All language subtitles for North.Korea.Inside.the.Mind.of.a.Dictator.2021.WEBRip.x264-ION10

♪ ♪

(galloping)

NARRATOR:
This is Kim Jong‐un,

ruler of North Korea.

He's just 36 years old,

but he commands the world's
fourth largest military.

He has nuclear weapons,

and his family has ruled over
their people using violence

and terror for over 70 years.

But Kim is a man torn
between two worlds.

The traditions of his
brutal communist past,

and the need to
become a legitimate,

modern leader.

LEE: That is his dilemma.

Am I going to come
out and become a cleaner,

softer dictator?

Or am I going to continue
to retain this criminal regime

that I inherited from my
grandfather and my father?

And that dilemma,
you know what,

it could be the end
of the Kim dynasty.

♪ ♪

(applause)

(cheering)

NARRATOR: Kim Jong‐un
is only the third man to

rule North Korea.

He is following his
grandfather, and father,

in the role of Supreme Leader.

They rule over their
people as gods.

(applause and cheering stop)

(explosion)

In the 10th
year of his rule,

Kim Jong‐un
is at a crossroads.

He's a dictator with
a decision to make.

Should he try to drag
North Korea into the

modern world, and
become a legitimate country,

but risk losing
his grip on power,

or should he continue
to run a rogue state,

like his grandfather
and father before him?

LEE: If I compare
it to a movie,

I would say
it's Godfather 3,

and that's when Michael Corleone
wants to become a

legitimate businessman
and head of a business

conglomerate out from the
shadows of the mafia regime

that he inherited.

But without the mafia state,

the Kim regime
would not function.

Why?

Because it's under
heavy sanctions,

the only way that
it can make hard currency
is by illicit trade.

The North Korean regime
is in many respects
a huge criminal cartel.

NARRATOR: Guns, drugs,
counterfeit cash,

and cyber‐crime bring in
an estimated $2 billion
a year for Kim to spend.

LEE: That's his
personal piggy bank,

and that is the way
Kim Jong‐un's regime
is sustained.

NARRATOR: Recently Kim has
shown signs of modernizing.

He's been stepping
out with his first lady.

And meeting other
world leaders.

But in 2017 he was dragged
back into his family business.

This is his elder
half‐brother, Kim Jong‐nam,

who was overlooked
for succession.

He left North Korea
for a quiet life in China.

Surfacing on camera
from time to time to

speak out against the regime.

But then it seemed
Kim Jong‐nam crossed a line.

FIFIELD: During the course of
my reporting I was told by a

person with good connections
to the intelligence community

in the United States that
Kim Jong‐nam had, in fact,

been an informant to the CIA
and was supplying information

about Kim Jong‐un to them.

NARRATOR: These CCTV images
show him meeting

his suspected handler.

A fascinated news media
shadowed his every move.

FIFIELD: He still had very
good connections to the regime,

so for the CIA to be
able to recruit Kim Jong‐nam

as an informant and to get
whatever information he had,

that would have been
a huge deal for them.

This would also have been
considered very treasonous by

Kim Jong‐un.

NARRATOR: It seems the time
had come for Kim to deal with

his older brother.

February 13th 2017.

Kuala Lumpur
International Airport.

Kim Jong‐un's brother
enters the terminal,

unaware that two
female assassins are
also at the airport.

Now, for the first
time on television,

one of the assassins tells
her full extraordinary story.

MAN: Camera check.

NARRATOR: It begins with
her being recruited by a man

who claimed
to be a TV producer.

NARRATOR: For months,
Kim Jong‐un's agents groomed

Siti and another young
woman to ambush unsuspecting
members of the public

and smother their faces
with cosmetic creams,

in what they thought were
hidden camera show stunts.

NARRATOR: Siti's handler
arranges a meeting
a café in the airport.

There she is to receive
details of the target.

NARRATOR: This time,
it isn't baby oil,

but a deadly nerve agent.

As Kim Jong‐un's brother
heads to his flight,

the two women make their move.

NARRATOR: Seeking help,
Kim Jong‐nam heads for the

airport's medical facility.

MADDEN: So at this point
Kim Jong‐nam is

in the infirmary,
and he is behind the door,

and this is where this
image gets very scary.

There's a
gentleman in all black,

walking near this door, okay,
and he's got a rolling suitcase.

He's checking in to make
sure that Kim Jong‐nam is
receiving medical treatment.

This is one of the operatives.

It's a very
elaborate operation,

it's very old‐school.

NARRATOR: The operation plays
out like a Cold War spy caper.

There are lookout men.

A chemist, to handle
the nerve agent.

A getaway driver.

And a team leader,
codenamed Grandpa.

The young women have no
idea what they've done.

(applause)

(sirens)

They are soon apprehended
by the local Malaysian police.

(speaking in native language)

NARRATOR: The trial creates
shock‐waves around the world.

TEIK: She had been charged
for the most serious
crime in the country,

the crime of murder.

For the offense of murder,
there's only one punishment,

and that is death, by hanging.

NARRATOR: Soon, the chemist of
the gang is also apprehended.

He is caught on camera
getting his story straight

with North Korean
embassy officials.

NARRATOR: This video evidence
helped to build a picture

of a ruthless political
assassination.

Both women were
released after spending
two years in prison.

NARRATOR: Kim Jong‐un's
troublesome older brother

was no more.

PAK: Kim Jong‐un's half‐brother
died in such a terrible,

humiliating way, on camera,

and Kim probably was very
pleased that he was able to

watch all of this.

NARRATOR: Amid sobering
scenes broadcast

around the world,

Kim Jong‐nam's body is
brought back to North Korea.

It's accompanied by the same
men spotted in the airport on

the day he was murdered.

PAK: It was absolutely
to send a message,

to do it in such a public way,

to everybody in
North Korea and elsewhere,

that Kim will find you.

(applause and cheering)

NARRATOR:
To understand Kim Jong‐un,

it's helpful to know
the world he grew up in.

Deep beneath the
surface of North Korea,

his father created an
elaborate hidden kingdom that

his children inhabited.

MADDEN: North Korea has a
separate parallel geography

that exists outside of
anything North Korean citizens

would know about.

It's a secret network
that includes roads,

railways and tunnel systems.

It's a way of
concealing Kim's whereabouts
from spy satellites.

Currently we're looking
at Kim Jong‐un's
Kangdong VIP complex.

Kangdong Complex is one
of the favorite complexes
of the Kim family.

Kim Jong‐un spent a lot
of time there as a child.

So this is a portal tunnel,
we can see the tunnel entrance.

As a road that goes
under the Taedong River.

So what Kim Jong‐un
could do is,

instead of going
across that bridge,

he would go through
that tunnel,

and that tunnel would take
him under the Taedong River,

into tunnels under mountains,
to some unknown locale,

and I call it the
"Road to Nowhere".

NARRATOR: It's believed
there are some 8,000
tunnels in North Korea,

reaching up to 1,000
feet below the surface.

Some tunnels are thought
to extend more than 30 miles,

including an emergency
escape route into China.

MADDEN: So basically,
Kim Jong‐un can
work in his office,

take an elevator
to a sub‐basement level,

get into a small motorcade,
drive underground,

and that explains a lot
about Kim Jong‐un's personality.

Kim Jong‐un grew up like that.

This has been his entire life.

NARRATOR: The early years
of Kim Jong‐un's childhood

indoctrinated him in the
ways of the Kim dynasty.

FIFIELD: Kim Jong‐un
grew up in this extremely

dysfunctional, paranoid,
secretive family.

It was impossible
for Kim Jong‐un to be

a normal child.

He was named the
Little General.

He had a real Colt pistol.

You know, he had real
generals bowing to him.

NARRATOR: His father
was Kim Jong‐il,

one of the most notorious
dictators in history.

A man with a passion
for banquets,

cognac and Bond movies.

MADDEN: Kim Jong‐il
was generally paranoid.

Round this period of
time for Kim Jong‐un,

there's a lot of restrictions
on his movements and activity,

and they have to
bring in playmates.

Well, you'd think they'd
bring in other seven or
eight year old children,

but you're starting
to talk about 30 or 40

year old bodyguards.

And so Kim Jong‐un grows up
very close to his bodyguards,

because these are
his playmates.

NARRATOR: Of all
Kim Jong‐il's bodyguards,

only one is known to
have escaped North Korea.

NARRATOR: The bodyguard
also remembers the current

ruler of North Korea.

NARRATOR: Today Kim Jong‐un
still surrounds himself with

these bodyguards.

He has expanded the program,

adding an elite unit to
handle internal threats.

MADDEN: The guys
that protect him,

despite the fact
that they wear suits,

these people are very similar
to SAS or Navy SEALs in terms

of their skills and training.

They inspect his food.

If you had a sack of rice,
that sack of rice is

scrutinized and inspected
for any irregular grains,

and so every bag of rice
is a perfect bag of rice.

They bring his toilet,
there is a portable toilet,

because they don't want a
foreign intelligence agency

getting a hold of his feces
and then analyzing the blood

contents for whatever
diseases he might have.

NARRATOR: So Kim Jong‐un's
psychology is deeply rooted in

his father's
totalitarian regime.

But there is another
side to Kim's experience,

his school days in the West.

(bell ringing)

Living in the care of his
maternal aunt and uncle,

Kim Jong‐un attended a
regular public school in Bern.

KOVACEVIC: My name is
Nikola Kovacevic, and, well,

I know Kim Jong‐un from
my school in Switzerland.

So this is pretty much
Un as I remember him,

wearing a typical sports
outfit, very American.

He was wearing
Chicago Bulls shirts, shorts,

and Michael Jordan shoes.

We were quite
impressed by that.

We were playing basketball
and Un was looking for

people to play with.

I'll never forget
him with a, you know,

cheeky smile on his face,

you know,
at the basketball court.

We pretty much just
played constantly.

He was very, very passionate.

You could clearly see
that he wants to win.

He was very good, very quick.

He was on a completely
different level than
you might think,

by looking at
the pictures from today.

We all liked having
him on our team.

We did have interesting
chats about North Korea.

There was one occasion where
I was just asking something

like, how is it there?

And I remember him
saying that North Korea

is very, very advanced.

It's going to be a big
player in the future.

You can definitely say that
he was proud of his country.

♪ ♪

FIFIELD: He really enjoyed
kind of the life of being a

rich kid in Europe.

He saw NBA games in Paris,

he went off skiing
in the Swiss Alps.

NARRATOR: But back
in North Korea there are
changes inside the family.

Kim Jong‐un's mother
is dying of cancer,

which means Kim's aunt and
uncle are about to lose their

connection to the dynasty.

Fearing they may be cast aside,
they decide to act.

Slipping out of the house
under cover of darkness,

his aunt and uncle take
refuge in the US Embassy.

Claiming political asylum,
they are spirited away to a

military base in Germany.

FIFIELD: Kim Jong‐un
was at home.

They did not say goodbye.

They left him in the
middle of the night.

It must have been an extremely
traumatic experience for

Kim Jong‐un, to be
abandoned like that.

NARRATOR: After
debriefing by the CIA,

Kim's aunt and uncle
are given new identities,

flown to the US,
and vanish from sight.

FIFIELD: For the past
20 years they have been living

this completely anonymous
life in middle America,

running a dry‐cleaners.

So nobody knows their
true identities.

NARRATOR: But journalist
Anna Fifield tracked them down

and arranged a meeting.

FIFIELD: I did not
expect them to show up,

and even like that morning
when they called to say they

were on their way to where
we had agreed to meet,

you know, I was surprised
when they showed up.

Kim Jong‐un's aunt
walked into the café,

like I caught my breath
because she looked exactly

like her sister,
Kim Jong‐un's mother.

And I spent the entire
weekend with them,

talking about
Kim Jong‐un, about,

you know, what he
was like as a child.

And they described him
as a normal kid who was a

little bit misunderstood.

Quite strange.

I distinctly remember sitting
on the couch there with them.

At the time Kim Jong‐un
was launching missiles.

REPORTER (over TV):
The projectile was fired from

a 2,000‐ton submarine,

and South Korean
military officials

believe the missile's
rocket booster did ignite.

FIFIELD: There's Kim Jong‐un
in a submarine,

looking at missiles.

And the uncle said,

they never say anything
good about him.

NARRATOR: Kim Jong‐un
never completes his
studies in Europe.

Aged 17, he is
recalled to North Korea.

Within a decade, Kim will
find himself the supreme leader

of the most repressive
dictatorship on earth.

FIFIELD: He had
lived in the West,

he had seen freedom up close,
so when he took over,

a lot of people thought
that he would be a reformer.

(speaking in native language).

FIFIELD: And in fact, early on
in his tenure he stood up and

he said that North Koreans
would never have to tighten

their belts again.

(speaking in native language).

FIFIELD: So if he wants to
remain in power for decades,

he can't just hold on
like his father did.

He really has to show an
improvement in the standard of

living inside North Korea.

(speaking in native language).

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Kim Jong‐un is the
only ruler of North Korea to

have lived in the West,
and his time in Switzerland

left its mark on the
supreme leader.

JEAN LEE: Kim Jong‐un, in
the early years of his rule,

I saw this desire for his
country to be more worldly,

for his people to
be more worldly.

NARRATOR: In 2012, Kim
ordered the construction of a

ski resort near his
capital, Pyongyang.

More alpine centers followed,
complete with all the

apres‐ski perks.

JEAN LEE: I was one of the
first foreigners to visit.

A little piece of
Switzerland in North Korea.

I could see the wheels
turning in Kim Jong‐un's head.

Around that time there was
a lot of hope and speculation

that this would be a
moment for a very different

type of North Korea.

(excited screaming)

NARRATOR: Kim builds
his citizens theme parks
and shopping malls,

all in the name
of North Korea's

bright economic future.

PAK: So we see the development
of things like amusement parks,

high end restaurants,
department stores,

all of these things are
also part of the Kim brand.

It's designed to show his
people that Kim is going to

move the country forward.

NARRATOR: In the drive
to re‐brand his kingdom,

Kim has an ally,
his celebrity wife.

FIFIELD: Ri Sol‐ju was a
famous singer in North Korea.

She would be instantly
recognizable to any

North Korean who's
ever watched TV.

(singing in native language).

NARRATOR: In 2018 Kim changes
his wife's official title from

Comrade to First Lady.

FIFIELD: She has a
very distinct role.

She's very much like the
Kate Middleton of North Korea.

She is there to
humanize her husband,

but also the two of them
together are supposed to be a

kind of modern,
aspirational couple.

They're showing the
future of North Korea.

NARRATOR: Leading North Korea
into the future presents Kim

with another challenge.

In a digital age, shaped by
the internet and social media,

Kim is under pressure
to ensure his people

aren't left behind.

JEAN LEE: If he's going to
rule for decades to come,

he has to build
his loyalty base.

He wants to woo
his generation.

So he started experimenting
with internet access,

expanding cell phone access.

Those were all monumental
changes for a country

like North Korea.

NARRATOR: Recently
Kim has gone further,

authorizing North Korea's
very own social media stars.

JEAN LEE: They even have
their own influencers now.

JEAN LEE:
What they are portraying
is a socialist fairyland.

It's just absolutely amazing.

And it's so
carefully cultivated.

JEAN LEE: Their role is to
seduce people to fall in love

with the country.

It's a smart strategy.

But on the other hand, access
to information is one of the

most dangerous things for
a leader like Kim Jong‐un,

because if people see what life
is like outside North Korea,

the illusion could be broken.

And that of course,
for Kim Jong‐un,

is terrifying.

(cheering)

NARRATOR: For 75 years the
Kim family has relied on

strength and terror
for their survival.

As Kim Jong‐un attempts
to transform himself from

god‐like tyrant to an
approachable human leader,

he needs back‐up within
the family to maintain the

dynasty's grip on power.

But who can he rely on?

MADDEN: Around 2001,
Kim Jong‐un's father takes

a train across Russia.

The Russian ambassador's
having conversations with him

and he asks him
about succession,

and he asked Kim Jong‐il,

who are your favorites
as successor?

And Kim Jong‐il said,

"Well my sons are
all idle blockheads."

Okay, "It's my daughters that
have the heart and intellect and

mindset to be in politics."

NARRATOR: Born four years
after Kim Jong‐un, in 1988

Kim Yo‐jong is nicknamed
"The Sweet Princess".

Until the death of
her father in 2011,

Kim Yo‐jong's existence was
a closely guarded secret,

even inside North Korea.

MADDEN:
After Kim Jong‐il died,

with the succession
of her brother,

there was probably
a conversation,

do you want to do this?

Do you want to be
involved in the nitty‐gritty

of North Korean politics?

Some people don't have the
ice in their veins to do it.

Some people do.

She said yes, and that's
where we find ourselves today.

NARRATOR: Quietly,
Kim Yo‐jong rose through the

ranks to become her
brother's propaganda chief.

In 2018,

he deployed his sister on
her first foreign assignment,

a mission inside
enemy territory.

FIFIELD: It was a really huge
occasion when Kim Yo‐jong

arrived into South Korea,
because she was the only

member of the Kim family who
had arrived in the south since

the Korean War ended in 1953.

So, it was a really big deal.

NARRATOR: The occasion
was the Winter Olympics,

dubbed the "Peace Olympics",

as athletes from North
and South Korea competed
together for the first time.

FIFIELD: There was an ice
hockey game where the two

Korean teams joined
together as one,

and she was in the stands,
in the VIP section.

I was able to walk down
to see her in the flesh.

She was very kind
of enigmatic.

She always had this kind of
sphinx‐like smile on her face.

She said very little, so
she became a real object of

fascination at that time
amongst South Koreans.

NARRATOR: But Kim's sister
hasn't just come south of the

border to show face.

With the eyes of
the world on her,

she opens peace talks with
the South Korean leadership.

Kim Yo‐jong is
becoming indispensable
to the family firm.

MADDEN: She is the one
that approves all the media,

in press and writing
that comes out in English

in North Korea.

Any piece of paper and any
email that gets directed to

Kim Jong‐un, is most
likely viewed by her.

And that's a critical
thing to have.

NARRATOR: The Sweet Princess
isn't only Kim Jong‐un's

right‐hand woman.

Recently she's become a
deadly player in her own right.

MADDEN: I believe there are
people that have been shot on

the orders of Kim Yo‐jong.

That's Kim Yo‐jong's psychology.

She's a shark.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: In a sign
of her growing power,

in 2020 Kim Jong‐un
promotes his sister
over his own generals,

to the highest
level of the Politburo.

GARLAUSKAS: Kim Yo‐jong's
prominence has dramatically

increased in 2020.

The thing that's most
striking is she's gone from a

role of being in the background,

to actually being a
voice of the regime.

NARRATOR: Kim's sister
goes on the attack,

threatening South Korean
activists who continue to drop

propaganda leaflets
over the border.

GARLAUSKAS: She is the only
individual who has been able

to put out a personal opinion
in North Korean state media.

Even the leader himself very
rarely is going to express any

sort of personal opinion.

This means that
she has a unique,

special and privileged role
in the North Korean regime.

NARRATOR: Amid rising tensions
between North and South Korea,

in June 2020, Kim Yo‐jong
sends South Korea a message.

(explosion)

Blowing up the government
complex used for talks between

the two sides.

REPORTER (over TV): Korean
experts say the explosion was

designed to cement the growing
power of Pyongyang's leader

Kim Jong‐un's younger
sister, Kim Yo‐jong.

In recent years state media
has referred to her as a

central party cadre,
indicating her tightening

grip on power.

This year she took over
some of her brother's roles

in party affairs and
foreign relations.

Sources suggest she is
now the real power‐holder

in Pyongyang.

GARLAUSKAS:
Now she is continually,

even outside of her
actual rank and position,

bashing South Korea
and the United States.

This is a role that
normally is reserved only

for the supreme leader.

It's classic
North Korean provocation.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: It seems
Kim is on his way to
resolving his dilemma,

how to modernize the country
without losing control.

The answer?

A dual dictatorship.

His sister keeps order with
the traditional tools, fear,

aggression and discipline.

While Kim reinvents
himself as a modern politician

with a kinder, gentler image.

MADDEN: We have to remember,

when we're talking
about Kim Jong‐un,

his main aspiration
and his main focus as a leader

right now, is resetting the
North Korean political system

so that he becomes
more above the fray,

and doesn't necessarily
have to sign off on any

individual public execution.

YOUNG‐GUK: Kim Jong‐un does
not want to be seen as a

person who criticizes and
bad‐mouths other leaders.

So he leaves the dirty
work in some respects

for Kim Yo‐jong to do.

MADDEN: Kim Yo‐jong
is the bad cop.

Kim Jong‐un gets to look
like a cool‐headed leader.

NARRATOR: But in his bid
to secure the dynasty
and hang onto power,

Kim is only halfway
to the summit.

To transform North Korea
into a truly modern society,

he must step onto the
global stage and bring an

end to seven
decades of isolation
from the outside world.

(speaking in native language).

NARRATOR: Early in his rule,

Kim Jong‐un wiped
out his enemies,

then supercharged
his nuclear arsenal.

But Kim's greatest
challenge lies ahead.

The world is changing.

To survive,
Kim must change with it,

and bring his country
into the modern age.

REPORTER (over TV):
More provocations from the

rogue nation of North Korea,

as new reports
surface that Pyongyang

is preparing for its
next nuclear test.

REPORTER 2 (over TV):
North Korea is showing the

world its new intercontinental
ballistic missile.

REPORTER 3 (over TV): This
comes after President Trump

said a major conflict with
North Korea is possible.

TRUMP (over PA):
Little Rocket Man.

We can't have madmen
out there shooting rockets
all over the place.

(countdown)

(explosion)

NARRATOR: In 2017,
Kim Jong‐un achieved his

family's longstanding ambition.

Developing a nuclear
missile capable of striking

North Korea's mortal enemy,

the United States.

PAK: My name is Jung Pak,

I used to work at
the CIA on Korea issues.

The premier product
that we would produce,

is the President's daily brief,
which I wrote often.

The toughest part is
leadership intentions.

When it comes to what's
in somebody's mind,

that is the most difficult part.

I spent my entire
career trying to crawl
inside Kim Jong‐un's head.

What we learned is that,
not only was he an apt student

of the legacy of his
grandfather and father,

but that he was also bigger,
badder and bolder in terms of

how aggressive he was.

The missiles and his weapons
are now more powerful,

more dangerous, more reliable,
and more mobile,

and that's what makes
North Korea under Kim Jong‐un

a much scarier place and a
much scarier adversary.

NARRATOR: But Kim
has a problem.

Cut off from the
outside world,

his country's economy
is on its knees.

JEAN LEE: North Korea
has been facing US sanctions
since the Korean War,

and they've just
gotten progressively

tougher and tougher.

So it's a real struggle,
I think,

for Kim Jong‐un to push
his country forward.

This is a country that
has chronic food shortage,

is isolated from
the outside world.

Kim Jong‐un knows that in
the long run it's untenable

for him to provide
for his people.

NARRATOR: To bring his
country into the modern age and

maintain his grip on power,

Kim must lift the US‐led

sanctions banning
international trade

with North Korea.

In 2018, he makes
his opening move.

PRESIDENT TRUMP (over PA):
On June 12th in Singapore,

I'll be meeting with
Kim Jong‐un to pursue a

future of peace and security
for the world,

for the whole world.

NARRATOR: In 2018,

Kim leaves Korea for only
the third time as leader,

for an historic meeting with
President Trump in Singapore.

(cheering and
overlapping chatter)

JEAN LEE: The
Singapore summit,

it really was his big
debut internationally.

Kim Jong‐un's coming out.

Those were incredible scenes.

I think that's a very
telling example of the image

that he wants to
portray to his people.

He's saying, actually I'm
very charming, I'm funny,

I'm flexible and spontaneous
and it's completely the

reverse of what
we may have thought of the

North Korean leader.

NARRATOR: In Singapore,
North Korea's reclusive

dictator takes his first
steps on the world stage.

BOLTON: I'm John Bolton, I was
a National Security Advisor

for President Trump.

For me, it was almost
surreal to think that this

was actually happening.

A mistake in my view,
but it was a historic first.

(camera shutters clicking)

BOLTON: It was very clear
in the meeting that Kim was

very much in control.

He was observing
Trump very carefully.

(speaking in native language).

BOLTON: Early in the
meeting Kim asked Trump,

What do you think of me?'

Just testing people like that,

that shows a
level of confidence.

I mean, what do
you think of me,

is an invitation to say,

you're a tyrannical dictator
oppressing 25 million people,

and I don't a trust
a word you say.

That would've been
an accurate answer,

but it could've been
a meeting stopper.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank
you very much everybody.

Thank you.

REPORTER: How's the
meeting going so far, sir?

BOLTON: But of course,

Trump gave him
a very glowing review,

he was smart and
so on and so forth.

REPORTER: Any progress
Mr. President?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Excellent
relationship, thank you.

Thank you very much.

NARRATOR: Kim comes prepared
with a strategy for dealing

with the American President.

JEAN LEE: There's a kind of
magic that can happen when

these two leaders
get together.

And I have to say, what I saw,
it looked like a bromance.

The North Koreans studied
whatever they could to try to

understand how
President Trumps thinks.

His psychology,
how to flatter him.

And actually, the
North Koreans know how to do

that very‐very well.

Kim Jong‐un sent
an envoy with a massive
handwritten letter.

North Korea is very
old school in a sense.

They're not gonna send
email attachments,

they're very formal.

It was something that
charmed President Trump that

he got this massive,
handwritten letter.

BOLTON: It was kind of
a rambling conversation.

I was mostly worried that
Trump not give away too much.

But there was discussion
about joint South
Korean‐US war games,

as Trump called them,
which he agreed to give up.

It was a concession
to Kim that none of us on the

US side knew was coming.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Okay.

BOLTON: It obviously
made Kim very happy.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Thank you
very much, that's fantastic.

PRESIDENT TRUMP (over PA):
I was really being tough
and so was he.

And we would go
back and forth,

and then we fell in love okay?

No really.

He wrote me beautiful letters,
and they're great letters.

We fell in love.

(cheering)

NARRATOR: Kim had begun
to reinvent himself as a

legitimate world leader.

He returns to his
people a conquering hero.

JEAN LEE: The United States is
North Korea's chief adversary.

It is the central enemy.

So if Kim can stand
shoulder to shoulder
with the US President,

that is, of itself,
a kind of victory.

JEAN LEE: Kim Jong‐un
can tell his people,

we are taken seriously
by the most powerful leader

in the world.

(cheering)

(sirens)

FIFIELD: During
the course of 2018,

Kim Jong‐un has proven
himself to be very savvy and

calculating in the way he has
dealt with the outside world.

Luring Donald Trump out.

Kim Jong‐un kind of set
off a race to meet him.

Xi Jinping in China.

Nobody wanted to be left out.

We suddenly saw this huge
flurry of summits taking place

and it seemed like
all of the leaders wanted to

meet with Kim Jong‐un.

LEE: North Korea is a
very impoverished country,

but it has nuclear weapons.

Kim Jong‐un can blow up half
the planet if he chooses to,

in a major war.

And that's what gives him a
huge leverage that otherwise

he would never have.

When he met Putin in Russia,
Putin is very famous for

meeting leaders across
the world, very‐very late.

Well, in Vladivostok,
it was Putin who waited

for Kim Jong‐un.

He wants to show the
world that you know what,

even between friends,
we have the upper hand.

NARRATOR: But opening his
secretive Hermit Kingdom
to the outside world,

carries dangers
for Kim Jong‐un.

At the start of his rule,
he encouraged foreigners to

set up businesses in
special trading zones near

the Chinese border.

One of the first
outsiders to arrive,

was South Korean‐born
US citizen, Kim Dong‐chul.

NARRATOR: It's believed
Kim Dong‐chul passed secrets

to the CIA for four years.

Before he was betrayed by
an informant and arrested.

Kim Jong‐un makes a very
public example of his captive.

NARRATOR:
The agent was sentenced
to ten years hard labor.

He had become a pawn in an
international chess game

between Kim and the West.

Two years later,

Kim meets with US
hostage negotiators to

build on
his warming relationship
with President Trump.

REPORTER (over TV):
And we do have breaking
news right now.

President Trump Tweeting
moments ago that three
detained Americans

have been released
from North Korea.

NARRATOR: In
releasing his hostages,

Kim Jong‐un
bolsters his image as a
modern civilized leader,

and buys credit with
President Trump.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: I want to
thank Kim Jong‐un who really

was excellent to these
three incredible people.

I really think he wants to
do something and bring that

country into the real world.

NARRATOR: February 2019.

Kim Jong‐un sets out
on a 2,500 mile journey.

The destination, Vietnam,

and a second crucial
meeting with President Trump.

The prize...

Winning a deal to lift
the economic sanctions

crippling his country.

FIFIELD:
When he went to Hanoi,

I think he felt
very confident.

He very unusually
announced through the
state media in North Korea,

that this summit
was going to happen,

that he thought this was all
going to go very well for him.

LEE: You know the
stakes were very, very high.

From Kim Jong‐un's side,

he wanted to
show his people that

you know what?

I will make peace
with Donald Trump.

I will be the one
North Korean leader
who shakes hands

and signs a deal
with the US President.

That was the promise
Kim Jong‐un made as he left

the train station in Pyongyang.

NARRATOR: On the first
night of the summit,

the two leaders
meet for a dinner
of North Korean steak,

served well
done for Trump,

and rare for Kim.

JEAN LEE: So this was the
dinner before the summit,

the night before.

Kim Jong‐un looks very
comfortable and confident

and he must have
put on a bit of a show.

President Trump relayed
a story that Kim Jong‐un
told about how, yeah,

he executed his uncle
and then displayed

his head for the rest to see.

In this day and age,

to see that
kind of brutality,

very much like the
heads of those beheaded

by Henry VIII,

were stuck outside
the Tower of London.

REPORTER: Have you exchanged
very interesting dialogue

Mr. President in
the last 30 minutes?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Well if you
could've heard that dialogue,

well you would pay for
that dialogue wouldn't you.

LEE: I think it goes to show
that Kim Jong‐un, deep inside,

wanted to reach out to
Donald Trump in a way that

no other leader had
reached out to Donald Trump.

Which is, you know
what Mr. President,

let's talk about raw power.

I will tell you
what raw power is.

I will give you an example
of what I did to my uncle.

Donald Trump
respects raw power,

and that's what Kim Jong‐un
wanted to emphasize.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:
There were a lot of great
ideas being thrown about.

I think very importantly,
the relationship is you know,

just very strong.

NARRATOR: With the dinner
table talk out of the way,

the two leaders get
down to business.

REPORTER (over TV): Analysts
say there is considerable

pressure on both
Trump and Kim Jong‐un,

to come up with a more
substantive deal than the one

they struck in Singapore.

Kim desperately needs
sanctions to be lifted.

Trump has gotta come back with
something more substantive

than they got in June.

TRANSLATOR: If I'm not
willing to do that,

I won't be here right now.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Good answer.

JEAN LEE: The North Koreans
estimated that President Trump

needed a foreign
policy victory,

and that they
would sign a deal.

Kim Jong‐un thought
it was a sure thing.

So, they got down to the nitty
gritty of this nuclear deal.

But it can quickly go sour.

NARRATOR: In his
opening gambit,

Kim offers a limited deal.

To shut down North Korea's
largest nuclear testing site,

in return for the complete
lifting of all sanctions.

BOLTON: Trump was not prepared
to make a partial deal.

He was prepared to
make only the big deal,

which is the complete
elimination of North Korea's

nuclear weapons program.

But Kim kept pressing
for his more limited deal.

Like many communist
negotiators,

he's very good
at saying the same thing
over and over again.

The Germans have
a word for it,

they call it Sizfleisch'
and it means exactly
what it sounds like,

that he'd just be
prepared to sit there

for as long as it took.

So Trump and Kim went
around and around.

We could see the frustration
that Kim felt that he wasn't

getting through.

So there came a point where
kind of a silence descended on

the room and lasted.

And it was at that point,

I think everybody realized,

this meeting is really over.

REPORTER (over TV):
Astonishing!

The second summit between
the US and North Korea is over.

REPORTER 2 (over TV):
The headline here, no deal!

REPORTER 3 (over TV):
The two leaders'
motorcades roared

away from the summit site
within minutes of each other.

TRUMP (over TV):
Sometimes you have to walk.

FIFIELD: They literally left
their lunch on the table in

Hanoi, and went off back to
their respective capitals.

So, I think it was
a miscalculation.

LEE: Kim Jong‐un was very,

very sure he could
reach a deal in Hanoi.

So, on the long train
ride back to North Korea,

Kim Jong‐un must
have asked himself,

who am I going to
blame for this failure?

Who will be the person
who will fall by the sword?

FIFIELD: Kim Jong‐un
was very angry.

He lost face in that
he didn't have a deal.

He left empty‐handed,
and that has increased the

pressure on Kim Jong‐un since.

NARRATOR: Failure to
reach a deal with Trump,

is a major setback in Kim's
bid to normalize his regime.

At least three of
his officials are thought

to have been executed or
purged as punishment.

Kim was returning to the
system of terror that has

sustained his dynasty
for three generations.

(birds squawking)

♪ ♪

LEE: In North Korea,
the border is not just solid.

It is highly impenetrable.

Except for the joint security
area where there is no fence.

LEE: A North Korean soldier
called Oh Chong‐song,

a top soldier in the
Korean People's Army,

stationed right along
the 38th parallel.

Only the crème de la crème
are posted along the border.

But he dashed across the
line running for his life.

He was shot at by
North Korean guards.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: As the
North Korean soldier lies

wounded in the
demilitarized zone,

which separates
North and South Korea,

troops stage a rescue attempt.

♪ ♪

LEE: He was
miraculously saved.

He was then taken by
helicopter to a Korean hospital.

It was discovered that there
were many worms in his body.

He was healthy
soldier who got the best
treatment in North Korea,

but he was still suffering
from malnutrition.

And this was a shock
to many people who were

watching what's happening
in North Korea.

This particular video must
have shown Kim Jong‐un,

that security along
the border was paramount,

because even the most
trusted lieutenants were ready

to jump ship.

I think Kim Jong‐un would've
been very angry at the

Generals who allowed this
to happen under their watch.

And I'm sure they were
reprimanded and imprisoned,

or even you know, even
worse punishment for this.

NARRATOR: To clamp down on
a rising tide of defectors,

Kim has increased border
security and threatened

would‐be traitors with
severe punishments.

But the dictator remains
torn between his allegiance

to the family dynasty and
the pull of his teenage years

in the democratic West.

Shortly after he took power,

he tracked down an
old friend in Europe.

LEE: When you've spent
your most formative years in
a very westernized country,

studying in Switzerland
as a teenager,

that will stick with you,
it's this nostalgia.

LEE: He will never be able
to have the life back again,

but if he invites
his childhood friend to
come back to North Korea,

it's like satisfying
a part of his life,

that he yearns for,
but he can never replay.

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: Kim's two meetings
with the US President,

had failed
to deliver a deal on

North Korea's nuclear arsenal.

In June 2019,

Trump rekindles
the bromance.

REPORTER (over TV):
President Trump touching down

in South Korea
just a short while ago,

after having extended
an apparently impromptu

invitation to the
leader of North Korea.

PRESIDENT TRUMP:
I just put out a feeler,

'cause I don't know
where he is right now,

he may not be in North Korea.

But I said if Chairman Kim
would wanna meet,

I'll be at the border at Sidley.

We seem to get along very well.

KARL: The meeting at the
DMZ was entirely impromptu.

He tweets an invitation to the
North Korean dictator to meet.

And North Koreans finally
do respond and Donald Trump

marveled that
apparently Kim Jong‐un
follows me on Twitter.

♪ ♪

JEAN LEE: After the breakdown
of the talks in Hanoi,

Kim Jong‐un desperately
wants and needs the opportunity

to meet again
with President Trump.

Kim Jong‐un needed some
imagery to tell his people

things are fine,
we're still friends,

I've got it under control.

The North Koreans would have
loved imagery of Kim Jong‐un

slowly making his way
to the demarcation line.

President Trump was
there more quickly,

clearly more anxious to cross
over to the North Korean side,

they would've loved that.

TRANSLATOR:
Good to see you again.

JEAN LEE: The idea that an
American President wants to step

into North Korean territory,
propaganda gold.

KARL: Suddenly Donald Trump
is walking with Kim Jong‐un

in North Korea!

(laughs).

You know, the first
American leader to
set foot in North Korea.

(overlapping chatter)

WOMAN: Come one, uh‐uh guys,
come one guys.

KARL: And then they walk back
over to the South Korean side.

WOMAN: Come on, come on.

(overlapping chatter)

WOMAN: Go, go, go, move.

KARL: And we did not know that
it was truly going to happen.

And it was a scene
of total chaos.

WOMAN: Straight,
they're going straight.

KARL: Suddenly it appears
that they're gonna be
going inside this building,

and the North Koreans
actually try to block

the American press
from going over.

WOMAN: Hold it, no.
MAN: Press, press.

MAN 2: Stop it, stop it.
Press, press.

REPORTER: US Pool!

(overlapping chatter)

(speaking in native language)

MAN: US Pool?
REPORTER: Yes.

KARL: And so,
Stephanie Grisham,

Donald Trump's
Press Secretary,

essentially decked a
North Korean Security Guard,

who was trying to block the
American press from following

the two leaders
into this room.

CROWD: US Pool!

(overlapping chatter)

REPORTER: Excuse me. Some help.
US Pool. Please, please.

(speaking in native language)

KARL: You know, this was
an extraordinary photo op.

But it accomplished absolutely
nothing beyond the photo op.

There's no question today's
meeting was an historic first.

But after two summits and
one impromptu meeting,

North Korea's nuclear program
remains fully in place.

NARRATOR: With no
breakthrough in sight,

in the fall of 2019,
the dictator changes course.

In a symbolic
statement to his people,

he makes a pilgrimage to
the sacred Mount Paektu,

mythical birthplace
of the Kim Dynasty.

♪ ♪

JEAN LEE: It's not just that
Kim Jong‐un likes riding horses,

there's another purpose here.

It is part of the propaganda.

He's really focused
on a particular King,

King Tongmyong, and
King Tongmyong is a warrior

who's often shown fighting
off foreign influence,

and bringing the country
together on a white horse.

And so, it's a way to remind
his people that I am the

successor of that heritage,
and I have a right to rule.

NARRATOR: Turning his
back on President Trump,

Kim threatens to deliver
a so‐called Christmas Gift

to the United States.

LEE: Kim Jong‐un was
disappointed he could not

convince Mr. Trump.

I think he realized, okay,

if Trump will not
negotiate with me,

I will make a bigger hammer.

So that's a message
that I think he wanted to

send the world.

I will show you
how powerful I am.

I will show you who's really
boss in this neighborhood.

And it's me, Kim Jong‐un.

(chanting in native language).

NARRATOR: October 2020.

Kim celebrates
three generations
of his family's rule.

But his talks with Trump have
failed to remove the sanctions

holding back his economy.

How long can he maintain
the loyalty of his people?

JEAN LEE: In allowing the
people to see him cry,

Kim Jong‐un, on October 10th,

wanted to show
that he's human too.

He wanted to show
that vulnerability.

"Yes, I am almost
like a God and I was
born to lead this country,

but I'm a father like you,

I care about my
children like you,

I care about our
future like you."

So, it was designed to be a
particular show of humility

and to show his personality.

But I can't help but
think it's also theatre.

And so, we are moving into
a phase where we have less

access and less information,

because it's so
carefully cultivated.

And he wants to seem like
somebody who actually is in

touch with his people.

But it's very hard for us to
tell whether we can trust it.

LEE: Economically, they're
in very, very deep trouble.

Sanctions, pandemic
and floods,

all those problems
have combined to make
North Korea's economy,

which was already
on its knees,

nearly on its deathbed.

And yet, Kim Jong‐un continues
to develop nuclear weapons.

I think it's very dangerous
because if you are cornered

into a position where
there really is no exit,

then you might look
for extreme solutions.

NARRATOR: In 2020,
Kim unveils the world's largest

mobile Inter‐Continental
Ballistic Missile nicknamed

"The Monster"

Despite his attempts to
modernize North Korea and

remake his image, Kim Jong‐un
remains the dictator of a

rogue state that is now
more dangerous than ever.

BOLTON: You can't prevent
irrational regimes,

but you can certainly do
everything possible to keep

the world's most dangerous
weapons out of their hands.

I think obviously you have
to consider the use of force.

I don't think the end of
North Korea is likely to

be pleasant in
any circumstances.

(fireworks explode)

NARRATOR: It's thought
Kim now has at least
40 nuclear missiles,

and is close to completing
a new secret weapon

that would pose
a greater threat to the
West than ever before.

LEE: They're building
a new 3,000‐ton submarine

with the ability to
fire ballistic missiles.

MADDEN: Once they reach
certain technical metrics,

North Korea can then put
one of these ballistic missiles

on a submarine.

Submarines are very
difficult to track.

It's basically a roving
threat and a moving target.

North Korea can then
float that submarine out

to the Pacific Ocean and
scare the crap out of people

in Los Angeles.

A whole other mess of stuff
to keep people up at night.