1 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: From the newsroom and news still come to the Gooday, 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: I'm Andrew Bucklow. 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,639 Speaker 2: Today we're going to take you inside the world's most 4 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 2: secretive nation, North Korea. Now, in recent years, hardly any 5 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 2: tourists have been allowed to enter, but last month a 6 00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,840 Speaker 2: British fellow managed to get in for five days. And 7 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 2: in this episode, he's going to tell us what he saw. 8 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,599 Speaker 2: He'll explain how he was followed wherever he went. He'll 9 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 2: talk about the things he was banned from taking photos of, 10 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 2: and how we almost got in a big trouble by 11 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 2: writing an eight word message in a visitor's book. 12 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 3: There was an audible silence in the room of them 13 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 3: looking at this book. Four of these North Koreans can 14 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 3: over look at this book, and he has do you 15 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 3: think this is a suitable thing to write in the book? 16 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 1: Wait until you hear that story. 17 00:00:49,320 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 2: It's coming up in this fascinating chat which takes us 18 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 2: behind the iron curtain of the Hermit Kingdom. Joining me 19 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 2: now is YouTuber Mike Okay, who's videos have wrecked up 20 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 2: more than thirty million views. Earlier this year, he was 21 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 2: the first non Russian tourist to visit North Korea in 22 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 2: five years. 23 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: Mike, an absolute pleasure to chat to you. 24 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:10,720 Speaker 3: Thank you so much for having me. 25 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,200 Speaker 2: First, how did this trip come about? And which part 26 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 2: of North Korea did you visit? 27 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 3: Okay, so obviously I'd known that it's been closed for 28 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 3: five years, right, So as soon as there was kind 29 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 3: of a whiff of it opening up again, I was 30 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 3: onto every tour company because you can only visit with 31 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:29,119 Speaker 3: a tour company. For those who don't know, you can 32 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:31,759 Speaker 3: only visit North Korea with a tour company. They won't 33 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:33,479 Speaker 3: let you in otherwise. So I've been on to every 34 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 3: tour company and since about last summer, just kind of 35 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 3: hounding them. And it was a nightmare. I'd just flown 36 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 3: to northeast India and as soon as I got there, 37 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 3: I had to check my email and it said you 38 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 3: go to North Korea in four days, So I had 39 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 3: to turn around. Man, it was a nightmare. So yeah, 40 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 3: and so anyway, so back to Vietnam, then to China, 41 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 3: and then we went into North Korea. From there, we 42 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:59,520 Speaker 3: went to a region called Razon, which is the furthest 43 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 3: north het point right on the border between China, Russia 44 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 3: North Korea. And what's interesting about it is it's a 45 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:12,520 Speaker 3: special economic zone, meaning that its economic policies differ from 46 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,079 Speaker 3: the rest of the country, and there's been some experiment 47 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 3: with foreign trade there in the past twenty years. 48 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: Interesting. 49 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 2: Well, the North Korean regime is a famously quite paranoid 50 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 2: about outside influence. 51 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: I think that's putting it mildly. 52 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 2: So were there certain items that you were banned from 53 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 2: taking in and did they go through your luggage on 54 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 2: the way in to make sure you didn't have them? 55 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 3: Yes, So what they do is you're not allowed to 56 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,239 Speaker 3: bring anything that could be deemed politically sensitive. So that 57 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 3: could be a book about North Korea. I bought a 58 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 3: book recently called Camp fourteen, which is about which is 59 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:50,799 Speaker 3: about labor camp in North Korea. Absolutely no, do never 60 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 3: bring any of that. Do not bring anything that says 61 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 3: anything that could be deem politically sensitive. So I just 62 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 3: had to double check I didn't have that with me 63 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 3: because that would have been a nightmare. A thing like 64 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 3: a USB can sit containing any political content. They're not 65 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 3: worried about what you're kind of bringing in. They're worried 66 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 3: about what you might leave behind. Does that make sense? 67 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 3: So what they don't want is for you to leave 68 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,080 Speaker 3: behind a USB that could have anything that kind of 69 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 3: contradicts what they say to their people, because that would 70 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 3: be a big shit show for them. 71 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 2: So you get into North Korea, you're with a group, 72 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 2: and you had minders with you. From what I understand, 73 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 2: the group of North Korean minders, tell me about those 74 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:34,840 Speaker 2: guys and how closely they kind of looked after you. 75 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:38,320 Speaker 3: So we had three guides, we had a driver, and 76 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 3: we had a photographer, and bearing in mind, there were 77 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 3: only ten of us, including our two Western guides, so 78 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 3: you know, that's a lot of people to have just 79 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 3: with ten, so that was odd. But they were with 80 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 3: us the entire time, except for basically when we were 81 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 3: in our hotel room. I was rarely, rarely, you know less, 82 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 3: like more than ten meters away from any of them. 83 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 3: They were great. I just want to say out there 84 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 3: that they were really with a guy called Miss the Moon, 85 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 3: great sense of humor considering the weight of this trip. 86 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,400 Speaker 3: They were funny, they were cool most of the time. 87 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:22,760 Speaker 3: They just wanted it to go as smooth as possible. 88 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 3: So we were being watched and they were with us 89 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 3: pretty much all of the time. 90 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, they took you and your group to a few 91 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,719 Speaker 2: different locations during this five day trip from what I understand, 92 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 2: to a factory, to a bookshop to a school. Did 93 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 2: you feel like when you were on these locations that 94 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:44,119 Speaker 2: you were getting an authentic experience or did everything feel 95 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,279 Speaker 2: a little bit stage managed, a little bit fake. 96 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 3: I wouldn't use the word fake or stage. There were 97 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 3: times where it felt rehearsed. For example, there was a 98 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 3: school classroom we went to and I could just tell 99 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,840 Speaker 3: from the movements, from the fact that there was each 100 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:03,920 Speaker 3: kid was raising their hand, and it would be one 101 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 3: kid raising their hand, and it's difficult to explain that 102 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 3: was rehearsed. The things like the pharmacy and the brewery, 103 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 3: it didn't feel stage, didn't feel fake. I kind of 104 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:18,840 Speaker 3: felt a little bit like we were kind of behind 105 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:21,000 Speaker 3: a glass panel, do you know what I mean, an 106 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 3: invisible glass panel, because they didn't really feel like there 107 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 3: was there was no connections. We went to a school 108 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:29,359 Speaker 3: uniform factory and the workers just didn't make eye contact. 109 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,839 Speaker 3: This didn't make eye contact with us once. I wouldn't 110 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 3: go as far as to say it was stage and 111 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 3: it was fake. The way that they the way that 112 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,000 Speaker 3: my American guide put it. The guy that came in 113 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 3: with us and mind my language. The way that he 114 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 3: put it was, We're not that fucking important. Does that 115 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 3: makes sense. They're not gonna put on this huge, like 116 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 3: kind of Truman Show style thing for eight nerds, do 117 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:57,400 Speaker 3: you know what I mean? We just eight nerds that 118 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 3: want to go to North Korea. And at the end 119 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 3: of the day, it's absolutely physically impossible for these guides 120 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 3: to hide everything from us. We're driving through the countryside, 121 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 3: we're in the city. There's just there's there's there's their control, 122 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,280 Speaker 3: and then there's a lot more outside of their control. 123 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 2: There was there footage that you captured that they said, 124 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 2: could you please delete that? Or were there certain things 125 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 2: that you saw when you're out and about that you 126 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 2: were shooting and they said, oh no, no, we don't 127 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 2: want you to film that. 128 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:24,440 Speaker 1: You can't film that. 129 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, he so there was. I actually never got 130 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,160 Speaker 3: asked to delete anything. The first thing that we said, 131 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 3: the first thing that our guid said to us we 132 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:36,760 Speaker 3: got on the bus was I'm gonna he said, ask 133 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 3: you when you want to take pictures. I'll either say 134 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:44,159 Speaker 3: yes or I'll say absolutely not, okay, if there's anything 135 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,040 Speaker 3: between that. It's kind of like, you know, if I 136 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 3: didn't see it kind of thing. Does that make sense, right, 137 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,720 Speaker 3: But again, it's very difficult to control eight people from 138 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 3: taking photos and videos. The things that he said absolutely 139 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:01,720 Speaker 3: no to were it was mostly like super public areas, 140 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:04,839 Speaker 3: like local markets. We weren't allowed in any local markets, 141 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 3: but we could kind of see some obviously military, which 142 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 3: is the same way everywhere in the world. You're not 143 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 3: allowed to take pictures and videos of military. To be honest, dude, 144 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 3: I think one of the things that surprised me was 145 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 3: the level of leniency. Like, again, comparatively to other countries, 146 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 3: it would seem extremely strict and extremely controlled, but compared 147 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,520 Speaker 3: to what I thought, there was a level of leniency 148 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 3: into what we could and couldn't film and things that 149 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 3: we couldn't couldn't do. 150 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:36,720 Speaker 2: You expressed frustration a couple of times in your video 151 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 2: that there weren't that many locals around. Sometimes you obviously 152 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 2: got to meet some of the school kids, you got 153 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 2: to meet the workers in these places that you visited 154 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 2: with your minders, But what were your interactions with the 155 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 2: other locals, Like were they happy to see you? 156 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: Were they wary of you. 157 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:53,960 Speaker 3: Out on the streets and stuff? They were kind of 158 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 3: a little bit wary. I was trying to like say 159 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,520 Speaker 3: kind of a nod or say hello to everyone I could, 160 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 3: and generally the kind of thing was a look of 161 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 3: surprise and then a smile and a nod, you know. 162 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 3: But yeah, I didn't. There was this There was definitely 163 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 3: this like very big divide between us and them naturally, 164 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 3: do you know what I mean? Because it's North Korea 165 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 3: and we're a bunch of white people. But they didn't. 166 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 3: They weren't. No one was hostile. 167 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:25,200 Speaker 2: Stick around in just a moment. Mike will explain how 168 00:08:25,240 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 2: we upset his Korean minders with a message he wrote 169 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 2: in a visitors book, Welcome Back. I'm chatting to youtubeer 170 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,800 Speaker 2: Mike Okay about his recent trip to North Korea. Mike, 171 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 2: one thing you talk about in your video on YouTube, 172 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 2: he's the amount of pro government propaganda you saw everywhere 173 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 2: over there? 174 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: Was it confronting? 175 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was. I even Vietnam, right, so I've experienced 176 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 3: it to a certain extent. Obviously, there's lots of advertisements, 177 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 3: like the commercial advertisements here in Vietnam, but if you 178 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 3: go through the countryside, you will see that and stuff 179 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,199 Speaker 3: that say like for the people, for the farmers, for 180 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 3: the workers and stuff. This was like that on steroids. 181 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 3: You'd be going through the countryside and you wouldn't see 182 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 3: anything for miles and then just a big, big red 183 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 3: banner and it would say something like, you know, unwavering loyalty. 184 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 3: You know, just a reminder for the people. There used 185 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 3: to be this, it's not so much anymore, but a 186 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,560 Speaker 3: few twenty years ago, mostly when Kim John Will was 187 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:27,439 Speaker 3: in power, there was this social hierarchy, right, and it 188 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 3: was basically like your kind of loyalty to the government 189 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 3: and to the regime in the past dictated your housing 190 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 3: for example, and what job you might get and these 191 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 3: kind of things. And I think it all stems from that. 192 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,199 Speaker 3: It's kind of a reminder of there's nothing more important 193 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:49,440 Speaker 3: than being loyal to the leader, and everything you've got 194 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 3: to do is got to be for the people and 195 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,839 Speaker 3: for the country. And it's everywhere, it really is. 196 00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 2: There's this great scene in your video where you go 197 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 2: to visit a bunch of school kids and they're performing 198 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 2: the latest pop song that's taking the country by storm. 199 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 2: And that pop song all the pop songs are put 200 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 2: out by the government. 201 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 1: Is that right, Yes? 202 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 3: Yeah, So that that came out ten months ago. That 203 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 3: song it's put out by Kim Jongan's government, Kim Jong's party, 204 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:19,960 Speaker 3: to his people, and it's about him, and it's our 205 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 3: great father. He loves us with all of his heart. 206 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:24,920 Speaker 3: We love we must love him with all of his heart. 207 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 3: But the fact that it's put out by him is odd, 208 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 3: you know what I mean? And I think that's the 209 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:35,520 Speaker 3: one thing that struck me was like this, you know, devotion, 210 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,680 Speaker 3: all these people that are seemingly devoted to this man 211 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 3: and to this leadership. It's there's no religion there, right, 212 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 3: there's no religion. Religion is outlaw. He is kind of 213 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 3: like their version of God, do you know what I mean? 214 00:10:52,679 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 2: Yeah? 215 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 3: Right, yeah, I mean the only thing I could relate 216 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:58,920 Speaker 3: it to is like, you know, you get like Christian 217 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 3: hymn music similar, do you know what I mean? People 218 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 3: go to the church and they really listen to the 219 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 3: song Praise God, we love God. It's kind of like 220 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:08,480 Speaker 3: their own version of that. 221 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 2: Whenever you go on a trip to a foreign country, 222 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 2: there are things that you notice that you think are bizarre, 223 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 2: that are odd. 224 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 1: What were the most bizarre. 225 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 2: Moments that you experienced during your trip to North Korea? 226 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,679 Speaker 3: So we went to the Russia North Korea Friendship House, 227 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 3: and it was a house built by Kim Jong ill 228 00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 3: to commemorate the great friendship that Russia and North Korea have. Anyway, 229 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,440 Speaker 3: So we've gone in there and it's pictures of Putin 230 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 3: and it's pictures of Kim Jong Eir whatever, and it's 231 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:43,680 Speaker 3: really beautiful building. And there's a visitors book on the table, 232 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 3: and my guide says to me, Hey, Mike, you want 233 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:49,600 Speaker 3: to come and write in the visitors book, okay? And 234 00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 3: I don't know what to write. There's a beautiful book 235 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:54,720 Speaker 3: and a beautiful rum, gold and shit everywhere, and I 236 00:11:54,840 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 3: just don't know what to write, right, So like a 237 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 3: nine year old girl on Christmas Day, I write, I 238 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 3: wish nothing but peace to the world. That's what I 239 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,200 Speaker 3: wrote in this book, dude, okay. Which in any other country, okay, 240 00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:10,440 Speaker 3: or is you know any other visitors book whereever you traveled, 241 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:13,439 Speaker 3: it would kind of be like a kind of nice 242 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:16,319 Speaker 3: sentiment to have. Considering we've got people from maybe ten 243 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:19,439 Speaker 3: different nationalities standing in one room. I wish peace to 244 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 3: the world. And there was an audible silence in the 245 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 3: room of them looking at this book. Four of these 246 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 3: North Koreans can over look at this book, and he goes, 247 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:34,199 Speaker 3: do you think this is a suitable thing to write 248 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 3: in the book? And I'm just like, oh god, I've 249 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:40,160 Speaker 3: offended them. They're going to take me away. What have 250 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 3: I done? And I just said I'm really sorry. And 251 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:47,840 Speaker 3: in hindsight, I think probably what it was was, you know, 252 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,360 Speaker 3: it's a pretty dumb move to make, considering the day 253 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 3: before I'd seen a bunch of kids dancing in front 254 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:56,880 Speaker 3: of a bunch of intercontinental ballistic missiles. But also they 255 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 3: probably maybe saw it as some kind of criticism, which 256 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 3: it wasn't at all. It was just supposed to be like, 257 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 3: I'm in a house that's literally a symbol of peace 258 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 3: between two nature. That was bizarre, and that gave me 259 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 3: a lot of anxiety and paranoia. 260 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: Were there any creepy moments where you didn't feel unsafe 261 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:18,839 Speaker 1: or you thought like, oh yeah, I don't know about this. 262 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:25,240 Speaker 3: There was. The entire thing was was a subtle buzz 263 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 3: of anxiety and paranoia throughout the entire time. I think 264 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:32,000 Speaker 3: a lot of that was just came from my preconceptions. 265 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 3: Does that make sense? You know, when you get when 266 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 3: you get kind of drilled into your head that this 267 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 3: is a bad place. 268 00:13:38,720 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 2: This is. 269 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:42,960 Speaker 3: An evil place, you know what I mean? You go 270 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 3: in with this like there's just this constant weight, which 271 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:48,320 Speaker 3: is like, right, I don't want to put a foot 272 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 3: out of line, especially since you know there's been famous 273 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:55,040 Speaker 3: cases of people going there and being put away in 274 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:58,480 Speaker 3: prisons or whatever, and you just think like there was 275 00:13:58,559 --> 00:14:01,760 Speaker 3: it was just constant. Having said that, you know, the 276 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 3: preconception was this is an evil this is a bad place. 277 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:06,680 Speaker 3: I can't speak for the whole country at all. But 278 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:12,319 Speaker 3: the reason that I did see I saw happy people, 279 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 3: you know, and I saw friendly guides, and I saw 280 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,440 Speaker 3: a I saw a developing country. This is this is 281 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 3: a country that's fifty or sixty years at least behind 282 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 3: everybody else, and they just are trying their absolute best 283 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 3: to put their best foot forward and show me their 284 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:37,520 Speaker 3: best work. And it's a bizarre place, dude. But do 285 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 3: I think it's a bad, evil place now? I don't like. 286 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 1: Like your videos are amazing. 287 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 2: Everyone can check them out at YouTube dot com, forward 288 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 2: slash Mike. 289 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:47,040 Speaker 1: Okay, thank you so much for Chattington News dot com 290 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: dot U. 291 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 3: I appreciate it so much, dude, Thank you for having me. 292 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 3: It really really means a lot. 293 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 2: We'll be back with another episode from the Newsroom tomorrow. 294 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 2: In the meantime, thanks for listening, follow 295 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 3: Us pbscribe to from the Newsroom wherever you get your podcasts.