transcript: [SPEAKING KOREAN] [KOREAN PATRIOTIC SONG] SHANE SMITH: Right after we
launched VBS, people started saying, North Korea. Why don't you go
to North Korea? Why? Because nobody knows anything
about North Korea. So we were fascinated by it. And we tried to get in for a
year and a half, but couldn't because North Korea doesn't
let anyone in. They do not want anyone to
corrupt their 100% homogeneous society that is 100% percent
ruled by one person, Kim Jong Il. In the end, we just got so
frustrated that we ended up flying to South Korea and
saying, well at least we can go to the DMZ and put our foot
into North Korea and at least see a little bit of
it from the South. Let's go see the DMZ, which is
the demilitarized zone, which is the border between North
Korea and South Korea. Since the Korean War ended, it's
been the most militarized zone on Earth with two million
estimated troops on the North Korean side, about 500,000
on the South Korean side. Missiles pointed at each
other, artillery tanks. There's three million mines
on the border itself. In fact, there's so many mines
that the North Koreans built invasion tunnels, where they
went 70 meters down. And they're like, we could
be in Seoul in an hour and a half. Now the CIA and the
American army have found a number of these. But they think that
there's even more. It's been called the
end of the world. And it's the closest you can
get to seeing North Korea. Getting to the DMZ isn't easy. It's only an hour and a half
north of Seoul, but you have to go through about
15 checkpoints. Then you have to go through
United Nations indoctrination session, where they're
like, don't point. Don't look at them. Don't take any pictures. Don't do anything. We're only going to be there
for 2 and 1/2 minutes. We're at the last stop
in South Korea before going to the DMZ. This here is Freedom Bridge. Right after the Korean War, it
was the last time the North and South exchanged POWs. And on the other side of that
now, a little further back is North Korea. Right here, it's kind of
like a theme park. But as you see, just beyond the
theme park, hidden by the trees, there's barbed wire and
land mines and checkpoints everywhere. So it's a very bizarre
theme park. A lot of families come, and
they put up messages or prayers for their family in the
North that they've been split and never allowed
to see. So they'll come here and make a
pilgrimage and say, OK, this is what I'm going to put up. Someone's put up some
golf balls. I think the South's going to
lose pretty damn quick. They're going to be rave
soldiers brought up on Playstation versus the North
Koreans who eat grass and sleep with their AK. And so you get off the bus. And you look across, and
there's North Korea. They're like, that's
North Korea. Get back on the bus. You could start World War III. They really get you terrified. They let you into one
barracks room. And the barracks room is
half in North Korea, half in South Korea. And they set that up so
they could have talks. But it's the only place where
you can go and actually set foot technically into
North Korea. And this is as close as 99.9%
of the people in the world will ever get into getting
into North Korea. And people are like,
that's North Korea. So that piece of concrete-- The gravel is South, and the
concrete is demarcation line. And the sand is North. SHANE SMITH: No what? SHANE SMITH: No pointing. Right, right, right. No finger pointing. FEMALE SPEAKER: You could
take a picture with the two soldiers. SHANE SMITH: We're like,
dude we have to get into North Korea. We have to get in. GEORGE W. BUSH: North Korea
has a regime arming with missiles and weapons of
mass destruction. States like these and their
terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil, arming
to threaten the peace of the world. The United States of America
will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes to
threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons. [CHANTING IN KOREAN IN UNISON] SHANE SMITH: We couldn't
get in. We tried through the embassy,
through press, through Swedish embassy, British embassy,
Canadian embassy, German embassy. And I was saying to myself,
what in God's name is going on here. So we were interviewing
North Korean refugees in South Korea. And a few of them had said, just
go to Shenyang and bribe the consulate there. There. That's what everybody
else does. So we were in South Korea. And we said, why not? We're here. So we flew up to China. We had nothing to lose. And we met the consul in
Shenyang, paid a visa fee. And we left our passports
there and, in fact, most of our money. And we went back to this
North Korean hotel. We had to stay in one of their
hotels in northern China. And we were supposed to hear
back from them at 4:00 the next afternoon. At 6:00 in the morning, there's
a banging on our door. And we wake up all
discombobulated. And they're like, we
have to go now. Here's your passport. Let's go. And we're like, where
are we going? Where are we going? And they don't give you any time
to react, not one second. They take you right out from
the room at 6:00 in the morning and get you
on the plane. Shenyang, you got to come to
Shenyang to stay here in the North Korean hotel with
concrete beds. [KOREAN MUSIC] SHANE SMITH: You're not allowed
to bring anything into North Korea. You can't bring a cellphone. You can't bring a computer. You can't bring any printed
material, any music. They don't want you to have
anything that you can even leave there. In fact, they don't want you to
bring any type of camera in that is too sophisticated, no
telephoto lenses, nothing. You can bring basically
a point and shoot, and that's it. In fact, when you go in, you
have to sign a thing saying, I'm not bringing in anything. And let me tell you, if they
find that you did, you're in deep shit. And then you're flying
from Shenyang to Pyongyang in North Korea. And then you go, holy shit,
we're going to North Korea. And with the express purpose of
shooting, which you're not allowed to do, with the express
purpose of making a documentary, which you're
not allowed to do. This is terrifying. So from the first minute I got
there, I was shit scared. [CHANTING IN KOREAN IN UNISON] SHANE SMITH: The first
sight of Pyongyang. It's pretty dismal. [KOREAN MUSIC] SHANE SMITH: We're in a hotel
that's about 47 stories tall. Nobody's in it. There's only one floor with
any people on it. We're in the hotel room. And we've been told that they're
bugged, that they're listening to us. I don't know if whispering
is going to help. That might be where
it all stems from. Hello, hello. Oh. Come in. Come in, Tokyo. Hello. Hello. Hello. We're here. Right after we get there, we
were taken for our first meal. And the first time you eat in
North Korea, it's a sign of the very weird things to come. [SPEAKING KOREAN] SHANE SMITH: This is
where we go, here? Table. FEMALE SPEAKER 2: Sit please. FEMALE SPEAKER 2: Kumgangsan SHANE SMITH: We're in the
big banquet room. As you can see, it's huge. There's about 20 women who are
getting ready for our dinner. First of all, they give you
about three or four courses of absolutely inedible food. It's just matter. It's like fried matter. And you're going, yeah, yeah. But you're waiting for
everyone to fill in. When's this banquet happening? When's the banquet? There is no banquet. Where is everyone? It's not very busy here. They realize they've gotten so
much bad press for not having food that they want to show,
oh there's plenty of food. Food everywhere. And they're carefully laying
out the food the whole time you're eating. And then as you leave, you
notice they're pulling all the things they've just carefully
laid into little tiny trays that are carefully going
to bring back to keep for the next day. And you're just sitting there by
yourself eating your matter going, OK I've come
to crazy land. SHANE SMITH: It's really gray
and heavy duty outside. I'm going to go downstairs to
meet our guards in 15 minutes. It's maybe the weirdest I've
ever felt in my life. The first thing you realize
in North Korea is you're not a tourist. You're on a tour. You come in. You're shown what
you're shown. You're escorted out. You're escorted the
whole time. You're never allowed
on your own. You can't leave the hotel, which
is on an island, until your guards come and get you. You have a guard, a guide,
and secret police. The first place they take you is
to the Pueblo, which is an American spy ship that they
captured in the '60s during the Cold War. And they docked it in
downtown Pyongyang. And the indoctrination starts. SHANE SMITH: They force you to
sit there and watch this indoctrination video about how
the American imperialists are terrible, and they're shitting
on the peace-loving people of North Korea. And look how terrible
America is. Look how terrible Japan is. And how we got their ship, and
it shows that they were spying on us and how evil they are. Really incredibly
anti-American. SHANE SMITH: This
is very freaky. On the way here, there's a big
poster that says the way to peace is a point of a bayonet. And all the North Koreans
are brought here. So you're sitting there as the
only Caucasian going, oh good, as everyone's staring
at you with daggers. And you're just sitting
there going, OK. Great, I get it. There's going to be a
lot more of this. SHANE SMITH: So every day around
6:30 in the morning, our guides and our guards would
come to pick us up. They'd put us in a truck, drive
us out to some monument, and you'd drive for two hours. And the first thing you notice
are, there's no cars. The villages have
no electricity. There's no nothing. Nothing's happening anywhere. We're going down south
of Pyongyang. As you can see, there's nobody
on the roads at all. There's no cars on the roads. We're at a tea shop right now. And as you can see, I'm
the only guy here. We're just driving on lonely
roads and going to lonely tea shops. And there'd be the tea girl
who speaks English and has been waiting for you. And you realize, she's been
waiting about six months for anyone to show up
to sell her tea. How are you? SHANE SMITH: Tea? SHANE SMITH: Sorry? SHANE SMITH: Coffee? No. This is tea? What is this? Tea? What is this here? Hello. OK. And she's just so excited
you're there. And you realize, she hasn't
seen anyone in 10 months. And there's going to be another
10 months before anyone comes. You want to dance? PUN-YUN-CHI: Oh. SHANE SMITH: Shane. SHANE SMITH: Shane. PUN-YUN-CHI: Shane. SHANE SMITH: You? SHANE SMITH: Pun-Yun-Chi PUN-YUN-CHI: Yes. SHANE SMITH: Pun-Yun-Chi. Oh. PUN-YUN-CHI: Oh. SHANE SMITH: Very good. PUN-YUN-CHI: Oh no. Oh. SHANE SMITH: I can't
get that one. Oh! I like you. Thank you. CAMERAMAN: Thank you. SHANE SMITH: This
our tea room. We gotta go. We're late. We had a good time. It's so surreal. There's nothing normal
that happens ever in this whole country.
auto_transcript: me what I'm going good whatever going to where the p right after we launched yes people start saying North Korea why
don't you go to north korea why because nobody knows anything about
North Korea so we were fascinated by it and we tried to get in for a year and a
half but could because north Korea doesn't let anyone
in they do not want anyone to corrupt there are 100 percent homogeneous society that is 100 percent
ruled by one person and the in the end we just
got so frustrated that we end up flying to South Korea and
saying well this week and go to the DMZ answer to put our foot into North Korea
and and sorry about the see a little bit of
it from the south let's go see the DMZ which is the demilitarized zone
which is the border between North Korea and South Korea since the Korean War ended it's been the most militarized zone on earth with
two million estimated troops from the north korean side of 500,000 on the
South Korean side missiles pointed to other artillery tanks this three million mines on the
border itself factor so many mines that the north
koreans bill invasion tunnels with him 170 meters
down like we can be in in Solan in an hour and a half now the
CIA and and American army have found number
please but they think that there's even more it's been called the in the
world and it's the closest you can get to see getting to the DMZ is an easy it's only
an hour and a half north of Seoul where you have to go through about 15
checkpoints then you have to go through the united nations sorta indoctrination session weather
like don't point don't look at them control bikini
pictures don't do anything growing to be there for two and a half
minutes throughout the laptop in South Korea
before going with the over the the here's freedom ridge but after the
Korea War with the lab by the North exchange the
o/w and on the other side to that now a little further back is north korea right here it's kinda like a theme park
but that he feels like to be on the theme park on a hit by the be barbed wire land mines checkpoints
everywhere though it by neva a very bizarre part a lot of families come they put up messages or or prayers for your family in the north they've been
split never see so they'll compare make a
pilgrim say okay as we're gonna put up much for
the cerebral palsy going to sell pretty damn way gonna be
so hurry soldiers brought up only versus the north koreans grass sleep with me K on a checkpoint charlie so most
dangerous place and so you get off the bus and look at
boss and there's north korea like that North Korea get back on the
bus you know it you could start world war
three they really get you terrified they let you into one barracks room in the barracks room is
half in north korea happened south korea and they set that
up so that they can have car but it's the only place where you
can go and actually set forth practically into north korea and this is as close as
ninety-nine point nine percent world will ever get to getting into
north korea and people are like store that that consumer concrete back pockets gravel in South called markings mine of the San Nord or more like a open like to we have to get north korea have
to get it if the Indian destin be the lender Korea
evening huge the Revolutionary Armed Forces career
where the whole country has been turned into an impregnable fortress and the whole people had been pp arms
wish smite aggressors most north korea's regime arming with
missiles and weapons of mass destruction states like these and their terrorist
allies constitute and axis of evil farming to
threaten the peace in the world the United States of America will not
permit the world's most dangerous regimes threaten us with the world's most
destructive weapons a I and I'll in that dumb we couldn't get in we tried to the
embassy through Press through of Swedish embassy British Embassy Canadian embassy German
Embassy and I was saying to myself what daunting
story so we were interviewing North Korean
refugees in South Korea and if you haven't said just go to
Shenyang in bribed the the conflict there to
everybody else those so we're in South Korean with them why
not we're here so we flew up to the the China we had
nothing to lose in and we met the console in Xinyang Qaeda see a visa fee and we left our passport fair and in fact
most money and we went back to this north korean
hotel we had to stay in one other hotels in northern China and we were supposed
to hear back from have for the next afternoon at six in
the morning has a banging on our door we wake up all
discombobulated and like we have to go now here's your
passport let's go or like where we govern where we go and
they don't give him time yeah on one second they take right up
from at six in the morning getting on a plane shipping you know you
got a commission staying here the north korean photo called the the you're not allowed to bring any North capping a cell phone camping computer
you can't bring any printed material in music they don't
want to have him even lean in fact they don't
want you to bring any type of camera was too sophisticated
no telephoto lenses nothing you can bring basically a point
shield in fact when you go in you have to find
a thing saying I'm not bringing in anything and let me
tell you if they find out did urine ship do and then you're flying from Shenyang to
for paying north korean girl of holy shit 10 north
korea and with the express purpose of shooting
kitchen allowed to do with the express purpose of making a a
documentary but you're not allowed to do this is terrified so from first minute
of their our shit in in in the monumental structures built in Kenya
and seem to praise is that kim jong Hyun who made unremitting efforts body a
construction the new appearance opinion will hand
down to posterity the Fed that Kim Jong Il is a junior
secretion passionate in the heyday of construction
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another up were here but you right after we get there we were taken for first meal and the
first time you eat in north korea its kind of a sign of the very weird things to come table me okay when the Big Bang opens its huge his
work twenty women we're getting ready for dinner
first of all they give you got three or four courses
over absolutely inedible food it's just matter it's like fried matter and you're kinda going yeah gap are you
waiting for everyone to fill in Wednesday's banquet happening when the
bag there is no banquet wears a blue one it's not very busy realize they've
gotten so much bad press for not having fu that they want to show other party who
food everywhere and their carefully laying out the
through the whole time you reading and then you as you leave you notice they're pulling all the things that just
carefully laid into little tiny traces are carefully gonna
bring back and keep for the next day and you're just sitting
there by yourself using a matter going okay I've come to
pray Zealand for the defense of the country and people's happiness whenever the US
imperialists resorted to high handedness amid regard
to korea it put him to shame displaying the
Western metal oven I am will be commander for the Korean People's Army displayed its
invincible power through the gray and heavy duty outside gonna go
downstairs to meet her current in 15 minutes it's maybe the weirdest personal the first thing you realize in North Korea is you're not a tourist
you're on a tour you comin you're shown when you're shown
you're escorted out your score the whole time never allowed on your own you can't
leave the hotel which is on an island and tell your guards coming get guard guy in secret police you'll it the first place it takes us. Pablo which is an American spy ship that they
captured in the sixties during the Cold War and docked in
downtown Pyongyang and and the indoctrination starts they
described it is your business see we'll have more in research ship and
a intruded into it a tortoise in 1968 captured by used him the force you to sit there and what's this
sorta indoctrination video about how the American imperialists are terrible
shooting on the peace-loving people north korea look how terrible america's lookout
Japan is and how we got their shipping it shows that they were spying on us now evil they are really incredibly
anti-american PU see PU to me work shoes p gives for use in the people's who is recent system and good industry undersea the mold this is painful especially if the US
imperialists a question forces captured a player say
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widget you'll it he'd go to a matrix printers Alicia on ownership so wanna be your still so new bridge
take better yeah kipnis into submission old 0 to indicate to keep I was 7 surgeon came
jumped on this shit to edit moment the captain was sitting
on this it said he was spending his pay they just
passed about its head he was wearing black missus very tricky but in when we hear there's a big bro
services way to pieces point overpayment and you
know all the North Koreans are brought here so you're sitting there is the only
cock Asian doing all good as everyone's terry has with daggers and you're just doing okay great idea
his but there's really a lot more there's just heard about how badly here like years that purchases appear below used but paler which you use a pastry and
coffee will test it for a saint the centuries
it could use a tuition to me the US imperialists
against Italy NP Jim Jones field deluded strenuous
efforts to stepping up socialist economic
construction it teaches them leading officials that
motivating to people's ideas is the key to making innovation and at a creative in a huge
is Amanda messes to constitute a contact resources for
increased production on on Sorry Day route 63 in the morning our
guides in our guards come pick us up put us in a truck driver so some monumental any dry for like two
hours and the first thing you notice our was no car villages have no electricity
is no nothing nothing's happening anywhere going down so from yeah as you can see there's nobody on the roads no are the
road he show right now and for see here was royally ruled wield and the me the t-girls who speaks
English and been waiting for you and you realize
she's been waiting about six months for anyone to show up to 7 30 how are you the look of home and and she's just so excited you there and you realize she hasn't seen anyone
in 10 months and that's gonna be another 10 months before anyone comes of the in J share she whose yeah human shield he 0 home all in in in thank you start to your week going over early we
had a good time it's so surreal there's nothing normal that happens ever in this whole
country in
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