Departures (2008–…): Season 3, Episode 12 - North Korea: The Other Side - full transcript
Scott and Justin are prepared for perhaps their greatest adventure to date, providing them with a rare glimpse inside the borders of this isolated country. From Beijing, they depart to ...
(film reel clicks and rolls)
(pensive music)
- [Scott] First we have to fly
into Beijing where we're meeting up
with our contact, Nick,
who's gonna take us into Pyongyang;
the capital of North Korea.
- The whole world has their eye
on North Korea, by for the most part,
nobody really knows what's going on there.
(pensive music)
- [Scott] This breaks new ground for us.
This is a destination that I don't think
we would have been ready
for three years ago.
Not many people get in,
certainly not with a camera.
(uplifting music)
Every step of this world trip
has taken us further away from home,
to places we never expected to see.
(uplifting music)
- Two years ago, I would
never have understood
how much this journey would change me.
(uplifting music)
- This is why we travel.
This is the reason that we're out here.
(airplane engine whirs)
(uplifting music)
(calm music)
We are in front of something
that's probably gonna take
a lot of introduction,
probably something that nobody's
ever really seen before.
This is called the Great Wall of China.
We're one of the first people
that have been able to get up
and see this thing.
(Justin laughs)
Actually, where we are
is pretty cool though.
- [Justin] Yeah.
We got to a spot and
we just kept on hiking
into the point where
it's just almost like rubble.
But look at what we're getting, though,
the payoff is (chuckles).
- [Scott] 24 hours in Beijing,
oddly enough, this isn't the destination,
this is the layover.
And it's really one of the only places
you can enter, or exit North Korea.
And tomorrow, we'll be on a plane
leaving Beijing, heading for Pyongyang.
(calm music)
- [Justin] This type of adventure
is gonna be something like,
we gotta be here for a certain time,
you gotta dress a certain way.
It's gonna be very button lip.
We don't have the freedoms
to say and do things
that we normally are allowed to do.
- [Scott] You're gonna have to be
on your best behavior.
- [Justin] I know!
- I know there's probably gonna be
a lot of people watching
this show right now going,
"Are you serious, you're
going in with that guy,
(Justin laughs)
to North Korea?"
- I'm just gonna become a mime.
I'm gonna just be like (hums softly).
- [Scott] Even then, that scares me.
(Justin hums softly)
- To think that we're standing on one
of the most iconic images of Asia,
and then within a matter of 24 hours,
we're going to a part of Asia
that nobody really knows anything about.
(calm music)
- [Scott] There's a very limited number
of ways that you can access North Korea,
and we're meeting up
with a guy named, Nick,
who's one of the very few outsiders
trusted enough to bring in non-locals.
- Hiya.
- [Justin] Good to see ya (chuckles).
- Come in.
- Pretty good.
- This is where it begins.
Our gateway to North Korea.
- Okay, so if we wander this way.
- You can't just walk in with a camera,
so we'll get a bit of a briefing today
from Nick, who's gonna tell us a lot
of what we can do, what we can't do,
what we can bring, what we can't bring.
What we can say, what we can't say
while we're there.
- Koreans prefer their country
to be called the DPRK,
and that's the official
name of the country,
Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
So, if you can say that,
they appreciate it.
You're gonna be with
two guides at all times.
You're never alone (laughs).
You're always with you with your guides.
I mean, people often say,
well, their mind is that
there's certainly other
factors in there,
and that's their job, is guiding.
They basically deliver
the facts and figures
and it's a great tool
for facts and figures,
as you will find out.
We've all got our preconceptions
of what Korea's about.
Likewise, they have their point of view.
When you start understanding
their mentality
you start seeing their perspective
of where they're coming
from, and why they are.
So, photography, no
pictures from the coach.
You basically don't know
what you're photographing.
You could be getting past
military installations.
You're gonna get a very
wobbly picture anyhow.
No sneak pictures, no
pictures of the military.
No pictures of the public
without their permission.
Having your feet up like that
would be really rude.
The big statue of Kim Il Sung,
when you're taking a photograph
it's the whole thing.
You don't just cut it in half,
that will be very offensive.
If you're wandering around, I love that,
basically there is no wandering around.
It is a group tour and you stay
with your guides outside the hotel.
In your free time, yeah, you can roam
the island, but do not leave it.
I love it.
- [Justin] So, we'll be
staying on the island?
- [Nick] Yeah, the island
is a great place to be,
and it's central sort
of to the whole area.
- Is there an obvious reason
for putting all the tourists on an island?
- I think that's actually after the idea,
they certainly didn't build a hotel
with the idea of that.
And I think late too, it's quite handy
to have a place where you know where
your tourists are.
There you go.
- [Justin] Are the room's bugged?
- The room is not bugged, probably not,
but be careful anyway.
(Justin laughs)
There are such things as bugged rooms,
they're not interested in
you, even if they were,
really, I don't think, sad to say,
you've got a lot to say.
(Scott laughs)
- Is this room bugged right now? (laughs)
- Yeah, and then off record,
a couple of things, if I may,
just whack it off.
- [Andre] Yeah.
(calm music)
- Visa's, here you go.
- [Scott] For the first time ever,
we're not in control,
and that's a tough adjustment to make.
The fact that you've gotta adjust
and play by different rules.
(calm music)
It's gonna be difficult over the next
seven days to keep the open mind,
well, to give this place the respect
it deserves because it is so different.
(calm music)
(chilled music)
- [Justin] Operation, not go to jail.
So, we have a list of
things we can't wear,
things we're not allowed to bring in.
I got my bed here cleared out,
and I'm gonna put all the stuff
I think I can't bring.
And then Scott has his.
- We did know ahead of time
that we were gonna have to dress
appropriately for certain things.
So, for the first time ever,
we've actually got some
somewhat fancy clothes.
In fact, I even have a tie.
- [Justin] I can't wear that, can I?
- [Scott] Not offensive,
but not appropriate.
- Things I can't bring.
Cell phone? No cell phone, right?
(chilled music)
Since you got dressed
up, guess what I brought?
(chilled music)
- Ey.
- I'm ready for North Korea.
It's not offensive.
But look at hm, look how cute he is.
- [Scott] (laughs) You heard how careful
you have to be, and to
not be disrespectful
at certain things.
- [Justin] It's not being disrespectful.
- Uh, but will they understand?
- [Justin] What if I
was playing with kids?
Say if I was playing with
kids and I put it on,
that'd be cool,
cause I'm just playing
with the kids, right?
- [Scott] Maybe, yeah.
- Maybe, maybe.
- [Scott] Maybe.
- Maybe. What do you
have that you can't wear?
- I don't know, it's
probably not appropriate
to bring military pattern.
- Thumbs down.
- [Scott] Something else that's
a first for us is bringing
this little guy.
- [Justin] That's just in case we need it.
- Okay, go for it.
- So, now we got one of these little
cameras here, swap ya.
Just in case our guides think
that this camera here is a little too big,
and this one's a little more appropriate.
- [Scott] Looks awful.
- Thanks (laughs).
(Scott laughs)
Hey, this thing is official,
says here, "Made in China,"
so I know it's the real deal.
(group chuckles)
- [Scott] All right, boys,
next stop, Pyongyang.
(calm music)
And it feels good to be going
in an appropriate dress.
(Justin laughs)
(camera buzzes)
We're at the gate and
in less than an hour,
we'll be airborne.
That's a ticket stub that I won't soon
let go of, Beijing, Pyongyang.
- [Justin] We're very lucky
and we're very privileged to have
that chance to go there and be there.
It's really lucky.
- [Scott] They've started
boarding. Here we go.
Hopefully I'll see you on
the other side, Andre.
(calm music)
(public mumbles in the background)
(calm music)
It's so roomy in here.
(Justin laughs)
(airplane engine whirs)
Isn't it?
- Oh, yeah (laughs).
(calm music)
- [Scott] Less than a few thousand
outsiders per year actually get
to enter North Korea,
and even that's only
started in the last decade.
- [Justin] It's kind of scary.
We're all kinda uncertain
of what we're gonna see,
what we're allowed to see.
You gotta watch what you say.
You gotta watch what you do.
You get nervous sometimes,
cause you're just not sure
how accepted you're gonna be
when you go there.
- [Scott] It looks so much different
than Beijing (chuckles).
It's probably gonna be
a lot of fresh air here.
(calm music)
(public mumbles in the background)
- So, this is a our bus?
- It's a big bus for
just a couple of guys.
- [Justin] I'm Justin.
- Yes, I'm Che.
- Che.
- Mm-hmm.
- Kim.
- Kim?
- Uh.
- Pleased to meet you.
- [Scott] Scott.
- Scott.
- [Andre] Andre, nice to meet you.
- Andre, okay, nice to meet you.
- [Andre] Andre.
- Mm-hmm.
- [Justin] I imagine you're very informed,
you know everything about North Korea?
- [Scott] DPRK.
- DPRK.
(soft music)
- [Scott] For the guides,
they seem a bit intimidated
with us and the camera,
when there's a certain amount
of intimidation that
we're already up against.
The very first thing that you do
when you enter North Korea
is pay respect to Kim Il Sung.
Although he passed away in 1984,
he remains the president of DPRK.
- [Nick] For you on camera,
very important to keep
the whole statue in shot.
(soft music)
- Walking up to this big grand statue,
they're telling you what you should do,
and we need to walk in unison,
and we're supposed to
stop at a certain point,
and we're supposed to bow.
And you do get nervous
because it's a place
where you don't wanna screw up,
and you really wanna be respectful.
(soft music)
- [Nick] Let's gt the guides over here.
- [Justin] Little bit shy right now.
- Little bit shy.
(Justin mumbles indistinctly)
- Do you wanna...
Probably need to introduce yourselves.
- I am Che Omine, and you can simply
call me Che.
- Kim Wan Ik.
- [Justin] Thank you so much
for welcoming us in.
We look forward to the next couple of days
spending time with you guys
and seeing your beautiful country.
- [Nick] So, welcome to Pyongyang, lads.
I promise you (chuckles),
you won't have a spare moment.
(calm music)
(pensive music)
- [Scott] We're gonna head towards
the demilitarized zone,
which separates North
Korea from South Korea.
- [Justin] A line was drawn by the DMZ
separating the country over 50 years ago.
And this is a big reason why North Korea
has maintained their isolation.
(pensive music)
(male mumbles indistinctly)
- Please take a seat.
(people mumble indistinctly
in the background)
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Che] When we have the meetings
our side took that place,
and this side took this place.
- So, this is where talks were held
between North and South Korea
that gave them a neutral place
to have dialogue, and talk
about a neutral place,
like literally this side of the table
is considered South Korea,
and this is North Korea.
We came in from the North Korean side
and we're gonna go out through
the North Korean side.
We're not exactly given a choice
because there's a couple of guards
that are gonna prevent anyone
from exiting this end of things.
- [Justin] So, a matter of a foot,
I'm on the south side,
Scott is on the north side still,
and only in this building
are you allowed to do that.
(pensive music)
- We traveled quite a
distance to get right back
to another portion of
the demilitarized zone.
But what we're about to
see is a concrete wall,
which kind of marks the northern frontier
of South Korea.
(pensive music)
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
- [Kim] (chuckles) He said this area
is the front of our country,
and it is very the private action,
and very the private decisions.
(Scott and Nick laugh)
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
- Yeah, exactly, either the brave,
or the stupid gets to go
(Nick laughs)
on the front line like that (laughs).
- I think we're getting a debrief here.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
- Thank you for coming here
and on behalf of the front soldiers.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
Our country has been
divided into north and south
for 60 years.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
We suffered a lot from the division
and the more because of the concrete wall.
It is 240 kilometers long
and it's five to 80 meters high.
And at the side of the wall,
there is many the tents,
and armored vehicles, and guns.
And taking guards at any time.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
- [Justin] We had a chance to meet up
with the Colonel and to see things
through his eyes.
A person who's lived through it,
and whose job is to sit there and wait
for a possible attack.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
- [Kim] And he hopes to see you again
when the concrete wall is broken down.
(group laughs)
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
(pensive music)
At the top of the heights,
you can see the South Korea and peoples.
(pensive music)
- [Scott] What we're looking at
through these periscopes,
is a concrete wall that was erected
in an attempt to make
kind of a permanent divide
between the North and the South of Korea.
You can see with the view that they have
from here why it really does feel
like a permanent scar across one country.
- [Nick] That's also the UN flag
and the South Korean flag as well.
So, just a reminder of
which side you're on.
(pensive music)
- [Scott] You get a lot of feeling
for how tense the situation still is.
Neither side really being satisfied,
and of course, they're not.
They're still a country divided
with two very different ideals.
You start to see other perspectives
and I think that's a huge victory
for us coming here to DPRK,
is to see another side
and try to understand
in some small way where
they're coming from.
(upbeat music)
This huge building we're
about to enter here
is the Korean War Museum,
but people of DPRK refer to it
as the Victoria's Father Land
Liberation War Museum.
A bit of a tongue twister for us,
but that's what they refer to it as.
We're probably gonna see a very
different perspective on the Korean War
that we're used to hearing.
(upbeat music)
This is a really unique
chance for westerners
to be able to get to the interpretation
of the war, as told by the people of DPRK.
- [Che] The planes you see over there
was the first plane we used
in the first stage of the Korean War.
(guard speaks in foreign language)
And we start to use this
kind of plane from 1952.
- [Scott] We don't often do museums,
but this is one that's
incredibly interesting
to me, especially having relatives
involved in this war.
To come and see it from
another perspective
is hugely important.
(pensive music)
It just strikes me now having already been
to the DMZ and walking around that area,
that this is a war museum that seems
like it's reflecting all this history.
But I mean, it's still really going on,
it's really a war that
never properly ended.
It just puts into perspective as well
of how delicate the situation is,
and how delicate it's managed to stay
for more than 50 years now.
- [Che] So, weapons displayed here
are all captured weapons
from their enemies.
- This building was kind of designed
with the mind of having this stuff here.
They knew that they were
gonna build this museum,
so they actually brought
all this stuff in,
and then they built this building.
So, this stuff can never leave.
It's stuck here forever.
- This one looks like a Thunderbolt,
84, this one's a Corsair,
you can tell by the swept wings.
This one is the B26 Intruder.
The F86 Saber, that's down there,
which I've never seen before.
There's not much left to see, but...
And these are shot down American planes.
Seeing this does so much more
than seeing some pictures,
cause I mean, this really just shows
the damage that's done in war.
And imagining a human being sitting
in the cockpit of these vehicles.
Regardless of the fact that this
is an American vehicle, I mean,
obviously Koreans lost
their lives in planes
very similar to these.
You see the kind of damage that's done
and it's ridiculous.
- [Che] During the war,
the Americans bombed
428,000 bombs to Pyongyang.
- [Nick] Seoul was sort of raised
to the ground here in Pyongyang,
three buildings were left standing.
It gives you a scale
of just how horrendous
any other confrontation on
this peninsula would be.
There was a Pentagon estimate
about 10 years ago, that if war came,
it would be a million
dead within 24 hours.
(soft music)
- We're on the upper level of the museum
right now, and there's a panorama
of one of the major battles
of the Korean War.
And seen as one of the big victories
for the DPRK.
- I've never seen
anything like this before.
We're sitting on this revolving platform.
As you go around, it shows you
this giant painting.
- For about 10 to 12 meters in front of us
is a three-dimensional diorama.
It's rocks and plants,
and things like that,
that seamlessly blend in to this mural.
- [Che] So, this Panorama was drawn
by 40 Korean artists,
and it took one year and half.
This Panorama shows the (indistinct),
to liberate the Taejon City.
Under the wise leadership
of the grand leader,
President Kim Il Sung,
we liberated the City, annihilating
the American troop
stations in Taejon City.
This battle was the first battle
for the Korean People's Army
to fight against the Americans.
- The painting itself is beautiful,
and the artwork that's done is really
to be admired here, and praised.
And in the kind of talent
that they have to do this.
But for me, as far as putting war
into perspective, this
doesn't do nearly what
the tools of war that we
saw in the basement do.
It really helps me connect to
the gravity of this war,
and all wars really.
(soft music)
- [Justin] Sometimes war can be glorified,
and for some reason,
we're just drawn to it.
Maybe cause it's so epic,
maybe it's just cause
of how violent it is.
It's such an evil part of life,
but at the same time, there is something
that just draws you in.
I don't have any family members
that have been lost to a war.
My father, myself, we've never had
to fight in a war.
I hope I never have to go through one,
have to actually fight in one.
I'm not saying I wouldn't,
but at the same time,
it's something I've never really
had to deal with.
(soft music)
(engine revs and whirs)
(calm music)
- [Scott] We're dressing up this morning
as we're visiting the mausoleum
of Kim Il Sung, who passed away in 1984.
And he's still regarded
as the one only president of the country.
So, to show respect, we're gonna dress up
in our best, but this
is gonna be definitely
a first, isn't it?
To wear a tie.
- [Justin] We dressed up in Jordan
for the wedding, we got suits.
- [Scott] That's true, I wore a tie
for the wedding.
- I dressed up in India.
Some things just never go out of style.
- [Scott] Some things were never in style.
(playful music)
(upbeat music)
(Che laughs)
- So happy you look like that.
(upbeat music)
- [Scott] Behind us is actually kind of
a common scene that we've been seeing
so far, is major intersections.
Despite the fact that they actually
have traffic lights, they use a woman
in the middle, who's directing traffic.
(traffic controller blows whistle)
- [Nick] They get through
all weather conditions.
You know, whether it's raining, snowing.
In winter, they got big, heavy coats on,
and then they're full times-
- So, they're out here all year?
All year long they're out here then.
- [Nick] But it is very, very cold
and it can be very cold in winter.
And when it's very, very wet,
which you can be, especially in June,
actually, that's when
the traffic lights are used.
But traffic lights just
don't have the legs,
and I think that's-
- [Justin] The pizzazz.
- Beside the pizzazz,
that's the word I was looking for.
Yeah, they don't have the pizzazz.
(car engines whir)
(upbeat music)
- [Scott] Obviously the content here
is a bit limited.
Everything is pertaining
to the North Korean
ideology, history, Kim
Jong Il, Kim Il Sung.
There's multimedia DVDs.
The personality of Kim Jong Il, Juche,
maps of Pyongyang.
Everything has been
translated into English
so that if you wanna bring any
of these things home with you,
then this is the place to do it.
(upbeat music)
Interesting to see a lot of books here
of the North Korean view
of what's going on in South Korea.
Obviously, a very different view
than what we're used to hearing.
The Korean Question and
US Forces in South Korea,
Backstage Manipulations Disclosed,
Torture Ridden Politics,
Eruption of Wrath,
Letters From South Korea.
Really interesting
stuff to see their point
of view, and how they've spun things.
I'm sure things have also been spun
the other way, and it's trying
to find a middle ground.
- [Nick] All the books here
are for Korean domestic use,
but then they also are produced
in other languages.
These are actually Korean
books for Korean kids.
- [Scott] And you're gonna pick up
a comic book, right?
- This is one of their heroes
from previous times.
Obviously a lot of fighting coming in,
somewhere along the line.
I love it, this is sort of,
the emancipation of women.
Often there's a pretty strong woman here,
Pyong, who actually finds
(Scott chuckles)
the bow and arrow, classic.
In fact, there's the bad imperialist.
Now, I think (chuckles) he's obviously,
he's an American imperialist coming in,
doing untold bad.
- [Justin] What I've noticed is,
it's kind of the same images over,
and over, and over again.
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
Yeah, beautiful shots
of landscape, struggle,
the war where it just
shows how since then,
they've been able to move forward.
I guess, that's propaganda, right?
- [Nick] Basically, the art can
be very revolutionary.
Here's a theme set during the Korean War,
but here, there's a propaganda piece,
and it's a social one.
This is basically teach kids to swim,
and not all propaganda
is revolution in style.
It can often be social messages such as,
turn off the light, give your seat
to the elderly.
Same thing that you and I have been shown
throughout our lives.
- [Scott] Sure, sure.
- [Nick] But maybe just
in a different format.
You're told something in the west,
there's nothing there to say
that there's something different goes
on in the country.
Yes, they do produce masses of propaganda,
which are there to inspire the people.
But at the same time, there's also
the sort of relative freedom
of just painting what goes.
(upbeat music)
(children mumble indistinctly)
- [Scott] This is the cemetery
of the martyrs who fell
during the revolution.
- And we're not the only ones here.
There's a lot of people that have come
to give thanks and remember
all the fallen soldiers.
(upbeat music)
- One thing that struck me since being
in DPRK is the devotion
that the people have
to revere somebody, even after death.
As so important to the greater good
of North Korea, that says a lot.
- [Nick] The person we're
going to pay tribute to
is Kim Jong Suk, who's the wife
of Kim Il Sung, and the
mother of Kim Jong Il.
Who was also shown as being part
of the revolution.
(male mumbles indistinctly)
- You can see all the soldiers coming up
to show respect, and it looks like
there's a few hundred of 'em.
- [Scott] Makes me feel
a little uncomfortable
because we're not really supposed
to be filming anything military.
Maybe it's a good time to take
a lunch break then, just...
- [Justin] (laughs) Go
to a commercial (laughs).
(soft music)
- [Scott] We've arrived at the mausoleum
of Kim Il Sung.
We'll see information about him.
We will see him lying in state.
We'll also see some awards
and gifts that he's been presented
from not only this country,
but other countries as well.
And we're gonna go in,
but this is as far as the
camera's allowed to go.
(soft music)
- [Nick] It's an extremely special place
to the Korean people, a
revered place for them.
- [Justin] So, the only
thing we can really
get is just the actual building itself.
- [Nick] Yeah.
- Anything inside
the building is pretty much off limits.
- Yeah, it's off record, yeah.
- Wow.
(soft music)
- The funny thing for me is seeing
how delicate a situation having
the camera is here.
This is arguably under more control
than even the DMZ.
This shines a real light
on just how important
Kim Il Sung is to every
part of this country
because of the Juche ideology
that he developed,
which is basically a mix
of socialism, Marxist,
Leninist philosophy.
(soft music)
- [Justin] It is very, very powerful
that you would walk through and see a lot
of his metals.
And as soon as you walk in the center,
is the great leader himself,
lying underneath this red blanket.
We could sit here all day,
explain what we saw, and yeah,
we can only tell you so much,
but if you really wanna understand
what this place is about,
you have to come here.
(soft music)
- [Scott] Yeah, it's closed off
from the outside world,
but because it's been closed off,
for once I've got the chance
to come in and have a travel experience
like this one, before it's too late.
It still comes down to a respect
for a culture that is not mine.
This country preserved its culture better
than anywhere else I've ever seen before.
(soft music)
(calm music)
- [Justin] I didn't know this existed,
but it's called a barrage.
So, it separates the
ocean from freshwater.
Right here I have ocean on me,
and on the other side
of me is fresh water.
This is the first time I've ever seen
anything like that.
I didn't even know a barrage existed
until five minutes ago when I was told
what it was about.
I was like,
"Barrage, barrage, what
the hell's a barrage?"
(dramatic music)
(people mumble indistinctly
in the background)
- [Narrator] The old monument there tells
about the immortal exploits
of president Kim Il Sung and leader,
Kim Jong IL of the DPRK.
And difficult, they had
to control the wild sea
with a strong tidal current.
Their indomitable spirit of self sacrifice
displayed for the
prosperity of the nation,
can be treated-
(national music)
(ship horn honks loudly)
(upbeat music)
(Che mumbles indistinctly)
- [Nick] This is quite
a bumpy road (laughs)
and I've had it.
I think this is it, you can leave me here.
(upbeat music)
It's all too much for a boy.
It'd be great if Koreans
wouldn't take photos
of me every two minutes.
- [Scott] We're on the
West Coast right now.
This is where the Taedong river meets
the West Sea.
They built this barrage, which is huge.
It's about 80 kilometers long.
For me, it's just cool to be on the Coast
and have a look out at the ocean,
and enjoy the day a little bit.
Get some fresh air, stretch.
(upbeat music)
We watched a little
film about the barrage,
got some information about another
very big aspect of the country
that they're proud of.
(upbeat music)
- [Nick] In 1967, there was an extremely
bad flood in Pyongyang.
And so, in order to stop
the city from flooding,
they decided to control the river,
but by bringing the barrage down this far,
they also meant they could do to look at
a bit of land reclamation, and of course,
fresh water meant that you got
a lot better fresh water fishes.
It's quite a good idea.
- The barrage is nice too.
It is a big accomplishment,
don't get me wrong,
but the natural scenery is a bit
more pleasing for me.
- [Justin] So, how...
Okay, how...
- [Nick] You see, if you
move, or if I fall on you,
or you've touched me, you lose.
(laughs) One, nil to me.
(laughs) Two nil to me.
(Justin laughs)
- It's all technique, isn't it?
- Yeah (laughs), it's a cul...
(Justin and Nick laugh)
Three nil to me.
(Justin laughs)
That is the Korean one, this is Korean.
(playful music)
- We have to attach,
touch the foot together,
now push, or the pull.
Never you don't have to be separate.
(Kim and Justin laugh)
- [Nick] Oh! Again.
- [Justin] You're up.
(playful music)
- I won't do that bloody
well, I can't do this.
(Nick mumbles indistinctly)
- So, is there...
Does anybody say go?
(playful music)
- [Kim] Go.
(Nick and Justin laugh)
- You moved (mumbles). You moved!
- [Nick] You can't use that hand,
you can't just go like that (laughs).
- (laughs) Well...
- (laughs) What it is, the smack.
- There we go, I got you again.
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
- (laughs) Okay.
Third you git.
- All right, I'm up two now.
- [Kim] Third round,
third round.
- Third round.
(playful music)
- Ugh! (laughs) You just let go!
(Justin laughs)
- [Justin] There you go.
(Nick laughs)
(group laughs)
(playful music)
(Nick moans and groans)
- Ugh! Uh!
- Winner (laughs).
(Nick laughs)
- We just hopefully show our culture
is as rich and rewarding as yours.
(uplifting music)
Beautiful (sighs loudly).
- [Scott] Since we've learned so much
about the barrage, I
think it's safe to say
(chuckles) it's time to go.
- [Nick] She loved this display
of manhood, she's...
She hasn't really decided any
of us are fit for marriage.
(Che speaks in foreign language)
(female laughs)
(Che speaks in foreign language)
(female speaks in foreign language)
(female laughs)
- Yes, she have fun.
(female speaks in foreign language)
- [Nick] Oh! (laughs) I get the girl!
(laughs) I get the girl!
Hey, they always like the weak ones.
(laughs) Oh, oo!
- [Justin] What did they say?
- Never mind, it's okay, I get the girl.
(uplifting music)
Uh, thank you.
(Justin mumbles indistinctly)
(car engine whirs)
(uplifting music)
- We're spending the
night out of the city,
which is nice to get out of Pyongyang
for a night in a spa cottage,
sorta crossover thing.
This is pretty sweet.
They have a natural hot spring spa here.
- Make yourself at home.
- [Scott] Thank you, yeah.
Where is this is the...
Is the spa, we all have our own spa?
- Oh, yes, mm-hmm.
(uplifting music)
- (chuckles) There's no way we're getting
in this thing.
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
Me and you are not doing this.
- Not at the same time.
- That's what I thought was gonna happen.
(Scott chuckles)
I thought we're all
gonna get, like every...
The whole group of us
are gonna get in there.
I didn't bring my own little bubble bath
to do this.
(uplifting music)
- Come and have a look inside.
(upbeat music)
(water burbles)
(Justin laughs)
(upbeat music)
- [Scott] While we're
out here on the Coast,
we're having a special treat right
in front of the house
that we're staying in.
Since we're on the Coast,
we're having some seafood,
they've dug up some clams.
So, we've got this huge pile of clams
that we need to cook up,
but the driver has decided
to take the chef hat
for tonight and he's cooking it up.
His specialty style with
petroleum (chuckles).
(people mumble indistinctly
in the background)
They were talking about having a barbecue.
I didn't expect that they were
just gonna drizzle gasoline and light it
on fire, on top of a bunch of clams
on the ground.
- You should try.
- Oh, I think I just ate some gasoline.
- [Kim] That's the best part.
(upbeat music)
I can never smell the gasoline.
- (laughs) I smell like a mechanic.
- [Group] Yeah!
- Thank you.
- [Scott] Woo!
(group cheers and claps)
- This clam has a season of poison.
It's all June and August.
Oh, when they have babies
and they are inside,
the flesh has to the poisonous.
So, when the people eat
that at that period,
everybody was killed.
- [Nick] No.
- Really serious.
- [Nick] Okay, and we're in September now,
we're about a couple
of weeks off (laughs).
That's really, thanks.
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
- [Justin] The possibility of these clams
being poisonous is one thing,
being cooked in gasoline is another.
It's times like this I'm glad
I don't eat seafood.
- I'm okay, yeah.
- How many fingers?
(group laughs)
- Uh!
(group laughs)
- Here we go, for you mate.
(upbeat music)
This is where wherever you drop,
the cameraman drops dead (laughs)
within about five seconds.
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
- [Scott] Pass the antifreeze.
(uplifting music)
We're on the massive highway
that connects the Coast to Pyongyang.
We're not allowed to do a lot of things
that we normally would.
I mean, we're not allowed to film
out of the windows.
There's a lot of military personnel
and a lot of military facilities.
They're very protective of us catching any
of that on camera by accident.
There's just so much of it,
it's hard to avoid, and
it can be frustrating,
especially for us, and
especially for Andre
to be able to try to do this process
the way we normally do it.
And you just can't do that here.
(uplifting music)
Not exactly sure what
we're gonna be up to today,
but I guess that's part of the fun of it.
It's weird to not have to plan ahead.
This is kind of nice, it's
almost like a vacation
from what I'm used to.
And just being able to sit back
and let the bus take
me wherever it's going.
(uplifting music)
(children sing loudly)
- (chuckles) That's quite
a group, certainly is.
- [Scott] They'd probably
come out from Pyongyang
then for the day to-
- [Nick] Well, I'm not sure, I mean,
no, I think these kids
come from further afield.
- [Scott] Oh, yeah.
- [Nick] Obviously this is where
they all come from.
This mountain, it's obviously producing
thousands of children, that's what it is.
(Scott and Justin chuckle)
(children sing loudly)
- [Scott] First stop of the day,
we're actually back towards
Pyongyang right now,
but there's quite a large hill,
almost what I would
call, a small mountain.
And we're gonna hike up it.
(children sing loudly)
It's called Dragon Mountain.
The story goes that in
order to send a message
from the sea to heaven, they sent a dragon
with a message.
And it came here, loved the view so much,
it stayed, turned to stone.
Two more dragons after
it had the same fate.
So, hopefully if the
dragons like the view,
we're also gonna like the view.
- That's a true story, right?
- [Nick] Yeah, of course (laughs),
have I lied to you yet?
- No.
- Have I exaggerated anything?
No, of course it's a true story.
- [Justin] Those are real dragons.
- [Nick] Real dragons, guaranteed.
- That's incredible.
(uplifting music)
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin speaks in foreign language)
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin speaks in foreign language)
- Let's say I love you.
- I love you.
- Mm.
(Justin and Kim laugh)
- [Justin] So, we're gonna trick 'em.
- [Kim] Mm.
- [Justin] We're gonna trick 'em,
they're gonna think I know Korean.
Okay, go, say something else.
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin speaks in foreign language)
(Kim chuckles)
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin speaks in foreign language)
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin laughs)
- Bye!
- Bye!
(Justin and Kim laugh)
- I failed, didn't I? (laughs)
(uplifting music)
- [Scott] It really is
an amazing view up here.
You can see all of the city of Pyongyang
from here, you can see the valleys,
some of the farmlands
we've been cutting through.
And it's nice to be able to see it,
to be able to film it,
photograph it, enjoy it.
I mean, this is everything
we've been seeing
for the past 60 kilometers since
we left the West Coast.
It's a real shame that
we haven't been allowed
to film some of that, cause I think
it would really show
off some of the greatest
and quaintness parts
of this whole country.
At least from up here,
we can not only see it again for us,
but you guys can see
it for the first time.
(uplifting music)
- Our guides have become more friends
over the last couple of days.
It's doing things like this,
having a chance to cut loose a little bit.
I can talk to them and
understand what they do
from day to day, and create like
a friendship with them.
I think that's really important.
Double high five.
(Kim and Justin laugh)
(children mumble indistinctly
in the background)
- [Scott] If travel's taught us one thing,
it's to really absorb the small victories,
to be able to realize where you are
and certainly not take
any of it for granted.
(calm music)
We just come up to the crest overlooking
the old city here.
Coming up to the edge, there's just
all these kids.
First of all, there was just a few
and then there was seemingly a few hundred
that just sort of came out
of the woods (chuckles).
(children mumble indistinctly
in the background)
- [Kim] Some school take out camp here
at for one week.
They go round the landmarks
and around the castle city,
and they camping and just
hiking the mountains.
- [Scott] And get out
of school for a week,
and go camping, learn about the country.
That's a pretty good idea.
(Kim chuckles)
- What do they know,
can they sing us a song?
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Kim sings in foreign language)
(children sing in foreign language)
- (laughs) They forgot the second verse.
(group laughs)
(children sing in foreign language)
(group claps)
- [Nick] Do you want a Canadian song?
(group claps)
(Nick laughs)
- (laughs) A Canadian song.
- No.
(Nick laughs)
- Uh, gee.
- [Nick] (laughs) There we go.
- Mm.
- Oh, here, look.
Come here, watch this.
One there, like that, like that. Okay?
Whoa!
(children chuckle)
(Nick mumbles indistinctly)
(children chuckle)
Uh!
(children chuckle)
Ugh!
Wa!
(children chuckle)
- [Justin] Nick is one man on a mission
to break down the barrier
between North Korea and
the rest of the world.
I think that Nick's goal is
to make people realize that you don't need
to be afraid to come here.
You can come here and experience this,
and have a trip of a lifetime.
- [Scott] We've started
to get some real moments
with the people, and I
think what Nick is doing,
being able to bring people in
and have as much interaction as possible,
is slowly gonna change things.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye!
- Careful. Very good.
(calm music)
- [Scott] Maybe it's a perfect time
for us to be here, and for people
to have an open mind, and come and visit
a place like DPRK.
And also, be an ambassador
for your country,
and show them a friendly face, a smile.
I think is gonna do
wonders for the attitudes
of the future generation.
I feel a bit like the Pied Piper.
- You know what, there's
no teachers (laughs)
I love it.
It's just like school days.
- [Scott] Who are they camping with?
- (laughs) I dunno, they've just gone off.
Well, goodbye, nice to meet you.
- Bye, bye bye!
- Ugh!
(children mumble indistinctly)
(Scott and Justin laugh)
- [Nick] Oh (laughs).
(Scott laughs)
I think we've gotta go (laughs).
(upbeat music)
- [Andre] What's going on?
- (laughs) I...
The question is, what is going on?
Cause I really don't know (laughs).
Scott, any idea of what we're doing?
- Take it away, Scott.
Apparently we're on some sort
of river cruise, and that I was expecting.
What I wasn't expecting was just like
a short little cabin cruise.
It was kind of like
Miami, Cuba kind of drug
running boat is basically what
we got thrown onto.
- (laughs) Yeah.
- [Scott] I kind of expected we were gonna
be on this gigantic barge full of people.
And this is more or less reserved for us,
which is pretty sweet.
This is one of the greatest moments so far
because it's relaxed,
and there's nothing else
after this, so long watch.
(people mumble in the background)
- We got wine, we got whisky,
and we have friends.
And what else do you need on a boat?
- Hi, it's really nice
to be here (laughs).
- Booze cruise!
Cruising and boozing,
boozing and cruising.
- [Scott] Off duty now.
- Mm-hmm, yes, off duty (chuckles).
- [Justin] You know
what a booze cruise is?
(boat engine whirs)
A booze cruise is when you're cruising
on the lake-
- [Che] Mm-hmm?
- On the water,
and you're drinking, booze cruise.
- (mumbles) Yes.
- [Justin] Booze cruise.
- Why not? (chuckles) Booze cruise.
(Justin laughs)
Am I right?
- Yeah!
(people mumble in the background)
- [Nick] We've got...
We seem to have a torch light onboard,
it's obviously gonna get...
It's a very serious mission this.
What's this for?
(Kim mumbles)
Oh, I see, for the camera.
(laughs) Gee.
(group laughs)
- Uh! (laughs)
- [Justin] Booze cruise!
- Booze cruise, cheers!
- [Group] Cheers!
- Booze cruise (laughs).
- Okay, cheers.
(Scott laughs)
To you (laughs).
(harmonica resounds)
♪ Goddam blues ♪
♪ Those Pyongyang blues ♪
♪ Well my heads ♪
♪ In my all red shiny shoes ♪
♪ Well it would be red ♪
♪ But you know I'm not quite there ♪
♪ A dad in the world coming this ♪
♪ But if they were ♪
♪ Honey we'd be rocking ♪
- [Nick] Yeah!
(group laughs)
- [Justin] There we go,
we got entertainment.
(Justin claps)
(soft harmonica music)
- [Scott] (chuckles) I feel like we should
be camping out with a
couple of chuck wagons
or something (laughs).
(soft harmonica music)
♪ I've been on the Taedong River ♪
♪ Fishing all my life ♪
♪ On the Taedong River ♪
♪ Looking for a wife ♪
(group laughs)
♪ She is kinda nicey ♪
♪ Hot and spicy ♪
♪ My Kim Chee little fish dish ♪
♪ Mm ♪
♪ Mm ♪
(soft harmonica music)
- [Scott] (laughs) Yeah!
(group laughs and claps)
Yeah! (laughs)
(group laughs and claps)
Yay!
(soft acoustic music)
(sings in foreign language)
It's hard to believe how far we've come
in a matter of days, seems huge.
North Koreans show an amazing devotion
to their country and beliefs.
And although those beliefs might
be very different from ours,
we've started to build
an understanding of them,
and even a sense of trust with our guides,
which is now opening up a wonderful
cultural side of the country.
(soft acoustic music)
- [Nick] Wow, you did it!
- [Group] Yeah!
- [Nick] Beautiful.
(group cheers and claps)
- [Nick] Doraji is a song of a plant,
a root plant, and Koreans have songs
of root plants, they have songs of kimchi,
a song of bean paste.
But the song of Doraji-
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
No, no, seriously, is
my most favorite song.
- Bean paste?
- A song of bean paste,
you don't know that
in the Canadian hit charts?
(Che laughs)
(group sings in foreign language)
We're not gonna learn the second part,
but we'll hum it.
The second part of the chorus.
(group sings loudly)
(soft acoustic music)
(sings in foreign language)
- [Justin] They really
started to loosen up
when we went on the boat ride.
And all we had to say to them
is you guys aren't working anymore.
You're done for the day.
(Scott sings in foreign language)
Don't worry about showing
us anymore memorials,
it's time to take a break.
So, for the first time,
we got to see them relax
and be themselves.
(sings in foreign language)
(Che speaks in foreign language)
(sings in foreign language)
- Love.
(sings in foreign language)
- [Justin] I'm feeling more comfortable
and they're feeling more comfortable.
We're not here to make any judgment,
we're just here to
enjoy our stay and learn
about their culture,
and learn about their country.
As they started relaxing in the boat,
and we were singing, and
dancing, and drinking,
I think they started to realize that.
- [Che] For you, you should drink too.
(Justin sings in foreign language)
(group sings loudly)
(Nick mumbles indistinctly)
(Nick sings loudly)
- Sorry, I just couldn't wait.
(group laughs)
(group sings loudly)
(Nick sings loudly)
(group sings loudly)
(group laughs and cheers)
(light acoustic music)
- [Scott] We've experienced so much
already in North Korea,
and we're only halfway through the trip.
- [Justin] With Kim and Che,
I'm definitely seeing a change in them,
and I think it's gonna open up parts
of this country that nobody gets to see.
(light acoustic music)
(glass falls and shatters)
(Che chuckles)
(Scott claps and cheers)
(pensive music)
- [Scott] First we have to fly
into Beijing where we're meeting up
with our contact, Nick,
who's gonna take us into Pyongyang;
the capital of North Korea.
- The whole world has their eye
on North Korea, by for the most part,
nobody really knows what's going on there.
(pensive music)
- [Scott] This breaks new ground for us.
This is a destination that I don't think
we would have been ready
for three years ago.
Not many people get in,
certainly not with a camera.
(uplifting music)
Every step of this world trip
has taken us further away from home,
to places we never expected to see.
(uplifting music)
- Two years ago, I would
never have understood
how much this journey would change me.
(uplifting music)
- This is why we travel.
This is the reason that we're out here.
(airplane engine whirs)
(uplifting music)
(calm music)
We are in front of something
that's probably gonna take
a lot of introduction,
probably something that nobody's
ever really seen before.
This is called the Great Wall of China.
We're one of the first people
that have been able to get up
and see this thing.
(Justin laughs)
Actually, where we are
is pretty cool though.
- [Justin] Yeah.
We got to a spot and
we just kept on hiking
into the point where
it's just almost like rubble.
But look at what we're getting, though,
the payoff is (chuckles).
- [Scott] 24 hours in Beijing,
oddly enough, this isn't the destination,
this is the layover.
And it's really one of the only places
you can enter, or exit North Korea.
And tomorrow, we'll be on a plane
leaving Beijing, heading for Pyongyang.
(calm music)
- [Justin] This type of adventure
is gonna be something like,
we gotta be here for a certain time,
you gotta dress a certain way.
It's gonna be very button lip.
We don't have the freedoms
to say and do things
that we normally are allowed to do.
- [Scott] You're gonna have to be
on your best behavior.
- [Justin] I know!
- I know there's probably gonna be
a lot of people watching
this show right now going,
"Are you serious, you're
going in with that guy,
(Justin laughs)
to North Korea?"
- I'm just gonna become a mime.
I'm gonna just be like (hums softly).
- [Scott] Even then, that scares me.
(Justin hums softly)
- To think that we're standing on one
of the most iconic images of Asia,
and then within a matter of 24 hours,
we're going to a part of Asia
that nobody really knows anything about.
(calm music)
- [Scott] There's a very limited number
of ways that you can access North Korea,
and we're meeting up
with a guy named, Nick,
who's one of the very few outsiders
trusted enough to bring in non-locals.
- Hiya.
- [Justin] Good to see ya (chuckles).
- Come in.
- Pretty good.
- This is where it begins.
Our gateway to North Korea.
- Okay, so if we wander this way.
- You can't just walk in with a camera,
so we'll get a bit of a briefing today
from Nick, who's gonna tell us a lot
of what we can do, what we can't do,
what we can bring, what we can't bring.
What we can say, what we can't say
while we're there.
- Koreans prefer their country
to be called the DPRK,
and that's the official
name of the country,
Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
So, if you can say that,
they appreciate it.
You're gonna be with
two guides at all times.
You're never alone (laughs).
You're always with you with your guides.
I mean, people often say,
well, their mind is that
there's certainly other
factors in there,
and that's their job, is guiding.
They basically deliver
the facts and figures
and it's a great tool
for facts and figures,
as you will find out.
We've all got our preconceptions
of what Korea's about.
Likewise, they have their point of view.
When you start understanding
their mentality
you start seeing their perspective
of where they're coming
from, and why they are.
So, photography, no
pictures from the coach.
You basically don't know
what you're photographing.
You could be getting past
military installations.
You're gonna get a very
wobbly picture anyhow.
No sneak pictures, no
pictures of the military.
No pictures of the public
without their permission.
Having your feet up like that
would be really rude.
The big statue of Kim Il Sung,
when you're taking a photograph
it's the whole thing.
You don't just cut it in half,
that will be very offensive.
If you're wandering around, I love that,
basically there is no wandering around.
It is a group tour and you stay
with your guides outside the hotel.
In your free time, yeah, you can roam
the island, but do not leave it.
I love it.
- [Justin] So, we'll be
staying on the island?
- [Nick] Yeah, the island
is a great place to be,
and it's central sort
of to the whole area.
- Is there an obvious reason
for putting all the tourists on an island?
- I think that's actually after the idea,
they certainly didn't build a hotel
with the idea of that.
And I think late too, it's quite handy
to have a place where you know where
your tourists are.
There you go.
- [Justin] Are the room's bugged?
- The room is not bugged, probably not,
but be careful anyway.
(Justin laughs)
There are such things as bugged rooms,
they're not interested in
you, even if they were,
really, I don't think, sad to say,
you've got a lot to say.
(Scott laughs)
- Is this room bugged right now? (laughs)
- Yeah, and then off record,
a couple of things, if I may,
just whack it off.
- [Andre] Yeah.
(calm music)
- Visa's, here you go.
- [Scott] For the first time ever,
we're not in control,
and that's a tough adjustment to make.
The fact that you've gotta adjust
and play by different rules.
(calm music)
It's gonna be difficult over the next
seven days to keep the open mind,
well, to give this place the respect
it deserves because it is so different.
(calm music)
(chilled music)
- [Justin] Operation, not go to jail.
So, we have a list of
things we can't wear,
things we're not allowed to bring in.
I got my bed here cleared out,
and I'm gonna put all the stuff
I think I can't bring.
And then Scott has his.
- We did know ahead of time
that we were gonna have to dress
appropriately for certain things.
So, for the first time ever,
we've actually got some
somewhat fancy clothes.
In fact, I even have a tie.
- [Justin] I can't wear that, can I?
- [Scott] Not offensive,
but not appropriate.
- Things I can't bring.
Cell phone? No cell phone, right?
(chilled music)
Since you got dressed
up, guess what I brought?
(chilled music)
- Ey.
- I'm ready for North Korea.
It's not offensive.
But look at hm, look how cute he is.
- [Scott] (laughs) You heard how careful
you have to be, and to
not be disrespectful
at certain things.
- [Justin] It's not being disrespectful.
- Uh, but will they understand?
- [Justin] What if I
was playing with kids?
Say if I was playing with
kids and I put it on,
that'd be cool,
cause I'm just playing
with the kids, right?
- [Scott] Maybe, yeah.
- Maybe, maybe.
- [Scott] Maybe.
- Maybe. What do you
have that you can't wear?
- I don't know, it's
probably not appropriate
to bring military pattern.
- Thumbs down.
- [Scott] Something else that's
a first for us is bringing
this little guy.
- [Justin] That's just in case we need it.
- Okay, go for it.
- So, now we got one of these little
cameras here, swap ya.
Just in case our guides think
that this camera here is a little too big,
and this one's a little more appropriate.
- [Scott] Looks awful.
- Thanks (laughs).
(Scott laughs)
Hey, this thing is official,
says here, "Made in China,"
so I know it's the real deal.
(group chuckles)
- [Scott] All right, boys,
next stop, Pyongyang.
(calm music)
And it feels good to be going
in an appropriate dress.
(Justin laughs)
(camera buzzes)
We're at the gate and
in less than an hour,
we'll be airborne.
That's a ticket stub that I won't soon
let go of, Beijing, Pyongyang.
- [Justin] We're very lucky
and we're very privileged to have
that chance to go there and be there.
It's really lucky.
- [Scott] They've started
boarding. Here we go.
Hopefully I'll see you on
the other side, Andre.
(calm music)
(public mumbles in the background)
(calm music)
It's so roomy in here.
(Justin laughs)
(airplane engine whirs)
Isn't it?
- Oh, yeah (laughs).
(calm music)
- [Scott] Less than a few thousand
outsiders per year actually get
to enter North Korea,
and even that's only
started in the last decade.
- [Justin] It's kind of scary.
We're all kinda uncertain
of what we're gonna see,
what we're allowed to see.
You gotta watch what you say.
You gotta watch what you do.
You get nervous sometimes,
cause you're just not sure
how accepted you're gonna be
when you go there.
- [Scott] It looks so much different
than Beijing (chuckles).
It's probably gonna be
a lot of fresh air here.
(calm music)
(public mumbles in the background)
- So, this is a our bus?
- It's a big bus for
just a couple of guys.
- [Justin] I'm Justin.
- Yes, I'm Che.
- Che.
- Mm-hmm.
- Kim.
- Kim?
- Uh.
- Pleased to meet you.
- [Scott] Scott.
- Scott.
- [Andre] Andre, nice to meet you.
- Andre, okay, nice to meet you.
- [Andre] Andre.
- Mm-hmm.
- [Justin] I imagine you're very informed,
you know everything about North Korea?
- [Scott] DPRK.
- DPRK.
(soft music)
- [Scott] For the guides,
they seem a bit intimidated
with us and the camera,
when there's a certain amount
of intimidation that
we're already up against.
The very first thing that you do
when you enter North Korea
is pay respect to Kim Il Sung.
Although he passed away in 1984,
he remains the president of DPRK.
- [Nick] For you on camera,
very important to keep
the whole statue in shot.
(soft music)
- Walking up to this big grand statue,
they're telling you what you should do,
and we need to walk in unison,
and we're supposed to
stop at a certain point,
and we're supposed to bow.
And you do get nervous
because it's a place
where you don't wanna screw up,
and you really wanna be respectful.
(soft music)
- [Nick] Let's gt the guides over here.
- [Justin] Little bit shy right now.
- Little bit shy.
(Justin mumbles indistinctly)
- Do you wanna...
Probably need to introduce yourselves.
- I am Che Omine, and you can simply
call me Che.
- Kim Wan Ik.
- [Justin] Thank you so much
for welcoming us in.
We look forward to the next couple of days
spending time with you guys
and seeing your beautiful country.
- [Nick] So, welcome to Pyongyang, lads.
I promise you (chuckles),
you won't have a spare moment.
(calm music)
(pensive music)
- [Scott] We're gonna head towards
the demilitarized zone,
which separates North
Korea from South Korea.
- [Justin] A line was drawn by the DMZ
separating the country over 50 years ago.
And this is a big reason why North Korea
has maintained their isolation.
(pensive music)
(male mumbles indistinctly)
- Please take a seat.
(people mumble indistinctly
in the background)
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Che] When we have the meetings
our side took that place,
and this side took this place.
- So, this is where talks were held
between North and South Korea
that gave them a neutral place
to have dialogue, and talk
about a neutral place,
like literally this side of the table
is considered South Korea,
and this is North Korea.
We came in from the North Korean side
and we're gonna go out through
the North Korean side.
We're not exactly given a choice
because there's a couple of guards
that are gonna prevent anyone
from exiting this end of things.
- [Justin] So, a matter of a foot,
I'm on the south side,
Scott is on the north side still,
and only in this building
are you allowed to do that.
(pensive music)
- We traveled quite a
distance to get right back
to another portion of
the demilitarized zone.
But what we're about to
see is a concrete wall,
which kind of marks the northern frontier
of South Korea.
(pensive music)
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
- [Kim] (chuckles) He said this area
is the front of our country,
and it is very the private action,
and very the private decisions.
(Scott and Nick laugh)
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
- Yeah, exactly, either the brave,
or the stupid gets to go
(Nick laughs)
on the front line like that (laughs).
- I think we're getting a debrief here.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
- Thank you for coming here
and on behalf of the front soldiers.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
Our country has been
divided into north and south
for 60 years.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
We suffered a lot from the division
and the more because of the concrete wall.
It is 240 kilometers long
and it's five to 80 meters high.
And at the side of the wall,
there is many the tents,
and armored vehicles, and guns.
And taking guards at any time.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
- [Justin] We had a chance to meet up
with the Colonel and to see things
through his eyes.
A person who's lived through it,
and whose job is to sit there and wait
for a possible attack.
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
- [Kim] And he hopes to see you again
when the concrete wall is broken down.
(group laughs)
(Colonel speaks in foreign language)
(pensive music)
At the top of the heights,
you can see the South Korea and peoples.
(pensive music)
- [Scott] What we're looking at
through these periscopes,
is a concrete wall that was erected
in an attempt to make
kind of a permanent divide
between the North and the South of Korea.
You can see with the view that they have
from here why it really does feel
like a permanent scar across one country.
- [Nick] That's also the UN flag
and the South Korean flag as well.
So, just a reminder of
which side you're on.
(pensive music)
- [Scott] You get a lot of feeling
for how tense the situation still is.
Neither side really being satisfied,
and of course, they're not.
They're still a country divided
with two very different ideals.
You start to see other perspectives
and I think that's a huge victory
for us coming here to DPRK,
is to see another side
and try to understand
in some small way where
they're coming from.
(upbeat music)
This huge building we're
about to enter here
is the Korean War Museum,
but people of DPRK refer to it
as the Victoria's Father Land
Liberation War Museum.
A bit of a tongue twister for us,
but that's what they refer to it as.
We're probably gonna see a very
different perspective on the Korean War
that we're used to hearing.
(upbeat music)
This is a really unique
chance for westerners
to be able to get to the interpretation
of the war, as told by the people of DPRK.
- [Che] The planes you see over there
was the first plane we used
in the first stage of the Korean War.
(guard speaks in foreign language)
And we start to use this
kind of plane from 1952.
- [Scott] We don't often do museums,
but this is one that's
incredibly interesting
to me, especially having relatives
involved in this war.
To come and see it from
another perspective
is hugely important.
(pensive music)
It just strikes me now having already been
to the DMZ and walking around that area,
that this is a war museum that seems
like it's reflecting all this history.
But I mean, it's still really going on,
it's really a war that
never properly ended.
It just puts into perspective as well
of how delicate the situation is,
and how delicate it's managed to stay
for more than 50 years now.
- [Che] So, weapons displayed here
are all captured weapons
from their enemies.
- This building was kind of designed
with the mind of having this stuff here.
They knew that they were
gonna build this museum,
so they actually brought
all this stuff in,
and then they built this building.
So, this stuff can never leave.
It's stuck here forever.
- This one looks like a Thunderbolt,
84, this one's a Corsair,
you can tell by the swept wings.
This one is the B26 Intruder.
The F86 Saber, that's down there,
which I've never seen before.
There's not much left to see, but...
And these are shot down American planes.
Seeing this does so much more
than seeing some pictures,
cause I mean, this really just shows
the damage that's done in war.
And imagining a human being sitting
in the cockpit of these vehicles.
Regardless of the fact that this
is an American vehicle, I mean,
obviously Koreans lost
their lives in planes
very similar to these.
You see the kind of damage that's done
and it's ridiculous.
- [Che] During the war,
the Americans bombed
428,000 bombs to Pyongyang.
- [Nick] Seoul was sort of raised
to the ground here in Pyongyang,
three buildings were left standing.
It gives you a scale
of just how horrendous
any other confrontation on
this peninsula would be.
There was a Pentagon estimate
about 10 years ago, that if war came,
it would be a million
dead within 24 hours.
(soft music)
- We're on the upper level of the museum
right now, and there's a panorama
of one of the major battles
of the Korean War.
And seen as one of the big victories
for the DPRK.
- I've never seen
anything like this before.
We're sitting on this revolving platform.
As you go around, it shows you
this giant painting.
- For about 10 to 12 meters in front of us
is a three-dimensional diorama.
It's rocks and plants,
and things like that,
that seamlessly blend in to this mural.
- [Che] So, this Panorama was drawn
by 40 Korean artists,
and it took one year and half.
This Panorama shows the (indistinct),
to liberate the Taejon City.
Under the wise leadership
of the grand leader,
President Kim Il Sung,
we liberated the City, annihilating
the American troop
stations in Taejon City.
This battle was the first battle
for the Korean People's Army
to fight against the Americans.
- The painting itself is beautiful,
and the artwork that's done is really
to be admired here, and praised.
And in the kind of talent
that they have to do this.
But for me, as far as putting war
into perspective, this
doesn't do nearly what
the tools of war that we
saw in the basement do.
It really helps me connect to
the gravity of this war,
and all wars really.
(soft music)
- [Justin] Sometimes war can be glorified,
and for some reason,
we're just drawn to it.
Maybe cause it's so epic,
maybe it's just cause
of how violent it is.
It's such an evil part of life,
but at the same time, there is something
that just draws you in.
I don't have any family members
that have been lost to a war.
My father, myself, we've never had
to fight in a war.
I hope I never have to go through one,
have to actually fight in one.
I'm not saying I wouldn't,
but at the same time,
it's something I've never really
had to deal with.
(soft music)
(engine revs and whirs)
(calm music)
- [Scott] We're dressing up this morning
as we're visiting the mausoleum
of Kim Il Sung, who passed away in 1984.
And he's still regarded
as the one only president of the country.
So, to show respect, we're gonna dress up
in our best, but this
is gonna be definitely
a first, isn't it?
To wear a tie.
- [Justin] We dressed up in Jordan
for the wedding, we got suits.
- [Scott] That's true, I wore a tie
for the wedding.
- I dressed up in India.
Some things just never go out of style.
- [Scott] Some things were never in style.
(playful music)
(upbeat music)
(Che laughs)
- So happy you look like that.
(upbeat music)
- [Scott] Behind us is actually kind of
a common scene that we've been seeing
so far, is major intersections.
Despite the fact that they actually
have traffic lights, they use a woman
in the middle, who's directing traffic.
(traffic controller blows whistle)
- [Nick] They get through
all weather conditions.
You know, whether it's raining, snowing.
In winter, they got big, heavy coats on,
and then they're full times-
- So, they're out here all year?
All year long they're out here then.
- [Nick] But it is very, very cold
and it can be very cold in winter.
And when it's very, very wet,
which you can be, especially in June,
actually, that's when
the traffic lights are used.
But traffic lights just
don't have the legs,
and I think that's-
- [Justin] The pizzazz.
- Beside the pizzazz,
that's the word I was looking for.
Yeah, they don't have the pizzazz.
(car engines whir)
(upbeat music)
- [Scott] Obviously the content here
is a bit limited.
Everything is pertaining
to the North Korean
ideology, history, Kim
Jong Il, Kim Il Sung.
There's multimedia DVDs.
The personality of Kim Jong Il, Juche,
maps of Pyongyang.
Everything has been
translated into English
so that if you wanna bring any
of these things home with you,
then this is the place to do it.
(upbeat music)
Interesting to see a lot of books here
of the North Korean view
of what's going on in South Korea.
Obviously, a very different view
than what we're used to hearing.
The Korean Question and
US Forces in South Korea,
Backstage Manipulations Disclosed,
Torture Ridden Politics,
Eruption of Wrath,
Letters From South Korea.
Really interesting
stuff to see their point
of view, and how they've spun things.
I'm sure things have also been spun
the other way, and it's trying
to find a middle ground.
- [Nick] All the books here
are for Korean domestic use,
but then they also are produced
in other languages.
These are actually Korean
books for Korean kids.
- [Scott] And you're gonna pick up
a comic book, right?
- This is one of their heroes
from previous times.
Obviously a lot of fighting coming in,
somewhere along the line.
I love it, this is sort of,
the emancipation of women.
Often there's a pretty strong woman here,
Pyong, who actually finds
(Scott chuckles)
the bow and arrow, classic.
In fact, there's the bad imperialist.
Now, I think (chuckles) he's obviously,
he's an American imperialist coming in,
doing untold bad.
- [Justin] What I've noticed is,
it's kind of the same images over,
and over, and over again.
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
Yeah, beautiful shots
of landscape, struggle,
the war where it just
shows how since then,
they've been able to move forward.
I guess, that's propaganda, right?
- [Nick] Basically, the art can
be very revolutionary.
Here's a theme set during the Korean War,
but here, there's a propaganda piece,
and it's a social one.
This is basically teach kids to swim,
and not all propaganda
is revolution in style.
It can often be social messages such as,
turn off the light, give your seat
to the elderly.
Same thing that you and I have been shown
throughout our lives.
- [Scott] Sure, sure.
- [Nick] But maybe just
in a different format.
You're told something in the west,
there's nothing there to say
that there's something different goes
on in the country.
Yes, they do produce masses of propaganda,
which are there to inspire the people.
But at the same time, there's also
the sort of relative freedom
of just painting what goes.
(upbeat music)
(children mumble indistinctly)
- [Scott] This is the cemetery
of the martyrs who fell
during the revolution.
- And we're not the only ones here.
There's a lot of people that have come
to give thanks and remember
all the fallen soldiers.
(upbeat music)
- One thing that struck me since being
in DPRK is the devotion
that the people have
to revere somebody, even after death.
As so important to the greater good
of North Korea, that says a lot.
- [Nick] The person we're
going to pay tribute to
is Kim Jong Suk, who's the wife
of Kim Il Sung, and the
mother of Kim Jong Il.
Who was also shown as being part
of the revolution.
(male mumbles indistinctly)
- You can see all the soldiers coming up
to show respect, and it looks like
there's a few hundred of 'em.
- [Scott] Makes me feel
a little uncomfortable
because we're not really supposed
to be filming anything military.
Maybe it's a good time to take
a lunch break then, just...
- [Justin] (laughs) Go
to a commercial (laughs).
(soft music)
- [Scott] We've arrived at the mausoleum
of Kim Il Sung.
We'll see information about him.
We will see him lying in state.
We'll also see some awards
and gifts that he's been presented
from not only this country,
but other countries as well.
And we're gonna go in,
but this is as far as the
camera's allowed to go.
(soft music)
- [Nick] It's an extremely special place
to the Korean people, a
revered place for them.
- [Justin] So, the only
thing we can really
get is just the actual building itself.
- [Nick] Yeah.
- Anything inside
the building is pretty much off limits.
- Yeah, it's off record, yeah.
- Wow.
(soft music)
- The funny thing for me is seeing
how delicate a situation having
the camera is here.
This is arguably under more control
than even the DMZ.
This shines a real light
on just how important
Kim Il Sung is to every
part of this country
because of the Juche ideology
that he developed,
which is basically a mix
of socialism, Marxist,
Leninist philosophy.
(soft music)
- [Justin] It is very, very powerful
that you would walk through and see a lot
of his metals.
And as soon as you walk in the center,
is the great leader himself,
lying underneath this red blanket.
We could sit here all day,
explain what we saw, and yeah,
we can only tell you so much,
but if you really wanna understand
what this place is about,
you have to come here.
(soft music)
- [Scott] Yeah, it's closed off
from the outside world,
but because it's been closed off,
for once I've got the chance
to come in and have a travel experience
like this one, before it's too late.
It still comes down to a respect
for a culture that is not mine.
This country preserved its culture better
than anywhere else I've ever seen before.
(soft music)
(calm music)
- [Justin] I didn't know this existed,
but it's called a barrage.
So, it separates the
ocean from freshwater.
Right here I have ocean on me,
and on the other side
of me is fresh water.
This is the first time I've ever seen
anything like that.
I didn't even know a barrage existed
until five minutes ago when I was told
what it was about.
I was like,
"Barrage, barrage, what
the hell's a barrage?"
(dramatic music)
(people mumble indistinctly
in the background)
- [Narrator] The old monument there tells
about the immortal exploits
of president Kim Il Sung and leader,
Kim Jong IL of the DPRK.
And difficult, they had
to control the wild sea
with a strong tidal current.
Their indomitable spirit of self sacrifice
displayed for the
prosperity of the nation,
can be treated-
(national music)
(ship horn honks loudly)
(upbeat music)
(Che mumbles indistinctly)
- [Nick] This is quite
a bumpy road (laughs)
and I've had it.
I think this is it, you can leave me here.
(upbeat music)
It's all too much for a boy.
It'd be great if Koreans
wouldn't take photos
of me every two minutes.
- [Scott] We're on the
West Coast right now.
This is where the Taedong river meets
the West Sea.
They built this barrage, which is huge.
It's about 80 kilometers long.
For me, it's just cool to be on the Coast
and have a look out at the ocean,
and enjoy the day a little bit.
Get some fresh air, stretch.
(upbeat music)
We watched a little
film about the barrage,
got some information about another
very big aspect of the country
that they're proud of.
(upbeat music)
- [Nick] In 1967, there was an extremely
bad flood in Pyongyang.
And so, in order to stop
the city from flooding,
they decided to control the river,
but by bringing the barrage down this far,
they also meant they could do to look at
a bit of land reclamation, and of course,
fresh water meant that you got
a lot better fresh water fishes.
It's quite a good idea.
- The barrage is nice too.
It is a big accomplishment,
don't get me wrong,
but the natural scenery is a bit
more pleasing for me.
- [Justin] So, how...
Okay, how...
- [Nick] You see, if you
move, or if I fall on you,
or you've touched me, you lose.
(laughs) One, nil to me.
(laughs) Two nil to me.
(Justin laughs)
- It's all technique, isn't it?
- Yeah (laughs), it's a cul...
(Justin and Nick laugh)
Three nil to me.
(Justin laughs)
That is the Korean one, this is Korean.
(playful music)
- We have to attach,
touch the foot together,
now push, or the pull.
Never you don't have to be separate.
(Kim and Justin laugh)
- [Nick] Oh! Again.
- [Justin] You're up.
(playful music)
- I won't do that bloody
well, I can't do this.
(Nick mumbles indistinctly)
- So, is there...
Does anybody say go?
(playful music)
- [Kim] Go.
(Nick and Justin laugh)
- You moved (mumbles). You moved!
- [Nick] You can't use that hand,
you can't just go like that (laughs).
- (laughs) Well...
- (laughs) What it is, the smack.
- There we go, I got you again.
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
- (laughs) Okay.
Third you git.
- All right, I'm up two now.
- [Kim] Third round,
third round.
- Third round.
(playful music)
- Ugh! (laughs) You just let go!
(Justin laughs)
- [Justin] There you go.
(Nick laughs)
(group laughs)
(playful music)
(Nick moans and groans)
- Ugh! Uh!
- Winner (laughs).
(Nick laughs)
- We just hopefully show our culture
is as rich and rewarding as yours.
(uplifting music)
Beautiful (sighs loudly).
- [Scott] Since we've learned so much
about the barrage, I
think it's safe to say
(chuckles) it's time to go.
- [Nick] She loved this display
of manhood, she's...
She hasn't really decided any
of us are fit for marriage.
(Che speaks in foreign language)
(female laughs)
(Che speaks in foreign language)
(female speaks in foreign language)
(female laughs)
- Yes, she have fun.
(female speaks in foreign language)
- [Nick] Oh! (laughs) I get the girl!
(laughs) I get the girl!
Hey, they always like the weak ones.
(laughs) Oh, oo!
- [Justin] What did they say?
- Never mind, it's okay, I get the girl.
(uplifting music)
Uh, thank you.
(Justin mumbles indistinctly)
(car engine whirs)
(uplifting music)
- We're spending the
night out of the city,
which is nice to get out of Pyongyang
for a night in a spa cottage,
sorta crossover thing.
This is pretty sweet.
They have a natural hot spring spa here.
- Make yourself at home.
- [Scott] Thank you, yeah.
Where is this is the...
Is the spa, we all have our own spa?
- Oh, yes, mm-hmm.
(uplifting music)
- (chuckles) There's no way we're getting
in this thing.
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
Me and you are not doing this.
- Not at the same time.
- That's what I thought was gonna happen.
(Scott chuckles)
I thought we're all
gonna get, like every...
The whole group of us
are gonna get in there.
I didn't bring my own little bubble bath
to do this.
(uplifting music)
- Come and have a look inside.
(upbeat music)
(water burbles)
(Justin laughs)
(upbeat music)
- [Scott] While we're
out here on the Coast,
we're having a special treat right
in front of the house
that we're staying in.
Since we're on the Coast,
we're having some seafood,
they've dug up some clams.
So, we've got this huge pile of clams
that we need to cook up,
but the driver has decided
to take the chef hat
for tonight and he's cooking it up.
His specialty style with
petroleum (chuckles).
(people mumble indistinctly
in the background)
They were talking about having a barbecue.
I didn't expect that they were
just gonna drizzle gasoline and light it
on fire, on top of a bunch of clams
on the ground.
- You should try.
- Oh, I think I just ate some gasoline.
- [Kim] That's the best part.
(upbeat music)
I can never smell the gasoline.
- (laughs) I smell like a mechanic.
- [Group] Yeah!
- Thank you.
- [Scott] Woo!
(group cheers and claps)
- This clam has a season of poison.
It's all June and August.
Oh, when they have babies
and they are inside,
the flesh has to the poisonous.
So, when the people eat
that at that period,
everybody was killed.
- [Nick] No.
- Really serious.
- [Nick] Okay, and we're in September now,
we're about a couple
of weeks off (laughs).
That's really, thanks.
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
- [Justin] The possibility of these clams
being poisonous is one thing,
being cooked in gasoline is another.
It's times like this I'm glad
I don't eat seafood.
- I'm okay, yeah.
- How many fingers?
(group laughs)
- Uh!
(group laughs)
- Here we go, for you mate.
(upbeat music)
This is where wherever you drop,
the cameraman drops dead (laughs)
within about five seconds.
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
- [Scott] Pass the antifreeze.
(uplifting music)
We're on the massive highway
that connects the Coast to Pyongyang.
We're not allowed to do a lot of things
that we normally would.
I mean, we're not allowed to film
out of the windows.
There's a lot of military personnel
and a lot of military facilities.
They're very protective of us catching any
of that on camera by accident.
There's just so much of it,
it's hard to avoid, and
it can be frustrating,
especially for us, and
especially for Andre
to be able to try to do this process
the way we normally do it.
And you just can't do that here.
(uplifting music)
Not exactly sure what
we're gonna be up to today,
but I guess that's part of the fun of it.
It's weird to not have to plan ahead.
This is kind of nice, it's
almost like a vacation
from what I'm used to.
And just being able to sit back
and let the bus take
me wherever it's going.
(uplifting music)
(children sing loudly)
- (chuckles) That's quite
a group, certainly is.
- [Scott] They'd probably
come out from Pyongyang
then for the day to-
- [Nick] Well, I'm not sure, I mean,
no, I think these kids
come from further afield.
- [Scott] Oh, yeah.
- [Nick] Obviously this is where
they all come from.
This mountain, it's obviously producing
thousands of children, that's what it is.
(Scott and Justin chuckle)
(children sing loudly)
- [Scott] First stop of the day,
we're actually back towards
Pyongyang right now,
but there's quite a large hill,
almost what I would
call, a small mountain.
And we're gonna hike up it.
(children sing loudly)
It's called Dragon Mountain.
The story goes that in
order to send a message
from the sea to heaven, they sent a dragon
with a message.
And it came here, loved the view so much,
it stayed, turned to stone.
Two more dragons after
it had the same fate.
So, hopefully if the
dragons like the view,
we're also gonna like the view.
- That's a true story, right?
- [Nick] Yeah, of course (laughs),
have I lied to you yet?
- No.
- Have I exaggerated anything?
No, of course it's a true story.
- [Justin] Those are real dragons.
- [Nick] Real dragons, guaranteed.
- That's incredible.
(uplifting music)
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin speaks in foreign language)
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin speaks in foreign language)
- Let's say I love you.
- I love you.
- Mm.
(Justin and Kim laugh)
- [Justin] So, we're gonna trick 'em.
- [Kim] Mm.
- [Justin] We're gonna trick 'em,
they're gonna think I know Korean.
Okay, go, say something else.
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin speaks in foreign language)
(Kim chuckles)
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin speaks in foreign language)
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Justin laughs)
- Bye!
- Bye!
(Justin and Kim laugh)
- I failed, didn't I? (laughs)
(uplifting music)
- [Scott] It really is
an amazing view up here.
You can see all of the city of Pyongyang
from here, you can see the valleys,
some of the farmlands
we've been cutting through.
And it's nice to be able to see it,
to be able to film it,
photograph it, enjoy it.
I mean, this is everything
we've been seeing
for the past 60 kilometers since
we left the West Coast.
It's a real shame that
we haven't been allowed
to film some of that, cause I think
it would really show
off some of the greatest
and quaintness parts
of this whole country.
At least from up here,
we can not only see it again for us,
but you guys can see
it for the first time.
(uplifting music)
- Our guides have become more friends
over the last couple of days.
It's doing things like this,
having a chance to cut loose a little bit.
I can talk to them and
understand what they do
from day to day, and create like
a friendship with them.
I think that's really important.
Double high five.
(Kim and Justin laugh)
(children mumble indistinctly
in the background)
- [Scott] If travel's taught us one thing,
it's to really absorb the small victories,
to be able to realize where you are
and certainly not take
any of it for granted.
(calm music)
We just come up to the crest overlooking
the old city here.
Coming up to the edge, there's just
all these kids.
First of all, there was just a few
and then there was seemingly a few hundred
that just sort of came out
of the woods (chuckles).
(children mumble indistinctly
in the background)
- [Kim] Some school take out camp here
at for one week.
They go round the landmarks
and around the castle city,
and they camping and just
hiking the mountains.
- [Scott] And get out
of school for a week,
and go camping, learn about the country.
That's a pretty good idea.
(Kim chuckles)
- What do they know,
can they sing us a song?
(Kim speaks in foreign language)
(Kim sings in foreign language)
(children sing in foreign language)
- (laughs) They forgot the second verse.
(group laughs)
(children sing in foreign language)
(group claps)
- [Nick] Do you want a Canadian song?
(group claps)
(Nick laughs)
- (laughs) A Canadian song.
- No.
(Nick laughs)
- Uh, gee.
- [Nick] (laughs) There we go.
- Mm.
- Oh, here, look.
Come here, watch this.
One there, like that, like that. Okay?
Whoa!
(children chuckle)
(Nick mumbles indistinctly)
(children chuckle)
Uh!
(children chuckle)
Ugh!
Wa!
(children chuckle)
- [Justin] Nick is one man on a mission
to break down the barrier
between North Korea and
the rest of the world.
I think that Nick's goal is
to make people realize that you don't need
to be afraid to come here.
You can come here and experience this,
and have a trip of a lifetime.
- [Scott] We've started
to get some real moments
with the people, and I
think what Nick is doing,
being able to bring people in
and have as much interaction as possible,
is slowly gonna change things.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye!
- Careful. Very good.
(calm music)
- [Scott] Maybe it's a perfect time
for us to be here, and for people
to have an open mind, and come and visit
a place like DPRK.
And also, be an ambassador
for your country,
and show them a friendly face, a smile.
I think is gonna do
wonders for the attitudes
of the future generation.
I feel a bit like the Pied Piper.
- You know what, there's
no teachers (laughs)
I love it.
It's just like school days.
- [Scott] Who are they camping with?
- (laughs) I dunno, they've just gone off.
Well, goodbye, nice to meet you.
- Bye, bye bye!
- Ugh!
(children mumble indistinctly)
(Scott and Justin laugh)
- [Nick] Oh (laughs).
(Scott laughs)
I think we've gotta go (laughs).
(upbeat music)
- [Andre] What's going on?
- (laughs) I...
The question is, what is going on?
Cause I really don't know (laughs).
Scott, any idea of what we're doing?
- Take it away, Scott.
Apparently we're on some sort
of river cruise, and that I was expecting.
What I wasn't expecting was just like
a short little cabin cruise.
It was kind of like
Miami, Cuba kind of drug
running boat is basically what
we got thrown onto.
- (laughs) Yeah.
- [Scott] I kind of expected we were gonna
be on this gigantic barge full of people.
And this is more or less reserved for us,
which is pretty sweet.
This is one of the greatest moments so far
because it's relaxed,
and there's nothing else
after this, so long watch.
(people mumble in the background)
- We got wine, we got whisky,
and we have friends.
And what else do you need on a boat?
- Hi, it's really nice
to be here (laughs).
- Booze cruise!
Cruising and boozing,
boozing and cruising.
- [Scott] Off duty now.
- Mm-hmm, yes, off duty (chuckles).
- [Justin] You know
what a booze cruise is?
(boat engine whirs)
A booze cruise is when you're cruising
on the lake-
- [Che] Mm-hmm?
- On the water,
and you're drinking, booze cruise.
- (mumbles) Yes.
- [Justin] Booze cruise.
- Why not? (chuckles) Booze cruise.
(Justin laughs)
Am I right?
- Yeah!
(people mumble in the background)
- [Nick] We've got...
We seem to have a torch light onboard,
it's obviously gonna get...
It's a very serious mission this.
What's this for?
(Kim mumbles)
Oh, I see, for the camera.
(laughs) Gee.
(group laughs)
- Uh! (laughs)
- [Justin] Booze cruise!
- Booze cruise, cheers!
- [Group] Cheers!
- Booze cruise (laughs).
- Okay, cheers.
(Scott laughs)
To you (laughs).
(harmonica resounds)
♪ Goddam blues ♪
♪ Those Pyongyang blues ♪
♪ Well my heads ♪
♪ In my all red shiny shoes ♪
♪ Well it would be red ♪
♪ But you know I'm not quite there ♪
♪ A dad in the world coming this ♪
♪ But if they were ♪
♪ Honey we'd be rocking ♪
- [Nick] Yeah!
(group laughs)
- [Justin] There we go,
we got entertainment.
(Justin claps)
(soft harmonica music)
- [Scott] (chuckles) I feel like we should
be camping out with a
couple of chuck wagons
or something (laughs).
(soft harmonica music)
♪ I've been on the Taedong River ♪
♪ Fishing all my life ♪
♪ On the Taedong River ♪
♪ Looking for a wife ♪
(group laughs)
♪ She is kinda nicey ♪
♪ Hot and spicy ♪
♪ My Kim Chee little fish dish ♪
♪ Mm ♪
♪ Mm ♪
(soft harmonica music)
- [Scott] (laughs) Yeah!
(group laughs and claps)
Yeah! (laughs)
(group laughs and claps)
Yay!
(soft acoustic music)
(sings in foreign language)
It's hard to believe how far we've come
in a matter of days, seems huge.
North Koreans show an amazing devotion
to their country and beliefs.
And although those beliefs might
be very different from ours,
we've started to build
an understanding of them,
and even a sense of trust with our guides,
which is now opening up a wonderful
cultural side of the country.
(soft acoustic music)
- [Nick] Wow, you did it!
- [Group] Yeah!
- [Nick] Beautiful.
(group cheers and claps)
- [Nick] Doraji is a song of a plant,
a root plant, and Koreans have songs
of root plants, they have songs of kimchi,
a song of bean paste.
But the song of Doraji-
(crosstalk drowns out speaker)
No, no, seriously, is
my most favorite song.
- Bean paste?
- A song of bean paste,
you don't know that
in the Canadian hit charts?
(Che laughs)
(group sings in foreign language)
We're not gonna learn the second part,
but we'll hum it.
The second part of the chorus.
(group sings loudly)
(soft acoustic music)
(sings in foreign language)
- [Justin] They really
started to loosen up
when we went on the boat ride.
And all we had to say to them
is you guys aren't working anymore.
You're done for the day.
(Scott sings in foreign language)
Don't worry about showing
us anymore memorials,
it's time to take a break.
So, for the first time,
we got to see them relax
and be themselves.
(sings in foreign language)
(Che speaks in foreign language)
(sings in foreign language)
- Love.
(sings in foreign language)
- [Justin] I'm feeling more comfortable
and they're feeling more comfortable.
We're not here to make any judgment,
we're just here to
enjoy our stay and learn
about their culture,
and learn about their country.
As they started relaxing in the boat,
and we were singing, and
dancing, and drinking,
I think they started to realize that.
- [Che] For you, you should drink too.
(Justin sings in foreign language)
(group sings loudly)
(Nick mumbles indistinctly)
(Nick sings loudly)
- Sorry, I just couldn't wait.
(group laughs)
(group sings loudly)
(Nick sings loudly)
(group sings loudly)
(group laughs and cheers)
(light acoustic music)
- [Scott] We've experienced so much
already in North Korea,
and we're only halfway through the trip.
- [Justin] With Kim and Che,
I'm definitely seeing a change in them,
and I think it's gonna open up parts
of this country that nobody gets to see.
(light acoustic music)
(glass falls and shatters)
(Che chuckles)
(Scott claps and cheers)