sung, called Juche.
450
00:26:43,020 --> 00:26:45,053
MICHAEL (off screen):
The Juche philosophy basically means
451
00:26:45,060 --> 00:26:48,023
"up yours" to the outside world.
452
00:26:48,030 --> 00:26:51,064
We can make everything ourself;
we don't need you.
453
00:26:51,071 --> 00:26:54,094
And from an outsider's perspective,
it's a peculiar thing.
454
00:26:55,001 --> 00:26:59,095
Why make such a big deal
out of being independent?
455
00:27:01,001 --> 00:27:01,092
Your people are starving.
456
00:27:01,098 --> 00:27:06,049
You've got no economy.
You've got no trade.
457
00:27:06,055 --> 00:27:09,002
But in the Korean context,
458
00:27:09,009 --> 00:27:12,056
it has a profound resonance,
because Korean history
459
00:27:12,063 --> 00:27:17,056
is one of invasion and all sorts of abuse
460
00:27:17,063 --> 00:27:19,070
from major powers.
461
00:27:19,077 --> 00:27:23,060
So the North Koreans
turned this history around
462
00:27:23,087 --> 00:27:27,011
and said, "We're not going
to take it anymore."
463
00:27:27,017 --> 00:27:32,061
And for Koreans,
there is a very profound thrill
464
00:27:32,068 --> 00:27:36,082
that somebody would have the guts
to stand up and be like that.
465
00:27:36,088 --> 00:27:40,079
LISA (off screen): Juche ideology
is still used to run North Korea
466
00:27:40,085 --> 00:27:42,059
with an iron fist,
467
00:27:42,066 --> 00:27:45,076
and for each Kim leader
to wield absolute power.
468
00:27:47,069 --> 00:27:53,023
It also supported the god-like status
of Kim Il Sung during a 50-year reign.
469
00:27:55,007 --> 00:28:00,061
REPORTER (speaking Korean):
The Great Leader's hearse is approaching.
470
00:28:00,067 --> 00:28:02,064
LISA (off screen): When Kim Il Sung died
in 1994,
471
00:28:02,071 --> 00:28:05,018
he left behind a traumatized nation.
472
00:28:05,025 --> 00:28:07,095
REPORTER (speaking Korean):
The Great Leader, is this true?
473
00:28:08,001 --> 00:28:09,068
Are you leaving without us?
474
00:28:13,029 --> 00:28:15,079
LISA (off screen): His son, Kim Jong Il,
took power
475
00:28:15,086 --> 00:28:18,063
in the world's first communist
dynastic handover.
476
00:28:18,069 --> 00:28:21,023
(uneasy music)
477
00:28:21,029 --> 00:28:24,073
♪ ♪
478
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:28,080
Following in his father's footsteps,
Kim Jong Il ruled by fear.
479
00:28:32,007 --> 00:28:37,081
And now his son Kim Jong Un continues
to use the Juche ideology of self-reliance
480
00:28:37,088 --> 00:28:41,021
to unify the nation and crush all dissent.
481
00:28:46,015 --> 00:28:47,072
LISA (off screen): On our final evening
in North Korea,
482
00:28:47,079 --> 00:28:50,016
Dr. Ruit worked late into the night
483
00:28:50,022 --> 00:28:53,063
to reach his goal
of operating on 1,000 patients.
484
00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:59,043
He believes in humanitarian engagement
with all the countries of the world,
485
00:28:59,050 --> 00:29:00,090
whatever their politics.
486
00:29:02,010 --> 00:29:05,074
DR. RUIT: The North Korean people have
two eyes, like you and me,
487
00:29:05,081 --> 00:29:08,004
they have a mouth,
and they have teeth, you know.
488
00:29:08,011 --> 00:29:12,055
And it's for the world in general
to understand that in North Korea,
489
00:29:12,061 --> 00:29:15,058
we have a lot of people who need our love.
490
00:29:16,052 --> 00:29:19,052
(somber music)
491
00:29:19,059 --> 00:29:22,009
♪ ♪
492
00:29:22,016 --> 00:29:23,089
LISA (off screen): At the hospital,
the cataract patients
493
00:29:23,096 --> 00:29:25,056
were waiting for Dr. Ruit
494
00:29:25,063 --> 00:29:27,023
to remove their bandages.
495
00:29:28,066 --> 00:29:32,027
But they still didn't know
if they would be able to see.
496
00:29:34,063 --> 00:29:37,014
It was so fascinating to be in this room.
497
00:29:37,020 --> 00:29:39,017
It was almost like a theater,
498
00:29:39,024 --> 00:29:44,034
and as they were removing the bandages
from the patients,
499
00:29:44,041 --> 00:29:49,038
one would think that they would be so
500
00:29:49,045 --> 00:29:53,062
expressive of gratitude
to the surgical team
501
00:29:53,069 --> 00:29:58,066
that restored their vision, um, but what
I saw was something entirely different.
502
00:29:59,059 --> 00:30:01,069
DR. RUIT (off screen): We did a little
more than 1,000 surgeries
503
00:30:01,076 --> 00:30:03,016
and all with very good results,
504
00:30:03,023 --> 00:30:04,033
no infections.
505
00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:07,010
That aspect, I feel okay.
506
00:30:09,054 --> 00:30:12,064
LISA (off screen):
The minder gave us one last warning
507
00:30:12,071 --> 00:30:14,087
to shoot only the full image
of the dear leader.
508
00:30:19,091 --> 00:30:23,072
The moment of truth came first
for a 23-year-old woman.
509
00:30:24,042 --> 00:30:25,072
She came with her father
510
00:30:25,079 --> 00:30:28,019
and had been completely blind for years.
511
00:30:28,025 --> 00:30:35,026
♪ ♪
512
00:30:37,013 --> 00:30:38,077
DR. RUIT: Ask her to open her eyes.
513
00:30:38,083 --> 00:30:41,010
(man translating into Korean)
514
00:30:47,027 --> 00:30:48,074
Can she touch my nose?
515
00:30:51,088 --> 00:30:53,088
Ask her where is her father?
516
00:30:56,005 --> 00:30:59,015
WOMAN (speaking Korean): Dad!
517
00:30:59,022 --> 00:31:00,079
MAN (speaking Korean): Can you see?
518
00:31:00,085 --> 00:31:02,059
WOMAN (speaking Korean): Yes!
I can see very well.
519
00:31:04,046 --> 00:31:07,006
MAN (speaking Korean):
It's all because of the Great General.
520
00:31:07,013 --> 00:31:09,083
We must bow to our Great General for this.
521
00:31:09,090 --> 00:31:10,080
WOMAN (speaking Korean): Yes, Dad.
522
00:31:10,086 --> 00:31:14,053
MAN (speaking Korean):
Thank you, Great General!
523
00:31:14,060 --> 00:31:19,004
WOMAN (speaking Korean): I want to show
my gratitude to our Great General!
524
00:31:19,011 --> 00:31:22,014
MAN AND WOMAN (in Korean):
♪ Thank you very, very much ♪
525
00:31:22,021 --> 00:31:24,088
♪ Our Great General Kim Jong Il ♪
526
00:31:24,094 --> 00:31:26,005
(applause)
527
00:31:26,011 --> 00:31:28,075
♪ Thank you very, very much ♪
528
00:31:28,082 --> 00:31:29,098
♪ Our Great General Kim Jong Il ♪
529
00:31:30,005 --> 00:31:32,092
We praise you!
530
00:31:33,092 --> 00:31:37,012
We praise you!
531
00:31:37,019 --> 00:31:40,053
LISA (off screen): Then we spotted
the grandmother we had visited at home.
532
00:31:41,059 --> 00:31:44,040
She had been waiting for years
to see the dear leader.
533
00:31:47,020 --> 00:31:49,004
And she was not disappointed.
534
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:55,028
WOMAN (speaking Korean): Thank you!
535
00:31:56,001 --> 00:31:58,048
Thank you!
536
00:31:58,054 --> 00:32:03,078
(applause)
537
00:32:03,085 --> 00:32:06,072
Great Leader, I wish you great health.
538
00:32:06,079 --> 00:32:10,062
How kind you are to hold an old woman
like me in your arms.
539
00:32:11,099 --> 00:32:14,066
(applause)
540
00:32:17,090 --> 00:32:20,010
LISA: It was just so, it was so surreal.
541
00:32:20,017 --> 00:32:25,047
And I couldn't tell
if they truly believed it
542
00:32:25,054 --> 00:32:29,021
or they felt like they had to do it,
543
00:32:29,028 --> 00:32:32,068
because if they didn't do it,
they might pay the consequences.
544
00:32:32,075 --> 00:32:37,098
MAN (speaking Korean): With these eyes
that I've received,
545
00:32:38,005 --> 00:32:44,019
I will grab a gun and kill every one
of the American enemies
546
00:32:44,026 --> 00:32:46,089
and terminate them far from this Earth!
547
00:32:48,016 --> 00:32:50,026
(applause)
548
00:32:50,033 --> 00:32:51,090
LISA (off screen): After I left
North Korea, I certainly breathed
549
00:32:51,097 --> 00:32:53,043
a huge sigh of relief,
550
00:32:53,050 --> 00:32:59,067
and I never thought that I would
have any dealings with that country again.
551
00:33:01,047 --> 00:33:04,094
Then our family went into crisis
when my sister Laura
552
00:33:05,001 --> 00:33:07,038
was abducted and imprisoned there.
553
00:33:10,032 --> 00:33:12,079
LAURA: In March of 2009, I was working on
a documentary
554
00:33:12,085 --> 00:33:14,049
about North Korean defectors,
555
00:33:14,055 --> 00:33:17,006
people who are fleeing
556
00:33:17,012 --> 00:33:19,063
the very desperate conditions
in North Korea.
557
00:33:19,069 --> 00:33:23,090
And during that time,
we were filming along the Tumen River.
558
00:33:23,096 --> 00:33:27,007
This is the river
that separates China and North Korea.
559
00:33:27,013 --> 00:33:29,027
And it was frozen at the time.
560
00:33:29,034 --> 00:33:33,001
And so, we were literally standing
on that frozen river
561
00:33:33,007 --> 00:33:36,081
when two North Korean soldiers spotted us.
562
00:33:36,088 --> 00:33:39,028
They chased us into China
563
00:33:39,035 --> 00:33:44,072
and then very violently dragged
my colleague, Euna Lee, and me,
564
00:33:44,078 --> 00:33:47,002
across that river into North Korea.
565
00:33:49,016 --> 00:33:53,016
LISA: In the middle of the night,
while my husband and I were sleeping,
566
00:33:53,023 --> 00:33:56,030
my sister's husband called, and he said,
567
00:33:56,036 --> 00:34:00,050
"Laura was abducted
by North Korean soldiers,"
568
00:34:00,057 --> 00:34:02,077
and my heart just sank.
569
00:34:04,017 --> 00:34:07,034
LAURA (off screen): And I was
pretty bruised up, and bloodied.
570
00:34:08,011 --> 00:34:13,041
And I just tried to keep my wits about me,
571
00:34:13,048 --> 00:34:16,012
but I was so scared.
572
00:34:19,015 --> 00:34:22,019
We were eventfully transferred
to Pyongyang.
573
00:34:22,026 --> 00:34:26,019
Euna and I were separated
for the remainder of our captivity.
574
00:34:26,026 --> 00:34:29,040
And that's when
the real formal interrogation began.
575
00:34:29,046 --> 00:34:34,057
And I was grilled every day,
for hours on end, day after day.
576
00:34:36,020 --> 00:34:40,041
One of the most difficult parts was trying
to convince them that I was not a spy.
577
00:34:40,047 --> 00:34:45,031
It didn't help that the co-founder
and chairman of the company
578
00:34:45,038 --> 00:34:49,038
that I worked for at the time, Current TV,
was former vice president Al Gore,
579
00:34:49,045 --> 00:34:54,042
so that immediately made them suspicious
that I had ties to the government.
580
00:34:55,022 --> 00:34:59,003
One day, my interrogator came in,
and he was carrying a file.
581
00:35:00,003 --> 00:35:04,000
And it was all about my sister,
and the projects she had worked on.
582
00:35:04,006 --> 00:35:05,036
He was very upset.
583
00:35:06,063 --> 00:35:09,040
Very upset, very suspicious,
584
00:35:09,047 --> 00:35:12,027
and he immediately accused
both Lisa and me
585
00:35:12,034 --> 00:35:14,037
of trying to bring down
the North Korean government.
586
00:35:16,014 --> 00:35:18,014
Euna and I became the first Americans
587
00:35:18,021 --> 00:35:20,015
to be tried in North Korea's
highest court.
588
00:35:21,075 --> 00:35:25,045
And on the day of our sentencing,
the judge and his two associates
589
00:35:25,052 --> 00:35:27,019
left the room to deliberate.
590
00:35:27,025 --> 00:35:30,019
They left for five minutes,
and they returned with their judgment,
591
00:35:30,026 --> 00:35:32,029
and that was 12 years of hard labor.
592
00:35:32,036 --> 00:35:33,096
(ominous music)
593
00:35:34,003 --> 00:35:36,096
LISA (off screen): Back in 2006,
we interviewed a North Korean defector
594
00:35:37,003 --> 00:35:38,070
who had spent time
595
00:35:38,076 --> 00:35:41,030
in one of the notorious
North Korean prisons,
596
00:35:41,037 --> 00:35:48,021
and he described it
as just an absolutely heinous
597
00:35:48,027 --> 00:35:52,048
and insidious place to be,
and so the thought
598
00:35:52,055 --> 00:35:55,078
of my sister going there
was just unimaginable.
599
00:35:56,048 --> 00:36:00,025
And I was terrified,
I was absolutely terrified.
600
00:36:00,032 --> 00:36:04,009
LAURA: The judge shouted,
"No forgiveness, no appeal."
601
00:36:05,083 --> 00:36:09,063
And I just clutched onto the podium.
602
00:36:09,070 --> 00:36:12,047
I was standing at a podium,
and I just clutched onto it
603
00:36:12,053 --> 00:36:14,000
to keep from falling over.
604
00:36:14,097 --> 00:36:16,034
And I told my interrogator.
605
00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:18,050
I said, "Let me talk to my sister.
606
00:36:18,057 --> 00:36:21,011
"I don't know what it is that you want,
607
00:36:21,017 --> 00:36:23,091
but whatever it is, I can try to convey
to her
608
00:36:23,098 --> 00:36:27,078
what you may want
and maybe she can help out here."
609
00:36:27,085 --> 00:36:30,005
LISA: The consensus
from the State Department,
610
00:36:30,012 --> 00:36:31,025
from Vice President Gore,
611
00:36:31,032 --> 00:36:35,076
from every official-type person
that we'd spoken to was, keep it quiet.
612
00:36:36,066 --> 00:36:38,076
We don't want to antagonize
the North Koreans,
613
00:36:38,082 --> 00:36:40,036
we don't know what happened,
614
00:36:40,043 --> 00:36:42,053
so let's keep this out of the press.
615
00:36:43,020 --> 00:36:46,040
And one of the first things I said
to my sister was,
616
00:36:46,047 --> 00:36:48,007
"We've been keeping this quiet."
617
00:36:48,013 --> 00:36:52,064
And she said,
"No, we need to change that."
618
00:36:54,017 --> 00:36:55,091
LAURA (off screen):
It became very clear to me
619
00:36:55,098 --> 00:36:57,098
that the North Korean authorities wanted
a visit
620
00:36:58,038 --> 00:37:00,098
from former president Bill Clinton,
621
00:37:01,005 --> 00:37:03,042
that they wanted him to serve
as the envoy.
622
00:37:03,048 --> 00:37:07,062
And so, in a phone call
to my sister, I asked,
623
00:37:07,069 --> 00:37:12,063
"Do you think that President Clinton
can come here to rescue us?"
624
00:37:12,069 --> 00:37:14,056
And she was very quiet.
625
00:37:14,063 --> 00:37:17,096
I mean, there was
a period of just silence,
626
00:37:18,003 --> 00:37:23,087
and I think because she realized that that
was going to be a very tricky request,
627
00:37:23,094 --> 00:37:27,081
especially since Hillary Clinton
was the current secretary of state.
628
00:37:28,054 --> 00:37:31,038
LISA: After that first phone call,
I sort of launched
629
00:37:31,044 --> 00:37:34,035
this media campaign of deference
630
00:37:34,041 --> 00:37:36,002
to the North Korean government.
631
00:37:36,008 --> 00:37:40,065
Knowing how sensitive
the North Korean government is,
632
00:37:40,072 --> 00:37:45,016
knowing, as an Asian,
how important saving face is.
633
00:37:45,022 --> 00:37:49,086
I knew that we had to communicate
to the North Korean government
634
00:37:49,093 --> 00:37:54,073
how sorry my sister was
and how we had to beg for mercy,
635
00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:59,047
and beg them publicly
to forgive the mistake
636
00:37:59,054 --> 00:38:05,051
or at least release my sister
and her colleague on humanitarian grounds.
637
00:38:08,025 --> 00:38:10,045
LAURA (off screen): I was also allowed
letters.
638
00:38:10,052 --> 00:38:15,072
I devoured each and every word,
memorized every letter that I received.
639
00:38:17,039 --> 00:38:20,036
"I so desperately wanted to reach
right through the phone when you called
640
00:38:20,043 --> 00:38:22,019
"and just pull you back home to me.
641
00:38:22,026 --> 00:38:24,013
I can't believe this is still happening."
642
00:38:30,054 --> 00:38:32,044
LAURA (off screen):
My sister's letters were really strategic.
643
00:38:32,051 --> 00:38:35,001
Lisa always expressed messages
of deference and respect
644
00:38:35,007 --> 00:38:38,064
to the North Korean authorities,
645
00:38:38,071 --> 00:38:41,038
always apologizing.
646
00:38:41,088 --> 00:38:44,082
And she knew I was not
the only one reading those letters.
647
00:38:44,088 --> 00:38:47,072
In fact, sometimes they would
arrive with coffee stains on them.
648
00:38:47,079 --> 00:38:49,056
LISA: After Vice President Gore
649
00:38:49,062 --> 00:38:52,016
had gotten President Clinton
to agree to go,
650
00:38:52,022 --> 00:38:54,003
we had a conference call.
651
00:38:55,006 --> 00:39:01,063
It was a secret mission to North Korea,
and it all happened very, very quickly.
652
00:39:02,060 --> 00:39:05,064
Images of President Clinton landing
in North Korea
653
00:39:05,071 --> 00:39:07,067
started to emerge on television.
654
00:39:07,074 --> 00:39:14,068
And there to greet him was
a-a jubilant-looking Kim Jong Il.
655
00:39:14,075 --> 00:39:16,098
LAURA (off screen):
It became pretty apparent to me
656
00:39:17,005 --> 00:39:20,012
when there was a news report on
in the guards' room.
657
00:39:20,052 --> 00:39:25,062
And I heard the North Korean newscaster,
658
00:39:25,069 --> 00:39:28,033
and I heard her say, "Clinton,"
659
00:39:28,039 --> 00:39:30,023
in this booming voice.
660
00:39:30,030 --> 00:39:35,010
And I looked at the TV, and I could see
the report
661
00:39:35,017 --> 00:39:40,001
about the meeting that had gone on
between President Clinton and Kim Jong Il.
662
00:39:40,007 --> 00:39:46,021
And Euna and I were together at that time,
and I said, "What is she saying, Euna?"
663
00:39:46,028 --> 00:39:52,018
And she said that there was a warm meeting
between Kim Jong Il and President Clinton.
664
00:39:52,025 --> 00:39:54,062
And I looked at her,
and I said, you know, "We're going home."
665
00:39:55,019 --> 00:39:58,066
REPORTER (off screen): After 140 days
of fear and uncertainty,
666
00:39:58,072 --> 00:40:02,093
Laura Ling and Euna Lee walked away
from North Korea free women again,
667
00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,063
looking well and bound for home.
668
00:40:06,020 --> 00:40:09,084
LAURA: When he met with Kim Jong Il,
Kim Jong Il had told Clinton
669
00:40:09,090 --> 00:40:14,044
that when Kim Jong Il's father,
Kim Il Sung, passed away in 1994,
670
00:40:14,051 --> 00:40:18,011
Clinton was the first leader
to call Kim Jong Il
671
00:40:18,018 --> 00:40:22,031
to offer his condolences,
even before Kim's own allies.
672
00:40:22,038 --> 00:40:25,082
Kim told Clinton
that he always remembered that gesture,
673
00:40:25,089 --> 00:40:28,025
and had wanted to meet him ever since.
674
00:40:28,032 --> 00:40:31,032
(gentle music)
675
00:40:31,039 --> 00:40:36,013
♪ ♪
676
00:40:36,020 --> 00:40:38,096
And I think that it's so wild to think
677
00:40:39,003 --> 00:40:44,047
that that gesture that happened
so many years before
678
00:40:44,054 --> 00:40:47,027
could have been responsible
for our freedom.
679
00:40:49,081 --> 00:40:53,068
And I think it also shows how there was
680
00:40:53,075 --> 00:40:59,069
a mutual civility between the two leaders
that allowed diplomacy to really work.
681
00:41:01,012 --> 00:41:05,099
LISA (off screen): Now, a decade later,
Kim Jong Un enjoys the devotion and power
682
00:41:06,006 --> 00:41:07,063
his father and grandfather had.
683
00:41:07,069 --> 00:41:11,050
He also seems to have a penchant
for wanting to be on the world stage.
684
00:41:12,023 --> 00:41:15,043
DAVID (off screen): Kim Jong Un,
like his father and his grandfather,
685
00:41:15,050 --> 00:41:20,011
has played
an extremely weak hand brilliantly.
686
00:41:20,017 --> 00:41:23,081
There are people who are looking
out there and say this man's crazy.
687
00:41:24,091 --> 00:41:30,038
If so, he is crazy,
688
00:41:30,045 --> 00:41:36,066
but a pretty brilliant strategist,
a pretty brutal player,
689
00:41:36,072 --> 00:41:42,003
and pretty savvy at understanding
690
00:41:42,009 --> 00:41:48,023
how small technological edges
in nuclear and in cyber
691
00:41:48,030 --> 00:41:53,037
enable him to have the power to reach out
692
00:41:53,044 --> 00:41:56,071
at the United States and other enemies.
693
00:41:56,078 --> 00:42:00,071
LISA: According to North Korea,
their country has technically been at war
694
00:42:00,078 --> 00:42:03,008
with the United States for decades,
695
00:42:03,015 --> 00:42:09,069
and in many respects, I think
that they do need to feel that tension
696
00:42:09,076 --> 00:42:14,059
between our two countries, because
otherwise they would start to question
697
00:42:14,066 --> 00:42:19,027
the regime about why there's
so much poverty and devastation.
698
00:42:19,033 --> 00:42:26,001
By having this enemy to focus on,
it gives, uh, a pass
699
00:42:26,007 --> 00:42:28,001
to their own government
700
00:42:28,007 --> 00:42:30,094
for not providing sufficiently
for its people.
701
00:42:32,038 --> 00:42:33,071
DAVID (off screen):
Certainly, the North Koreans want
702
00:42:33,078 --> 00:42:37,045
to be treated with respect
as a significant power,
703
00:42:37,052 --> 00:42:42,049
but they have no illusions
that they will get there by integration,
704
00:42:42,056 --> 00:42:44,072
economic integration, with the West.
705
00:42:46,006 --> 00:42:49,063
Do I think that the North Koreans
would pick up a nuclear weapon
706
00:42:49,070 --> 00:42:51,070
and lob it at the United States?
707
00:42:51,076 --> 00:42:56,070
No, because 45 minutes later,
that would be the end of the regime.
708
00:42:57,084 --> 00:43:00,014
Do I think that they might use the threat
709
00:43:00,021 --> 00:43:02,078
that they could hold
American cities hostage
710
00:43:02,084 --> 00:43:06,051
as a way to get
something else that they want?
711
00:43:07,081 --> 00:43:11,038
Yeah, I think that's
completely within their capability.
712
00:43:12,075 --> 00:43:15,045
LISA (off screen): According
to the Korean central news agency,
713
00:43:15,052 --> 00:43:17,039
Kim Jong Un says, defiantly,
714
00:43:17,046 --> 00:43:23,050
that North Korea is nearing its goal
of military equilibrium with America.
715
00:43:23,056 --> 00:43:27,040
TRUMP: The United States has
great strength and patience,
716
00:43:27,047 --> 00:43:31,010
but if it is forced to defend itself
or its allies,
717
00:43:31,017 --> 00:43:36,011
we will have no choice
but to totally destroy North Korea.
718
00:43:36,018 --> 00:43:37,024
In 70 years...
719
00:43:37,031 --> 00:43:39,045
LISA (off screen): As the rhetoric
between the U.S. and North Korea
720
00:43:39,051 --> 00:43:41,005
escalates, the international community
721
00:43:41,011 --> 00:43:44,092
is largely where they've been for decades,
722
00:43:44,098 --> 00:43:48,055
initiating harsher sanctions
that appear to have no effect
723
00:43:48,062 --> 00:43:53,019
on stopping Kim's goal of being
a threatening nuclear power.
724
00:43:58,070 --> 00:44:00,070
Captioned by Captionmax
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