5 ms·

Can anyone recommend any good documentaries or other media on the subject of North Korea? This was fascinating! Edit: thanks all :)

mshafrir 14y ago
http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3 http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-n...
to3m 14y ago
`Welcome to North Korea', a documentary well worth watching - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU `North Korean Economy Watch', often has something of interest - http://www.nkeconwatch.com http://www.nkeconwatch.com (also has a comprehensive-looking page of links)
namastasyai 14y ago
This is a fun read: http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/ http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/
- djhworld 14y ago
  That swallowed up over an hour of my time, absolutely fascinating
stdbrouw 14y ago
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson is a staggeringly good novel about North Korea. Fictional, of course, but well-researched.
justincormack 14y ago
This report is really interesting, despite the fact it is just a survey of media use in North Korea... http://audiencescapes.org/sites/default/files/A_Quiet_Opening_FINAL_InterMedia.pdf http://audiencescapes.org/sites/default/files/A_Quiet_Openin...
ecmendenhall 14y ago
Two of my favorite pieces of "other media:" This Flickr photostream by "Moravius," who is some sort of humanitarian aid worker in NK. There are lots of photos from outside Pyongyang, which I rarely see elsewhere on the web: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kernbeisser/sets/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kernbeisser/sets/ The Twitter account of James Dresnok, the last living US defector to North Korea: https://twitter.com/JamesDresnok https://twitter.com/JamesDresnok There's a great documentary on Dresnok called "Crossing The Line." His Twitter account is one of the weirdest internet artifacts I've discovered: he only posts every 2-3 months, and the first account he followed was a Kim Jong-il parody.
- dillona 14y ago
  Are you sure that is a real Twitter account? It only has 96 followers
Umalu 14y ago
The documentary "A State of Mind" is terrifically disturbing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_State_of_Mind http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_State_of_Mind). Follow two participants in North Korea's Mass Games as they prepare to put on a show for the Dear Leader. Filled with "only in NK moments."
jccalhoun 14y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_documentary_films_about_North_Korea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_documentary_films_about... An interesting one is The Red Chapel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Chapel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Chapel where two Korean-born Danish-adopted guys travel to North Korea. Because they are of Korean-ethnicity but don't speak Korean or know much about Korea, they get interesting responses from their handlers. One of them is also in a wheelchair and since North Korea allegedly kills all handicapped infants, it leads to some very tense situations.
joshz 14y ago
There's a great writeup on reddit about "What North Koreans were told about World War II" [1] with a list of books and couple other media buried in the thread. [1] http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/15lw49/historians_what_do_you_think_the_north_korean/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/15lw49/histor...
bluepaper 14y ago
In the 'other media' category I can highly recommend 'Pyongyang: A Journey In North Korea' by Guy Delisle[1] which is a graphic novel detailing his few months working in North Korea for a more serious look and into the lives of those who actually live/have lived in North Korea is 'Nothing to Envy' by Barbara Demick[2] which is a detailed, if not somewhat harrowing insight. [1] http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pyongyang-A-Journey-North-Korea/dp/0224079905/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pyongyang-A-Journey-North-Korea/dp/0... [2] http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nothing-Envy-Lives-North-Korea/dp/184708141X/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nothing-Envy-Lives-North-Korea/dp/18...
- MBCook 14y ago
  I'd like to second Nothing to Envy, it was a fantastic read.
- interpol_p 14y ago
  Thirding "Nothing to Envy," it's an incredible read.
oftenwrong 14y ago
A few years ago I came across this highly disturbing testimony from a former prisoner. There are no pictures, and no jokes. It gives a glimpse at the dark side of North Korea, and of humanity. It is fucked up and will upset you, so consider yourself warned. http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=4f1e0899533f7680e78d03281fe18baf&wit_id=4f1e0899533f7680e78d03281fe18baf-2-1 http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=4f...
- politician 14y ago
  Thanks for the warning; I chose only to read the last few paragraphs, but even that provided enough to extrapolate. While we twiddle about in Silicon Valley building SoLoMo apps, this depraved grinding of humanity continues.
- seag 14y ago
  Sickening and unreal... I wish there was something we could do...

mshafrir 14y ago

http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-north-korea-1-of-3 http://www.vice.com/the-vice-guide-to-travel/vice-guide-to-n...

to3m 14y ago

`Welcome to North Korea', a documentary well worth watching - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ6E3cShcVU `North Korean Economy Watch', often has something of interest - http://www.nkeconwatch.com http://www.nkeconwatch.com (also has a comprehensive-looking page of links)

namastasyai 14y ago

This is a fun read: http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/ http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/

djhworld 14y ago
That swallowed up over an hour of my time, absolutely fascinating

stdbrouw 14y ago

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson is a staggeringly good novel about North Korea. Fictional, of course, but well-researched.

justincormack 14y ago

This report is really interesting, despite the fact it is just a survey of media use in North Korea... http://audiencescapes.org/sites/default/files/A_Quiet_Opening_FINAL_InterMedia.pdf http://audiencescapes.org/sites/default/files/A_Quiet_Openin...

ecmendenhall 14y ago

Two of my favorite pieces of "other media:" This Flickr photostream by "Moravius," who is some sort of humanitarian aid worker in NK. There are lots of photos from outside Pyongyang, which I rarely see elsewhere on the web: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kernbeisser/sets/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kernbeisser/sets/ The Twitter account of James Dresnok, the last living US defector to North Korea: https://twitter.com/JamesDresnok https://twitter.com/JamesDresnok There's a great documentary on Dresnok called "Crossing The Line." His Twitter account is one of the weirdest internet artifacts I've discovered: he only posts every 2-3 months, and the first account he followed was a Kim Jong-il parody.

dillona 14y ago
Are you sure that is a real Twitter account? It only has 96 followers

Umalu 14y ago

The documentary "A State of Mind" is terrifically disturbing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_State_of_Mind http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_State_of_Mind). Follow two participants in North Korea's Mass Games as they prepare to put on a show for the Dear Leader. Filled with "only in NK moments."

jccalhoun 14y ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_documentary_films_about_North_Korea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_documentary_films_about... An interesting one is The Red Chapel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Chapel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Chapel where two Korean-born Danish-adopted guys travel to North Korea. Because they are of Korean-ethnicity but don't speak Korean or know much about Korea, they get interesting responses from their handlers. One of them is also in a wheelchair and since North Korea allegedly kills all handicapped infants, it leads to some very tense situations.

joshz 14y ago

There's a great writeup on reddit about "What North Koreans were told about World War II" [1] with a list of books and couple other media buried in the thread. [1] http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/15lw49/historians_what_do_you_think_the_north_korean/ http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/15lw49/histor...

bluepaper 14y ago

In the 'other media' category I can highly recommend 'Pyongyang: A Journey In North Korea' by Guy Delisle[1] which is a graphic novel detailing his few months working in North Korea for a more serious look and into the lives of those who actually live/have lived in North Korea is 'Nothing to Envy' by Barbara Demick[2] which is a detailed, if not somewhat harrowing insight. [1] http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pyongyang-A-Journey-North-Korea/dp/0224079905/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pyongyang-A-Journey-North-Korea/dp/0... [2] http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nothing-Envy-Lives-North-Korea/dp/184708141X/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nothing-Envy-Lives-North-Korea/dp/18...

MBCook 14y ago
I'd like to second Nothing to Envy, it was a fantastic read.
interpol_p 14y ago
Thirding "Nothing to Envy," it's an incredible read.

oftenwrong 14y ago

A few years ago I came across this highly disturbing testimony from a former prisoner. There are no pictures, and no jokes. It gives a glimpse at the dark side of North Korea, and of humanity. It is fucked up and will upset you, so consider yourself warned. http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=4f1e0899533f7680e78d03281fe18baf&wit_id=4f1e0899533f7680e78d03281fe18baf-2-1 http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/testimony.cfm?id=4f...

politician 14y ago
Thanks for the warning; I chose only to read the last few paragraphs, but even that provided enough to extrapolate. While we twiddle about in Silicon Valley building SoLoMo apps, this depraved grinding of humanity continues.
seag 14y ago
Sickening and unreal... I wish there was something we could do...