The Demystified Zone (DMZ): Recent Episodes
Crossing Borders
Welcome to The Demystified Zone (DMZ) presented by Crossing Borders, a conversation about North Korea that spans from the geo-political games, crazy hair-styles to real issues affecting the lives of North Koreans today. Join us for a chat about the funny and heartbreaking things we notice about the Hermit Kingdom today.
We review a documentary about a North Korean family called "Under the Sun," by Russian director Vitalij Manskij. On the surface, the documentary is a story about a young girl in North Korea who was chosen to take part in the well-known variety stage show "Spartakids." Under the surface, there is another layer to the movie. The movie is also about the North Korean propaganda people who are controlling the every movement of the characters in this "documentary."
Sug and Dan break down this movie and its implications, what it says about North Korea, and what it says about human existence. There are PLENTY OF SPOILERS.
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- NORTH KOREANS SUFFER IN FREEZING WINTER
- Due to firewood shortage, North Korean residents have difficulty heating their homes and staying warm this winter. North Koreans usually prepare kindling or charcoal briquettes in autumn, but a source in North Hamgyong Province said that most people were unable to purchase enough due to the high price of firewood which climbed from KPW 2,000 in mid-November to KPW 3,000 in December.
- NORTH KOREA LAUNCHED HYPERSONIC MISSILE IN 2024
- According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea fired a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into the waters off the east coast of the Korean peninsula. The hypersonic missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (around 600 miles) at a maximum altitude of at least 50 kilometers (around 30 miles) before landing in the sea.
- LOW-KEY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS FOR KIM JONG-UN
- Kim is speculated to have turned 40 this year, but unlike previous years where large funds were raised to give away candies to children ahead of the leader’s birthday, North Korea has significantly lowered both the quantity and quality of candies this year.
- NK RESTAURANTS RACIST TOWARDS SOUTH KOREANS
- As Korean food has become more popular around the world with the rise in popularity in K-pop and K-drama, Pyongyang has also taken advantage of the K-trend and actively opened state-run restaurants across Asia, the Middle East and Europe as a stable source of foreign income despite United Nations sanctions banning North Koreans from working overseas.
- NORTH KOREA NO LONGER INTERESTED IN REUNIFICATION
- During a year-end party meeting, North Korea’s leader warned the nation to prepare for further economic hardships in 2024 and gave orders to accelerate war preparations against the U.S. Kim Jong-un encouraged his people to wage a “more courageous and resolute struggle despite the ever-increasing challenges and difficulties” in the new year.
- JU-AE: NK'S NEXT LEADER?
- According to South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, the 10-year-old Ju-ae is seen as her father’s likely heir apparent. In addition to being called Kim Jong-un’s “most beloved” or “respected” child, photos and footage showing her accompanying Kim at public activities prove her rising political standing and closeness with her father as analysts speculate that Ju-ae is receiving training to take the reins of the hermit kingdom.
- KIM JONG-UN IN TEARS AS HE CALLED ON WOMEN TO HAVE MORE CHILDREN
- Kim Jong-un urged women to have more children to strengthen national power at the National Mothers Meeting. The leader was moved to tears as he expressed gratitude to mothers in North Korea to boost national morale, “I too always think about mothers when I have a hard time dealing with the party and the state’s work.”
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This episode is about North Korea's unofficial bribery season. It's when budgets are being formed and pockets are being lined. Before Sug and Dan get into this, they have an obligatory venting session about Chicago's winter weather (it's also that time of year).
Yes, this is an official season in North Korea. Bribes go up and down the chain of command. They are exchanged from government offices to other government offices, from people to government offices, and between people. One common bribe, for example, is to up ones social status (or Songbun) or for parents to bribe teachers for better instruction or more attention in the classroom. According to Radio Free Asia, "It's rare for a government agency to submit a budget without a bribe."
But before we point a finger at North Korea, let's examine our own society. We discuss the hard and soft ways that people in positions of power benefit from their seats in government. Dan and Sug share their personal experiences with bribery.
Dan also shares his stories about the bribery that Crossing Borders was subjected to in China in regards to half North Korean, half Chinese children in Crossing Borders network.
Kim Jong Un has publicly stated that he wants the bribery to stop in his country but we know the practice is alive and well. But these bribes fund his nuclear program.
But who the culture of bribery hurts is the North Korean people.
ARTICLES
Bribery Season on Crossing Borders website
Radio Free Asia Bribery Season
Welcome to The Demystified Zone (DMZ) presented by Crossing Borders, a conversation about North Korea that spans from the geo-political games, crazy hair-styles to real issues affecting the lives of North Koreans today. Join us for a chat about the funny and heartbreaking things we notice about the Hermit Kingdom today.
Learn More about The Demystified Zone (DMZ), the new Crossing Borders Podcast
https://www.crossingbordersnk.org/podcast
CROSSING BORDERS
Crossing Borders Ministry is a Christian, faith-based 501(c)3 non-profit that offers assistance to North Korean refugees and their children living in China and South Korea.
https://www.crossingbordersnk.org/about-crossing-borders
ELIM HOUSE
Elim House is a new initiative launched in 2020 to provide respite housing to battered North Korean women who live in South Korea. Learn more here:
https://www.crossingbordersnk.org/elimhouse
Help North Korean defectors
https://www.crossingbordersnk.org/north-korean-defectors
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North Korea has a homepage! And like most North Korean media, it is both interesting and odd. Sug and Dan page through this website so you don't have to (actually, between this recording and the release of this podcast, the website has been shut down). The website is chock full of the typical praise of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un that one would expect out of North Korea. But there's more, much more. There is news of dog breeding festivals, celebrations, and yes, a message board where people from all over the world can talk about how awesome North Korea is. But, as with many of their discussions, Sug, Dan, and Jay have to ask, "is this real?" It's hard to tell.
LINKS
Uriminzokkiri on the Wayback Machine
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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In this episode Sug and Dan review the year with North Korea in all of its glorious highs and lows. They share their favorite episodes and what they have learned. They also share how the podcast has changed them.
We also discuss the headlines we didn't talk about such as:
- North Korea launches a missile at Luca Dončić
- Bed Bugs hit South Korea, North Korea says "Meh"
- North Korea launches a satellite into orbit
- Kim Jong Il gave his staff addictive drugs
- North Korean footballers attack referee
- Kim Jong Un's favorite band is back!
Sug also quizzes Dan and his kids for an epic battle of what they have learned this year. Spoiler alert: Dan owes his kids some money.
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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North Korea and the world is in a precarious place. With two major wars, North Korea finds itself in a position to help. One of the few things that North Korea has been a consistent exporter of is weapons. The country has a lot of them as it continues to prepare for a war with South Korea, the US and perhaps everyone else. But with conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, many are concerned about China attacking Taiwan. Will North Korea get involved in this conflict? Will there be another domino to drop? Can North Korea parlay this new commerce into a better life for people back at home?
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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North Korea has not had access to the broad global economy essentially since its inception but things ratcheted up in the early 2000s when the US started officially sanctioning North Korea. In this episode, hosts Sug and Dan discuss sanctions that the US and UN have imposed on North Korea mostly due to their nuclear program. Dan and producer Jay have also experienced their lifetime bans from various US institutions for various activities and both examples are surprisingly analogous to North Korea's ban from the global markets and have pushed them to make alliances with Russia, China and others.
But are sanctions effective? What will happen if and when North Korea becomes a fully nuclear state? Also, is this moral? We discuss a little bit of all of this in our episode.
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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Eternal President of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, was rumored to have had a mythical ability to fold space time and teleport anywhere. North Koreans call this "chukjibop." Recently, North Korea dispelled this rumor and said, in fact, that he did not have this ability. Kim Jong Un has slowly been bringing the mythology of his grandfather and father into more realistic territory, which is an interesting move. Why is he doing this? Could it be a reaction to what is happening with media in his country or is he just a more realistic guy. Sug and Dan discuss all of this in this episode.
LINKS:
North Korea dispels Chukjibop rumors
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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Our cohost Dan Chung is an expert on North Korean refugees. For over 20 years he has studied in detail the ways in which North Korean refugees escape their country. In this episode, Dan discusses how he would escape North Korea in today's world. Sug and Dan start in North Korea and work their way out of North Korea in detail.
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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It's that time of year again. The DMZ crew goes over some spooky things about North Korea including a shaman who wards of evil spirits with delicious dduk (sweet rice cakes) and other interesting methods. North Koreas still believe in spirits even though the only official religion is the worship of their found Kim Il Sung. Sug and Dan go over some other spooky stories that are in the Korean ether and compare them with the stories that spook us out here in the US.
LINKS:
Anti Ghost Porridge
Dduk Shaman
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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Sug and Dan discuss the latest headlines out of North Korea, which include:
- NORTH KOREA UNVEILS NEW NUCLEAR MISSILE SUBMARINE
- North Korea Only Reports Victories from the Asian Games
- NORTH KOREAN PRISON BREAK AMIDST GROWING PUBLIC UNEASE OF SERIOUS CRIMES
- North Korea Freedom Week Ahead of Chuseok
- A Desperate North Korea has Finally Reopened
- US secures the release of the soldier who crossed into North Korea 2 months ago
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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Did you know North Korea had a booming film industry? Yes, the second Great Leader, Kim Jong Il, was a huge film buff. He had his own vast library of films, he produced many films and yes, he even kidnapped a famous South Korean director Shin Sang Ok to make North Korean movies. Pulgasari was the work of Kim as the executive producer and Shin as director. Pulgasari is a kaiju film (like "Godzilla") set in ancient Korea. Dan and Sug explain the movie in detail (spoiler alert) and break it down for you so that you don't have to see it yourself.
North Korea is a fascinating place, watching this movie gave our hosts an inside look into the Hermit Kingdom.
LINKS
Pulgasari full movie
Dan's full, epic review of Pulgasari
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North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong Un chose a peculiar mode of transportation to visit his buddy Vladimir Putin: A bulletproof train. On this episode we discuss Kim Jong Un's choice of transport: the features, the speed, the customized flourishes designed specifically for the Great Leader himself.
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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The US recently declared July 27 "National Korean War Armistice Day" in honor of the many soldiers who gave their lives defending the Korean peninsula against communism. This day is now an officially acknowledged day for North Korea, South Korea and the US. Each country has their own version of what occurred both on that day and also, in the Korean War. And with these distinct stories come different moods and attitudes about the war and all of its complexities. Sug and Dan discuss this day and attempt to look at it from all angles.
LINKS:
AP: Rival Koreas mark armistice anniversary in two different ways that highlight rising tensions
Got any questions or comments? Send them to us at dmz@crossingbordersnk.org.
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North Korea's mental health system relies on methods that were done away with decades ago. Such methods include inducing insulin coma to its patients. Being sent to a hospital 49 is akin to throwing away your family's standing with the regime. Sug and Dan discuss the system and talk about the ways that mental health is viewed in the Korean-American communities.
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Sug and Dan go through a few headlines from straight out of North Korea including the curious case of the US soldier crossing into North Korea. Our hosts also discuss the rise in overseas surveillance of North Korea's own diplomats, North Korea's dramatic call out of Japan over their dumping of potentially contaminated water and much more.
Links:
US Soldier Defects to North Korea
Other Top Headlines from North Korea
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Did you know that North Korea and South Korea call each other every day? The two countries talk often to coordinate what happens at the DMZ, over airspace and over their maritime borders as well. But sometimes North Korea ghosts its neighbor to the south. Sug and Dan discuss this strange dynamic as well as look back fondly on the days of the land line.
LINKS:
Pictures of the inter-Korea phone system
Wiki
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The South Korean martial art Taekwondo has become a ubiquitous mainstay in the US and much of the world. But did you know that North Korea has developed its own martial art call Kyeok Sul Do? It's like Taekwondo but more North Korean. We discuss the two martial arts and trace back their shared origin.
Links:
Kyeoksuldo demonstration
Rexquando demonstration
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North Korea has one main sporting event: The Arirang Mass Games. It's not necessarily a sporting event but more a show with thousands of performers and an audience of over 100,000 also performing in synchrony. All of this is for the Great Leader himself.
Links:
Arirang Mass Games
Arirang Mass Games Wiki
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Sug and Dan go through all the current events related to North Korea. North Korea hacks more cryptocurrency. South Korea begins to test North Korean refugees for radioactivity. North Korea prepares for yet another military parade.
Links:
Crossing Borders blog
North Korea's War on Outside Info
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Is it wrong to travel to North Korea? Despite the warnings and all-out bans on traveling to the Hermit Kingdom, many in the world cannot pass up the allure of traveling there. Does travel to the North support the nuclear program? Will there be a minder watching your every move? Does North Korea stage "scenes" that make it look happier and wealthier than it actually is?
It's complicated.
Sug and Dan explore this nuanced topic.
Links:
Young Pioneers
Bike tour North Korea
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In this episode we overview the skirmishes that have occurred between North and South Korea while the Demilitarized Zone has been in existence. Spoiler alert: there have been a lot. From underground tunnels to axe murders to plots to assassinate the president, so much has happened in the DMZ.
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The name of this show is a play on an actual place, the Demilitarized Zone, which separates the two Koreas. This is a place of conflict, natural beauty, tourism and fried chicken. Sug and Dan discuss the DMZ as a location that people can visit and experience on their own. They also discuss what the DMZ symbolizes to the Korean people and the world.
Show links:
Steven Yeun on Conan O'Brien visit the JSA
Google's DMZ special report
North Korea soldier crossing
Tourists go to the other side of the DMZ
Trump walks into North Korea
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The topic of Comfort Women is a delicate topic both politically and emotionally. The term comes from Japanese colonialism and the country's practice of taking young girls from Korea and other conquered nations to the front lines of battle as sexual slaves to the Japanese army. Host Dan and Sug have a brief conversation exploring the topic and how it has impacts upon East-Asian geopolitics to this day.
This conversation was recorded on February 8, 2023.
Before It's Too Late - An article exploring Professor Kim's studies on the topic of comfort women.
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Reunification of the Korean peninsula is a complicated and technical conversation, which is why we brought Professor Minkyung Kim to talk about it.
Minkyung Kim is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and researches organizational communication and its impacts on community resilience and sustainability. Specifically, she studies organizations serving vulnerable populations and how they leverage and navigate communication processes like inter-organizational networks to maximize their capacity for community impact.
She grew up in South Korea and was trained as a child to spot North Korean spies. She also lived in West Germany at the fall of the Berlin Wall. Her grandfather also grew up in the same town as Kim Il Sung.
Here's a BBC interview with her grandfather, Professor Kim Hyung-suk.
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Songbun is your social, political and geographic credit score in North Korea and it is largely based on the merits of your ancestors when Kim Il Sung took power. Sug and Dan explore this weird and convoluted system that the North Korean government uses to subjugate and classify its citizens.
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Did you know that North Korea has its own animation studio that has worked on movies from around the world (even the US)? Hosts Dan Chung and Sug Shin discuss globalism and how French Canadian Guy Delisle ended up working in a North Korean animation studio, which he details in his book "Pyongyang: A journey in North Korea." The two hosts examine North Korea's most popular cartoon, "Squirrel and Hedgehog," a violent take on the battle between capitalism and communism featuring cute animated creatures.
Article about SEK Studio.
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Little is known about the early life and times of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. What is known are the scraps of evidence he left growing up, going to a Swiss school where he made friends and left an impression on his teachers. Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung retrace his footsteps and try to piece together a picture of what made Kim the Dear Leader he is today.
Links:
NY Post article
Anna Fifield's Book "The Great Successor"
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The Demystified Zone is back with their conversations about North Korea. This episode is about North Korea's military and, yes even nuclear capabilities. After decades of development, North Korea appears to be a nuclear state and very close to being able to strike the US with a nuclear warhead. Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss North Korea's capabilities and weather it matters if North Korea has a nuclear weapon. The two hosts also review a video of North Korea's elite soldiers putting on a bizarre show of force to impress their great leader. Video link here.
North Korea's Global Firepower Index
Council of Foreign Relations - North Korea's Military Capabilities
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung close out the year by reviewing the stories that didn't quite make it to the podcast. Here's the list of stories:
- World Cup Fake News (2014)
- Guinness World Record for tallest unoccupied building, the Ryugyong Hotel 1,079 ft
- Kim Jong Un’s daughter revealed for the first time (Nov 2022)
- You can only browse 28 websites
- Human traffic lights
- North Korea is home to the world’s largest stadium (150k people)
- Underground tunnels to South Korea from NK
- Human poop fertilizer
- Kim Yo Jong
- The pandemic and North Korea
The hosts finish out the year with a little North Korea trivia. Play along with us and, if you beat Dan, email dmz@crossingbordersnk.org and we will send you a t-shirt. (Only for US addresses, sorry!)
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss the North Korean hacking apparatus in its totality. In edition to the crypto heist that we discussed in Ep. 2, North Korea engages in all matter of activities related to hacking. Some experts has dubbed this "The All-Purpose Sword" (link below). Besides its growing nuclear and ICBM capabilities, North Korea has quietly been organizing its military around its cyber operations. The hosts discuss some of the more public cyber attacks the country has engaged in over the years as well as some of the methods they currently employ. Dan also gets into the issues that Crossing Borders faces surrounding the prospect of spies infiltrating their networks. The episode ends with Sug and Dan bemoaning their parents' susceptibility to phishing and other online scams.
Links:
The All-Purpose Sword study
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss the boats that have washed up on the shores of Japan. Nobody knows exactly why. Since the year 2011, when 57 North Korean ships drifted to Japan. There were 156 in 2019. Some boats were in tact. Some were completely destroyed. And some had corpses on them, earning them the moniker "ghost ships." Sug and Dan speculate the possible reasons why this might be happening. The hosts discuss the difficulties refugees face in making a maritime escape from North Korea and explore the advantages and disadvantages of escaping by land or by water.
Crossing Borders' Giving Tuesday Campaign: https://cbgivingtuesday2022.funraise.org/
Link to the Hakai Magazine Article: https://hakaimagazine.com/features/how-north-korea-built-a-fleet-of-ghost-ships/
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung explore the parallels of North Korea and the 1998 movie "The Truman Show." Like the movie, there have been several attempts at revealing the truth to North Korean citizens, the hosts discuss some of these attempts. Dan also describes a new, creative method that North Korean refugees in South Korea and hack the seemingly impenetrable, closed phone system of North Korea. The hosts also talk about the dramatic scene in 2017 at the Demilitarized Zone in which a North Korean soldier attempts to cross the border into South Korea and gets shot several times doing so. They also discuss the incredible work of Jacob Bogle, a man who "spied" on North Korea by using Google Earth.
North Korean soldier escape video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq3CXm9zCy0
North Korea Google Earth Follower: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poHTA94-BeY
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss the real and perceived horrors of North Korea and go through scary North Korean legends and compare them to reality. Along the way, Dan talks about his brush with the paranormal in the quiet suburban town of Glenview, Ill.
Lake Tianchi monster: https://non-aliencreatures.fandom.com/wiki/Lake_Tianchi_Monster
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung talk about the practical and bizarre use of English in everyday life in South Korea. This has essentially created a hybrid language that North Korean refugees must learn. Dan was fresh off the plane from his trip to South Korea to teach North Korean refugees some key Konglish words to North Koreans there and he goes into detail about what he saw and how vital it is for North Korean refugees to learn this new use of the English language. The two hosts get into the similarities between Konglish and "Janglish," which is used in Japan and furthermore, the use of Japanese words in everyday Korean language. They also get into Korean words they wish were adopted into American culture.
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss the surprisingly complex topic of crying in North Korea. North Korean men usually display a facade of impervious toughness to the world. But during certain events such as state funerals, they display seemingly excessive amount of tears. Dan schools Sug on the monitoring of such state events by North Korean minders who are writing down each North Korean's emotions during such events. The hosts discuss the "big brother-ness" of it all and wonder how the North Korean government can make anything meaningful out of the millions of pages of data they have on their own citizens. They also discuss the culture behind crying both in the US and Korea. At the end, Sug displays to Dan the full extent of his abilities to cry on demand.
Here's a link to the funeral footage Dan and Sug watched during the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BDz4rFPTqY
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss the disastrous 2009 North Korean currency reform. While not a salacious topic, the effects were devastating for the people of North Korea. Overnight, the North Korean people were instructed to change their old money for new money but the cap on this exchange was the equivalent of $40 USD. This destroyed the life savings of many North Koreans, sent the economy into a nose dive, and even lead to a rare case of political unrest. Dan also shares a call he had in 2009 with people who work in North Korea and their strange request for rice. The hosts also discuss who took the fall and how this man was executed, who is actually safe in North Korea, and how the power of the regime is mixed with their own cult of personality. The hosts conclude as they usually do, by giving suggestions to the regime on how they can do a better job next time.
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung are joined by friend and Crossing Borders' events coordinator Tony Kang to discuss what has become known as "The Pongsu Incident." In 2003, North Korean citizens were caught running heroine into Australia in what is now considered to be one of the biggest drug stings that Victoria has ever seen. Yes, that's right. North Korea is responsible for one of Australia's largest drug busts. The three hosts discuss the incident in all of its peculiar details including the lead up to the incident, what North Korea could have been motivated by, the ineptitude of the smugglers and much, much more. The hosts give suggestions on what North Korea can do better next time.
You can learn more about the incident in this video, which was created by Vice News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqz-UenejQw
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung talk about family reunifications between people from the North and South. When the DMZ (demilitarized zone) went up, it abruptly severed all communications. Families were separated and zero contact between the two sides. Most didn't expect the separation to occur so suddenly and permanently. For decades, people didn't know whether their loved ones were dead or alive.
These reunions require cooperation and participation between the North and South. Sug and Dan discuss the political and familial intricacies involved and even suggest to the Dear Leader himself some ways he can make these reunions even better.
2018 family reunions: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45243108
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In this special episode, Sug and Dan interview our guest engineers, Dan's kids. The four discuss a whole range of issues related to North Korean children integrating themselves with the outside world, especially to life in South Korea. Dan and Dan's children speak in detail about the challenges they face growing up as a minority in America and how their struggles are relatable to the North Korean experience. They discuss the challenges in education and economics for North Korean refugees and the deluge of information they suddenly have access to with newfound access to the internet. We end the episode with Dan's children's cultural recommendations for North Korean children.
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung talk about the life and death of Kim Jong Un's older brother, Kim Jong Nam. Kim Jong Nam (aka Nam Snow or Jason Bouring) lead an eventful life, which he spent chasing his various, mixed aspirations. Was he good or was he bad? Was he interesting or bland? There is evidence to support all of these. The fantastic way in which he met his demise again points to North Korea’s strange and focused capabilities. The hosts finish the podcast with a discussion on Dan’s legacy with guest producers, Dan’s children.
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung talk about North Korea's attempts at having their own social media influencers through their unique Youtube personalities. As the two explore this topic, they serendipitously realize the stunning similarities between North Korean influencers and western influencers. They also explain shame culture and how it informs the actions of Asian nations. By the end, they have 5 suggestions on how North Korea can spice up their influencer game.
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Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung explore the historical context that divided the peninsula. They also get into the "what ifs" that might have made North Korea a kinder, gentler nation. By the end of the episode, Dan will decide to hop into the Delorean but to change what aspect of Korean history? Tune in to find out.
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Episode 2: Crypto Heist
Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss North Korea’s theft of $400 million in crypto currency. In this episode Sug and Dan talk about the many illicit ways in which North Korea makes money from making methamphetamine to fake US $100 bills. They also explore the many legitimate ways the country makes money from sending their workers overseas to their great mineral deposits.
CORRECTION: In the episode, Dan says that experts estimate that there are hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fake, North Korea-produced hundred dollar bills in circulation.
Link:
North Korea steals cryptocurrency: North Korean Teacher Arrested
North Korea’s illicit activities
North Korea’s mineral wealth
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Episode 1: Dance Dance Revolution
Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung explore North Korea’s recent arrest of a woman for teaching children K-Pop dance moves. They wade into North Korea’s recent history with South Korean media, North Korea’s own attempts to start a pop group, Dan’s experiences with North Korean entertainers/waitresses/spies and much more.
Links:
- North Korean Teacher Arrested
- Singing and Dancing at North Korean Restaurant
- North Korean soldiers march
- North Korean pop group
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Episode 3: From Riches to Rags
Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss a recent report that famous North Korean actors were found begging for food in North Korean markets. They explore North Korea’s attempts at modernizing their film industry under Kim Jong-il and how today, those plans appear to have been scrapped, along with the actors who starred in these films.
Links:
Famous North Korean actors beg for food in markets
The Lovers and the Despot
This American Life - Same Bed, Different Dreams
Kim Jong Un’s wife, Ri Sol-ju
North Korean artist, Sun Mu
North Korean propaganda posters
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Episode 4: Rocket Man
Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung do a deep dive into North Korea’s strange missile launch hype video, which was produced this year. They do a breakdown of all the intricacies of this video including the wardrobe, the “plot,” and the cinematography. They also get into North Korea’s propaganda machine and whether the people really believe what the regime is selling. Dan also goes deep into what 20 years of following North Korea has taught him personally.
Links:
North Korea’s missile launch video
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Episode 5: Raw Laws
Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung get into North Korea’s strange laws, most of which lead to the death penalty. Dan shares about his brushes with the law both in the US and in China. Sug and Dan go deep into the world of North Korean hairstyles and realize that one of their haircuts is actually North Korea approved. They also get into North Korea’s penchant for a certain kind of public execution and many, many more legal peculiarities. The hosts also explore the (some would say awesome) tweaks the country has made to the rules to the game of basketball.
Links:
Weird North Korean laws
Approved North Korean haircuts and more haircuts
Koreans and their belief in deadly electric fans
North Korea’s (totally awesome) basketball rules
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Introducing The Demystified Zone (DMZ)
Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung have a quick conversation about why The Demystified Zone exists and what listeners can expect in this new podcast from Crossing Borders.
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