Kim Jong Un: The Unauthorized Biography (2017) - full transcript

- [Voiceover] When seen through the lens

of North Korean propaganda, he looks like

the happy winner of the best
job in the world contest.

Each time he's out in public,
he has the air of a man

marveling the discovery
of a populous country

that his parents built just for him.

A country where he has a hand
in just about everything,

drawing up plans for a
new corporate Pyongyang,

being a lifeguard for
the youth of North Korea,

sampling the biscuits which will soon

flood the regime's groceries,



overseeing the growth of the
chicks on the state farms,

and even acting as an adviser
to the country's hair salons.

Arduous days, but days where
he can still find the time

to try out the latest rides at
the capital's amusement park.

These absurd, amusing,
but also terrifying images

are the only ones we have

to help us understand this young man

who is at the controls of a nuclear power.

Kim Jong-un does not give interviews,

so we have decided to go and meet those

who know him best

in an attempt to draw a
clear portrait of him.

Our journey begins in the
heart of the Swiss Alps,

in Bern, the capital of
the Swiss Confederation.



This is the home of one of the biggest

North Korean communities abroad.

It's a discreet community whose activities

have nonetheless attracted
the attention of a member

of the consortium of
investigative journalists.

- There is a historical explanation.

Switzerland is a neutral country,

a member of the United Nations in Geneva

and other international bodies,

and North Koreans have always
had access to Switzerland

with its peaceful side and
its respect for privacy.

Many famous people have
sent their children

to be educated here in Switzerland.

These are probably the reasons
that compelled Kim Jong-il

to send his children to Switzerland.

- [Voiceover] A study of
Swiss administrative documents

reveals the existence of a
Mr. Pak, for whom in 1992,

the North Korean embassy in Switzerland

requested a visa and the posting to Bern.

The visa request bore the
names of three children:

Chol, Hun, and Mi-yong.

The names were only slightly ordered

and the birthdays were identical.

Mr. Pak's children were, in fact,

those of the North Korean
dictator Kim Jong-il.

- We knew the children were here.

We knew their real identities,

but it was not a problem
for the Swiss authorities.

It was even seen as a boon.

- [Voiceover] Why?

- To maintain links with the country

which had already cut itself
off from the rest of the world.

- [Voiceover] The unusual
family spent a year

living at the embassy

in a residential suburb of Bern.

Chol, the eldest, enrolled at
a nearby international school

for the children of
diplomats and businessmen.

His brother, Hun, joined a
state school in the town.

He spoke German with his classmates.

After a few difficult months,

he was said to be a rowdy loner

but he finally made a
handful of Swiss friends

and settled into school life.

- The boy's school was (mumbles).

They were sometimes mediocre,

sometimes alright,

and he was very much into sports.

And he was particularly
interested in basketball.

He was very keen and quite good at it.

- [Voiceover] Around this
time, the Pak family moved

into an ordinary
apartment near the school.

Visitors were not welcome,

but there were photos of the property

on the estate agent's website,

showing a standard,
middle-class family home.

Living here meant the children could enjoy

a free and easy life with their friends.

They sometimes had lessons
in Swiss democracy at school.

They even got to visit
the Swiss Parliament.

- And then, yes, he made friends.

Some of them even told
us that they were invited

to his home to play Gameboy, et cetera.

We also know that Kim Jong-un used to

play basketball wth his
neighborhood friends,

not necessarily of his own class,

pretty much every evening,

and that he was a perfectly pleasant kid

like all kids of his age.

- [Voiceover] The pictures
we have of Pak Hun

are in sharp contrast with the images

we have of Kim Jong-un.

How can we be certain
that this is the same man

who spent his entire
adolescence in Switzerland?

Judicial identification experts
compared the two images.

Facial spacing, ears, teeth,

there seemed to be no possible doubt,

added to which, another clue was unearthed

by the Swiss secret service.

A North Korean woman by
the name of Ko Yong-hui

regularly arrived in
Switzerland by private plane.

The Swiss agency who tailed her suspected

she was smuggling precious metals,

but the truth was
something else altogether.

- So she would arrive and usually stay

two, three or four months

and she would stay at the house, too.

But she would also go off
on regular shopping trips

in the great capitals of Europe.

Or there would be big
family get-togethers.

I was told about a family reunion

which took place in a hotel
at Interlaken, for instance,

where the family rented out a whole wing

of the hotel in (mumbles).

- [Voiceover] During the '90s,

Kim Jong-il's private
life was a state secret.

Nobody knew about his three
mistresses and four children.

And when his health
started to deteriorate,

North Korea's neighbors were worried

about who would succeed him,

and what might happen if Kim Jong-il

were to disappear suddenly.

But within the Kim
family's secretive bosom,

the decision had long since been made.

The eldest son, Kim
Jong-nam, would have seemed

to be the natural successor
in the Confucian tradition,

just as Kim Jong-il had
inherited power from his father.

But Kim Jong-nam had
committed several gaffes,

among them, an embarrassing
arrest in Tokyo

with a fake passport.

He had wanted to visit
Disneyland with his family.

The second son, Kim Jong-chul,
educated in Switzerland,

was considered too soft, even
too feminine, by his father.

Kim Jong-un may well have
been the youngest son,

but he was also the son of Kim Jong-il's

greatest love, Ko Yong-hui.

The former dancer would
play a significant role

in the corridors of power.

- Ko Yong-hui played an
important part in ensuring

that her sons took over
the reins of power.

Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son,
already had an important role

in the country's hierarchy,
with an elevated position

at the general bureau of data processing,

where he specialized in
communication networks.

But since Kim Jong-un took control,

Kim Jong-nam has found himself
in an awkward position.

He can no longer return to North Korea.

(crying, wailing)

- [Voiceover] The 17th of December 2011,

North Korea was in mourning.

Kim Jong-il, the shining
son of the 21st century,

had died just a few days before.

It was time for the propaganda machine

to set up the funeral scene.

The funeral would also be the confirmation

of the youngest son's succession,

which had been confirmed to North Korea

and the rest of the world a year earlier.

- Kim Jong-il was ruling the country

basically had senior
position for quite some time

before he became the leader;

at least 10 years that he was involved.

And Kim Jong-un, I think,
it all came very suddenly.

The propaganda, they
did a bit of going back

and sort of trying to
create a story about how

he was being trained
many years in advance,

but that wasn't the case at all.

I mean, the fact of the matter was that

his father had the first
stroke and that's when

they started becoming
concerned about his succession.

And then he died quite suddenly,

and I think the young
fellow was not ready.

There was a plan, I
think, to have him become

the next leader, but I
imagine they were thinking

five, 10 years, not one year.

I think it was very clear
from the funeral everything,

the way he looked, and
the way he was behaving,

that he was in shock and not
really ready to take over.

- [Voiceover] Kim Jong-un's
problems had already begun.

(somber music, wailing)

Did the aging generals gathered
around his father's coffin

see such a young leader
in a favorable light?

Kim Il-sung, the founder of
the nation, staked his claim

by leading the anti-Japanese guerilla army

during the second World War.

Kim Jong-il was the
regime's second-in-command

for 15 years also, and then
assumed power after 50 years.

Kim Jong-un, however,
was a mere 26 years old

with no experience and no
reputation to precede him.

So in order to keep his
grip on the reins of power,

he embarked on a monstrous purge.

The regime needed to be represented

by a whole new generation.

- Today, Kim Jong-un needs
to connect with people

who remember the great
famine from their childhood.

I believe it will be harder
to maintain solidarity

between the elite and the leader

than it was for the two previous regimes.

Things could be rather fraught

and so the power structure will be built

on a foundation of differing
interests and terror.

- I think that there probably is a lot

of internal churn there

because what seemed to be clear was that

after Kim Jong-un did
take power, he was trying

to move some of the business concessions,

and the political power in the military

that his father put there, right;

his father believed in so-called
"military first" politics;

and move it over to the party

or at least balance out
the party and the military.

All of the generals that
were with Kim Jong-un

by the hearse of his father
in the funeral procession

are all gone.

None of them are left.

And so very clearly,
he's wiped out a group

and is trying to bring in a new group.

- [Voiceover] The most
prominent victim of the purge

was just behind him during the funeral:

his uncle, Jang Sung-taek,
married to Kim Jong-il's sister.

Since the '70s, this
member-by-marriage of the family

had been at the very heart of power.

His brothers were powerful generals.

He, himself, had held
a number of key posts

in the armed forces and the economy.

When Kim Jong-il's health first started

to become a cause for concern,

his name was mentioned
as a potential successor,

or at least as a regent to
the dictator's young son.

Two years after coming to power,

Kim Jong-un decided that
his apprenticeship was over

and had his uncle executed,

along with most of his closest relatives.

- For us, Jang Sung-taek
was a very competent man.

I worked with him.

He was funny, and kind
to his subordinates.

He took good care of us and worked hard.

- Certainly, the news of his arrest

and then his execution
were quite surprising

to many of us who study this country.

But I think what was
the most surprising was

the written statement that came out

explaining why he had been killed.

You know, in the past, in North Korea

when these sorts of thing happen,

they happen very quietly,

it's a car accident, or it's a sickness,

and there's really not
much explanation given,

but in this case, a
very clear explanation,

in many ways exposing vulnerabilities
inside of North Korea.

- [Voiceover] The charge
sheet accused Jang Sung-taek

of wanting to overthrow the regime.

This was a tacit admission of a struggle

at the heart of the power structure.

He was also accused of
being an unfaithful husband

and a corrupt communist.

And rumors of his fondness for young girls

were confirmed by the official press.

- Jang Sung-taek's
public execution was very

damaging for the regime.

North Korea is a deeply
Confucianist country

where respect for one's elders,

especially relatives, is ingrained.

Murdering his own uncle is more likely

to harm the people's
loyalty to Kim Jong-un

than consolidate his power.

I think the members of the elite

who lose respect for their leader

could also turn away from him.

- [Voiceover] In order for
his succession to power

to succeed,

Kim Jong-un decided to use terror

to subdue the regime's old guard.

(applause, thumping)

He then concentrated all the key posts

and surrounded himself
with those loyal to him.

- I think that Kim Jong-un is in charge.

I don't think that there
are puppets behind him

because I think the system is designed

to only have one person in charge.

And so everybody must demonstrate

their personal loyalty to
him in order to survive.

- [Voiceover] Twenty million Koreans live

in the city of Seoul, the
capital of South Korea.

Twenty million people more obsessed

with their own success
than with Kim Jong-un.

However, close scrutiny reveals

that the whole city is ready for war.

The military's control over the city

makes it an impregnable citadel.

A vast underground network was conceived

as a shelter from any attack by the north.

But people no longer notice the gas masks

and the emergency rations
provided in ever-dwindling numbers

in the underground stations.

- I'm not worried about war.

I've done my national service.

The nuclear capacity, on the other hand,

that does worry me greatly.

- I don't understand why he wants

to develop nuclear weapons.

To blackmail us?

To threaten us?

To get something out of us?

Or just for his own personal glory?

- I'm not really afraid of war.

The nuclear threat seems to be

their only survival mechanism.

- [Voiceover] The North Korean border

is only 30 kilometers away.

It's an impassable demilitarized
zone two kilometers across,

with hundreds of thousands of
soldiers either side of it.

Seoul is well within range of canon fire.

The soldiers in the south can
see villages in the north.

Unlike his father,

Kim Jong-un personally
inspects the advanced posts,

which are the greatest threat to Seoul.

- The main difference that was felt

in the early days of the Kim Jong-un era

was that he seemed much more belligerent

and hostile than Kim Jong-il.

This was particularly noticeable
in his military policy.

It was very public.

He didn't try to hide it.

He stressed the importance
of operations designed

for a potential confrontation
with South Korea.

He increasingly put his armed
forces on a war footing.

This approach was illustrated
by the training and exercises

that the North Koreans were subjected to.

(applause)

- [Voiceover] Kim Jong-un made his first

North Korean propaganda appearance

a year before his father's death.

He was made a four-star general,

signifying his arrival
at the heart of power.

In North Korea, power means

first and foremost, the army.

- I believe that he attended
for a period of time,

perhaps maybe six months,

one of the military academies.

They have given him some titles.

And of course, the way that
they're creating the myth

is that he planned the Cheonan sinking

and the shelling of YPdo.

I don't believe he has any
credible military experience

but I think that they are
trying to create that myth.

- You know, he was given the
title of a four-star general

in one of the People's Assemblies

as they were making the transition,

but not any experience that we know of.

The propaganda says
he's an artillery expert

so they try to create a
myth around him that shows

that he's a great warrior,
a great military man.

And I'm sure, for the
military in North Korea,

you know, they probably don't like that;

you know, that this young
fellow with no experience

all of a sudden gets four
stars and is considered

one of the top military
brass in the country

even though he has no experience.

(patriotic hymn plays)

- [Voiceover] The North
Korean army consists

of several million men and
six million reservists.

Morale-boosting inspections of all units

is a daily obligation
for the great leader.

(patriotic hymn plays)

But the army's thousands of
tanks and hundreds of aircraft

inherited from Soviet-era Moscow

are all but obsolete.

(patriotic hymn)

- Pyongyang and Seoul, 90
miles, 20 miles to the border.

With the DMZ,

you don't need such conventional
sophisticated weaponry.

You need manpower,

multiple rocket launchers.

Within 90 minutes, you
could be a disaster, so...

And there's also the asymmetrical side,

I mean if you look at the military

in the conventionals sense

with conventional weapons.

And then we're saying the
priority's been the missile

and the nuclear program.

Actually, there's also
a symmetrical warfare

looking at other capabilities

like cyber capabilities and what have you.

And elements of Weapons
of Mass Destruction.

It's not only nuclear but
you got biological program,

you got chemical program, so...

I think this is a government
that's invested heavily

in their military but it
doesn't always come across

in a convention military capabilities.

It's a myriad of capabilities

and some of them are very potent.

(blasting)

- We all have to care about North Korea.

Let's be practical.

North Korea has nuclear weapons.

It's (mumbling) nuclear weapon state.

The assessment is from six to 12,

maybe even more nuclear weapons.

And they're developing their programs.

They have a uranium emission program

to build nuclear weapons.

They have missile systems.

They have the Scud, they have the Nodong,

they have the Taepodong,

They're building the KN-08

which is an intercontinental
ballistic missile

which is a mobile missile (mumbles)

Such great capabilities.

So North Korea is persisting
with their nuclear program,

their missile program, and the prospects

of proliferating some of that,

selling some of that material.

- [Voiceover] Kim
Jong-il's nuclear program

was his grand project.

But his son decided to carry it on

and even to intensify its development.

While its conventional (mumbles) was not

after the job of fighting its enemies,

the atomic bomb became a
North Korean obsession.

Despite international objections,

a huge amount of resources
was poured into the project.

Pyongyang believed that
earning the atom bomb

was the only way the regime could survive.

It is the only deterrent to
its great enemy, the U.S.A.

with whom it was at war during the 1950s.

Washington perfectly well
understands the relationship

between the superpower and
the small Asian country.

The memorial to the Korean
War is just a few blocks

away from the White House.

Since the 1953 ceasefire,
the American government

has kept a close eye on the Korean crisis.

Thirty thousand soldiers
are still stationed

on the south side of
the demilitarized zone.

Crisis and crisis management scenarios

are constantly being re-evaluated.

This show of strength is seen by Pyongyang

as a direct threat to its survival.

- I think that they fear the Ceausescu-en

they fear the Gaddafi-en,

the Saddam-en,

all those leaders who have lost

because they didn't have nuclear weapons;

they made agreements
with the United States

or their people rebelled,
Ceausescu's case,

they don't wanna end up in those cases.

And when they look at South Korea,

they don't believe that they will be given

a future in South Korea,

and clearly, a democratic south who would

try and send to jail their own presidents,

they can only imagine what they would do

to North Korean, you know, to the regime,

given the atrocities and
crimes against humanity

that they've committed.

- North Korea's goal is to, if you will,

to place North Korean situation

so that

no one in the rest of the world

would dare attack North Korea.

Having said that, while the media today

has tremendous focus on this question,

can North Korean missiles reach Alaska

or California or wherever,

in reality, North Korea
today has the capability

of transferring Weapons
of Mass Destruction

anywhere in the world

through its trading
companies, their affiliates

and a very sophisticated shipping network.

So, North Korea already
has the ability worldwide

to deliver WMD anywhere.

- [Voiceover] North Korea
is already a nuclear threat.

But it has also been
developing some of the world's

most powerful cyber-warfare units.

For example, the attack of the
South Korean financial sytem

as well as Sony's film studios in the U.S.

in the wake of a comedy movie

which openly mocked Kim Jong-un.

- You know, many of us who
negotiated with North Korea,

I have great respect
for their capabilities.

But those who have not spent
much time in North Korea,

or dealing with the north, can easily say,

"Look at this country, I
can't figure its people."

We have (mumbles) going on and so forth

and you have this economic development

which is minimal, if anything,

and the public distribution
system doesn't work.

You compare North Korea and South Korea,

I mean, there's no comparison.

South Korea is a, is a, is a...

country that has a significant GDP

and per capita income is high

and North Korea, since the '60s,

is just going down and down,

having been at a high level at one point

and going down and down.

So they've not done that

in that way.

But we should never
underestimate their capabilities.

When they put their mind to it,

they're very effective.

When they put their mind
to a nuclear program,

they're very good.

Many people said they can not have

a uranium enrichment program

which (mumbles).

Of course, they could.

Missile delivery systems,
of course they could.

You mentioned cyber,
I'm of the school, yes.

If they put their mind to it,

they don't need an Internet system per se.

They need people who are
focusing on cyber technologies,

the tools necessary, and how
you do that, and so forth.

And they're very good when
they put their mind to it.

So I have high respect
for the North Koreans

when they focus their attention

and put their resources behind it,

on building capabilities.

- One thing every North
Korean leader has understood

and he does as well, I think,

if they lower their guard,
in their perspective,

if they lower their guard,

they will be treated by the major powers

as the used furniture of history.

They'll simply be discarded,

walked over, ignored,

otherwise, why pay any attention to them?

So they have to make sure

their people care about them,

that the people don't see
just the dark spot on the map,

which is a favorite thing when we show.

But understand that this is a real

operating, not-feeling country

with 24 million people.

They're somehow gonna continue to exist

and become more vibrant in northeast Asia.

That's a tall order to fill

and who knows if they'll
be able to achieve it?

- [Voiceover] In order to
maintain his grip on power,

kim Jong-un decided to
fight a war on two fronts.

One of these was the
pre-eminence of the army

and the operators of repression.

The young leader spoke openly
about the country's poverty.

He claimed he would not be able to sleep

until his people had an
adequate standard of living.

From his youngest days, Kim
Jong-un spent a long time

with his father's Japanese chef,

who became his close companion.

The Japanese chef recalls
the future dictator's

innermost nocturnal faults.

- I remember one night

we started talking at about 11:10 p.m.

When we had finished,
I looked at my watch.

It was nearly 5 a.m.

We spoke of many things.

He told me, "I've been to Europe,

"to Asia, to Japan several times.

"The shops are full of food,

"but in my country, there's none.

"Something should be done."

Then he said, "I think

"we should follow the
example of China's policy."

When I heard that,

I realized

that he was determined
to go down the route

of economic liberalization and reform.

- [Voiceover] Everyday,
propaganda portrays Kim Jong-un

as the great orchestrator
of the renaissance

of North Korea's agriculture and economy.

Early results were modest

but the country seemed to
have consigned to history

the famines which decimated
the population during the '90s.

- You know, in his first
speech in April 2012,

I got the impression that
one of his main goals

was to convince his own people

and the rest of the world

that this was, in one
sense, a new North Korea.

Many of the things that
happened in the past

were of the past.

(marching trumpet music)

- Our people's army must be the embodiment

of our great general
slogan, "Help the People".

The people's army soldiers and officers

did more for the people than they would do

for their own families.

Our people are the finest
people in the world.

They've faithfully supported the party

in the face of great challenges.

They should never have to
tighten their belts again.

They should be able to benefit fully

from the riches of socialism.

That is our party's firmest resolution.

(applause)

- His focus is on the future.

Now, he's gonna be able to build

the North Korea he's hoping for.

And it looks to be something
obviously more prosperous,

able to stand up better
against South Korea

even though they'll never
catch up to South Korea.

And they have a military strong enough

so that they have to be taken seriously.

- North Koreans do not
live in abject poverty

like they once did.

We no longer have absolute famine.

We now live relatively well.

There's just a gap between rich and poor,

but there's no longer extreme penury.

You may see awful images
of starving North Koreans

but that was 10, 15 years ago.

It isn't the case nowadays.

- North Korea is turning
internally, as we speak.

There are amazing changes

occurring within that country.

Kim Jong-un is allowing an
unprecedented number of people

to leave the country, to learn
about the basics of business,

to learn about international economics,

to learn about how to transition

from a controlled economy
to a market economy.

Now, this is remarkable,
that he is allowing

this sort of situation to occur.

North Koreans are now
able to go to Singapore

to learn about the basics of business.

North Koreans go to Hong Kong,

they go to Vietnam.

As we speak, there are
North Koreans in Canada

learning about international economics.

And at the same time, North
Korea is actually allowing

a certain number of people,
including some from Singapore,

to go into North Korea,

and to discuss the basics of business.

So this is a different
day, a different world,

and it is impossible at this point in time

to ascertain what this will mean

and what the consequences will be.

- From what we know, Eric Donnely,

from people who have been,

not just in Pyongyang
but in the countryside,

there are resources being
devoted to development.

Housing, infrastructure, some accent food.

In the agriculture area,
it looks as if there's some

reforms or changes that could
lead to increased harvest.

None of these things, at
this point, are real big,

and anybody in North Korea who's

implementing them

probably is all but worried
that they might get reversed

because it's not yet clear
that they've been completely

and totally endorsed from the top.

But there's a cumulative effect.

- [Voiceover] A new economy
for a political beast

born of the Cold War,

just like when China's Deng Xiaoping

opened the country for business

while playing father of the nation.

But North Korea's psychological
control over its people

reaches a whole new level,
like that of a secretive sect.

Will it be able to
survive this new openness?

- I think, in general, because they

have no problem with getting cash

through small projects
like Kumgang Mountain

or the North-South Joint
Industrial Complex.

But something that
really opens the country

up to free market forces

that allows for free and open exchange,

these are all things
that may make them richer

but it is seen as a threat
to political control.

And that's what we've
seen throughout Asia.

If economies start to grow,

you get middle-class incomes,

they start demanding
more political freedoms.

This is what we saw in Taiwan.

It's what we saw in South Korea.

You've seen this
throughout history in Asia.

And I think, they're
very threatened by that,

so they're not willing
to take the big steps

in terms of economic reform,

even though this young fellow

spent some time in Switzerland, right?

He was educated in the west.

For exactly that reason, he understands

the threats that come with
trying to open up too much.

- [Voiceover] For Kim Jong-un,
it's a matter of survival.

After the years of poverty
of his father's reign,

North Koreans need to be
given a new sense of hope

if the country is going to stay together.

His cheerful appearances and chubby frame

contribute to the resurrection
of the image of Kim Il-sung

who he's come to resemble physically.

- In North Korea,

even the smallest child in the street

loves Kim Il-sung.

He was the great leader.

During his time, people ate well

and were not poor.

It was from the reign of Kim Jong-il

that the country experienced
the worst poverty.

So Kim Jong-un is trying to show

that he is not like his father,

but like his grandfather,
whom everybody loves.

And that's why he tries to
be like his grandfather now.

- [Voiceover] Grandfather Kim Il-sung,

the revered founder of North Korea,

is still the official eternal
president of the country.

At times during his reign, its development

was faster than that of South Korea,

thanks to the unconditional
support of the Kremlin.

But when the Soviet bloc fell,

Pyongyang had to change its tune.

Its economy fell apart.

And under Kim Jong-il's rule,

the country endured the great famine.

By adopting his grandfather's style,

Kim Jong-un seeks to recreate
the mythical glory years.

He wants to make a link

between this supposed glorious past

and the new generation,

brought up during the dark days

and now being sent all over the world

to learn about economic reforms;

a new generation which sees
a leader in its own image,

who enjoys basketball and theme parks

and is happy to mingle
with the general population

in front of the lenses of
the propaganda machine,

whereas Kim Jong-il
fullly found it difficult

to shake North Koreans by the hand.

- It seems to me it's a combination

of very deliberate effort

to have him be different from his father,

to be more open,

at least to appear more
open to the people,

to mix with them more freely.

There's one wonderful episode,

a couple of them, actually.

One of them is when he went to

one of the newly-built apartment houses.

And in the process of
welcoming this couple,

he sits on the floor with them

and has his wife sitting beside him,

like everybody's Korean mother.

I just can't imagine Kim Jong-il

ever doing anything like that.

You might imagine Kim Il-sung doing that,

it's possible.

The other thing was when

Kim Jog-un was on site

guidance for a army
unit, female army unit.

And when he was leaving,

he didn't just take a
picture with the entire unit.

He stood there and the young women

came up one at a time

like he was a rock star.

They grabbed his arm

and had their pictures taken.

I was so astounded.

I could not imagine that
ever happening before.

- [Voiceover] Something that
seemed equally unimaginable

was to hear Kim Jong-il's voice.

Throughout his reign, the
only propaganda put out

was either silent films or images.

He never spoke in public.

- Kim Jong-il couldn't speak.

He had a stutter,

so he couldn't speak in public.

I only ever heard his voice through a door

when he was having a meeting
with his chiefs-of-staff.

He stammered, he struggled with language.

Kim Jong-un, on the
other hand, he can talk,

Moreover, he talks like his grandfather.

He even imitates his voice.

So in the beginning, it was even said that

Kim Il-sung had been resurrected.

It had become like an actor's
job to recreate his image.

(marching, clapping)

- Our nuclear capacity is our guarantee

of protecting our national sovereignty.

It allows us to build
peace, prosperity and power,

as well as the happiness of the people.

(applause)

- There is a generational
difference, for one thing.

In my eyes, Kim Jong-un and Kim Jong-il

have different styles.

Kim Jong-un studied abroad

so would have closer understanding

of international criteria.

Therefore, he seems more
normal than Kim Jong-il,

who had too many wives

and wanted to keep his family,
especially his sons, hidden.

Kim Jong-un will not be like his father.

So I think he's trying to demonstrate

that he has a relatively
normal presidential style.

(applause, drum beat)

- [Voiceover] But how can
one follow a normal path

when one comes from a
family with such history?

Kim Jong-un seems to have chosen to allow

a degree of transparency
where his family is concerned.

Since the beginning of his
reign, he has shown off his wife.

She accompanies him on
his many excursions.

Immaculately turned up, she
occasionally treats herself

to luxury toiletry items.

North Korea has, for the first
time, its own First Lady.

Always smiling, she is a symbol
of modernity and diversity.

Kim Jong-il, for his part,

had a great many secret mistresses,

most of them selected from among the ranks

of the regime's official
artistic community.

This troupe was conceived essentially

as a harem for the dear leaders.

Kim Jong-un's mother, like his wife,

issued from these ranks.

It was at the end of his adolescence

that Kim Jong-un could
begin to make his choice.

- Kim Jong-un was never forbidden
from going out with girls,

but he just wasn't interested.

He was just interested in sports;

he was always playing basketball.

But one day, I felt relieved.

That day, amongst the pleasure brigade,

there was a buxom young lady.

Kim Jong-un called me over and said,

"Fujimoto, look at those puppies."

I was so relieved to hear him say that.

I told myself, "He is a lad,

"and everything is gonna be fine."

- [Voiceover] There is
one other women to whom

the regime is giving an
increasingly significant profile.

She was seen behind Kim Jong-un
during his father's funeral

although the propagandists never named

this young woman in mourning.

She is the dictator's
younger sister, Kim Yo-jong.

- When she was playing and
her trousers or her nappies

would start to fall down,

it was always Kim Jong-un who noticed.

"Watch out, watch out", he would say

and he would pull them up.

He was so fond of her

and he is still fond of her today.

Kim Jong-il was equally
fond of his little sister.

So he is doing exactly
what his father did,

just the same.

- What's interesting is that strong women,

he surrounds himself with.

And there was a picture of him

when he opened one of the fun parks.

He's walking, he got his wife,

he had his aunt, Kim Jong-il's sister,

he had his father's last consort

who was apparently a very strong woman;

I can't remember there
was one or two more.

So it's not completely a
patriarchal system there,

it seems to me.

I guess he's listening to women, as well.

- [Voiceover] Kim Jong-un
is grooming his sister

for succession, in case any
crisis, like a health issue,

should befall the regime.

In late 2014, the dictator
disappeared for a few months

because of a surgical
procedure on his ankle.

Even then, his transparency
on the official media

was astonishing,

portraying a limping convalescent.

(crowd cheering)

This remarkable contrast with
the image of a living God,

so common-place in Korea's daily life,

almost seems to embarrass even him.

Just like when the soldiers he's visiting

seem to be completely
irrationally magnetized

by his presence.

(chanting)

- There's nothing special
about these pictures.

It's perfectly normal.

Here in North Korea, Kim
Jong-un is like Jesus.

If you were a Christian
and you were to see Jesus

aboard a boat by the river,

wouldn't you try to follow him?

This is no different.

- Clearly, it's so very far-fetched.

The great leader who can make
grenades from pine cones,

the great leader who can
move at supernatural speed,

even the weather is
linked to his greatness.

Every song sings his praises.

You can't take it all too seriously.

But brainwashing is very dangerous.

When people are constantly
exposed to songs,

videos, and moving or
even grandiose stories,

they start to believe them.

It's what's called mass psychology.

(marching trumpet music)

- [Voiceover] This allows
North Korean television

to present the dictator as an
instructor for airline pilots.

This scenario may appear
ridiculous to an expert,

but it's part and parcel
of the regime's tenor.

One question springs to mind
when watching these images.

To what extent does the main
actor believe in the play?

And to what extent has
this fever-pitch propaganda

influenced Kim Jong-un's persona?

- You see humanity in the man smiling

and reaching out to the people

and engaging.

These are, my God, how could you do that

to your own people?

How could you've been so
brutal to your own uncle?

How does that come together?

But this is what we're looking at.

We're seeing a leader who is...

And that's why people say

he has not been that rational an actor.

On one hand, you see
the humanity in the man,

the charisma.

And the other, you see the brutality.

And you say, "What do we have here?"

(slow piano music)

- [Voiceover] At the frontier
between the two Koreas,

the sentry posts have
become tourist destinations.

South Koreans come here for
a family outing on Sundays,

to take a look at these
vestiges of the separation

between the two countries.

- I don't know.

It's difficult to get any real
information about Kim Jong-un

other than what's
disseminated by the media.

But when I see that, I get the feeling

that he won't remain in power for long.

- Even Germany reunified.

And Korea is only a tiny little country

yet we remain separated.

For Korea to be powerful and prosperous,

I believe it needs to be reunified.

- Kim Jong-un? His demeanor worries me.

I think he's too young.

He comes across as more
aggressive and unstable

because he's young.

I think he's a very dangerous man.

(mellow piano music)

- I would

stake my 34 years in the military,

South Korean military
would defeat North Korea.

But it will be bloody, it will be tragic,

South Korea will suffer
tremendous destruction

and as I started out saying,

the entire world will be impacted,

at least economically, if there is a war.

(mellow piano music)

- [Voiceover] Could this final frontier

of the Cold War possibly fall?

For many Koreans, the
question is not irrelevant.

Personal and family connections
have all but vanished

after 60 years of separation.

Sixty years of watching the
Kim family show in Pyongyang,

a soap opera which holds
the keys to the future

of the Korean Peninsula.

(mellow piano music)