Inside North Korea: The Kim Dynasty

Inside North Korea: The Kim Dynasty

2018, Politics  -   11 Comments
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Ratings: 6.53/10 from 32 users.

The focus of the world's anxieties lies squarely on the country of North Korea. With its increasingly sophisticated arsenal of nuclear weaponry, and an erratic leader who seems unafraid to use it, it's more important than ever to understand this isolated, enigmatic and unpredictable player on the world stage. The immaculately produced National Geographic documentary Inside North Korea: The Kim Dynasty seeks to do just that.

The film retraces the tumultuous history of the country - from its founding as an independent nation in 1948 to its current status as a formidable nuclear power.

Throughout the course of the film, we learn about the distinct personalities of each of the country's fearsome leaders, and the tactics they've employed to manufacture a landscape in their image. The first ruler of North Korea - Kim Il-sung - led for almost five decades, and maintained a fanatical hold over his people that has prevailed in the subsequent reign of his offspring. This all-consuming control continues to bleed into the propaganda produced by the country's state-run media, the punishments suffered by those who dare to question or defy the Supreme Leader, and their intensely defiant perceptions of American aggression.

Even though the country is roughly the size of the state of Mississippi, they are determined to become one of the world's most feared and respected powers. In their view, this can only be achieved if they maintain nuclear capabilities. Currently, they have devised a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles that may have the ability of reaching into the heartland of the U.S.

Inside North Korea: The Kim Dynasty features interviews with a variety of experts in international affairs. Collectively, they provide a wide-angle view of the country's politics and the role they play in shaping tensions in the region and across the world. The filmmakers also engage in the deeply personal testimonies of history's forgotten witnesses, including an elderly woman who struggled through the country's rocky transition as an independent nation, a photojournalist who's determined to find the humanity beneath the false facade of discipline and order, and a North Korean citizen who miraculously defected and lived to tell about it.

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Chris
Chris
3 years ago

You can see the fear in everyone's eyes. A modern day totalitarian regime that uses both psychological and physical stress to keep the korean citizens in line. Nothing short of a Hitler type of democracy. Before Un, the only person who actually helped develop the country was his Grandfather Kim Il Sung. When he was in power, the lights were allowed on, people worked for a living, children went to school without restrictions, and nobody was being held in concentration camps. Yet his sociopathic persona often dipped into the old nostalgia of when the warring state was at its peak. Korean leaders still think that they are above all, the most powerful on earth. The only other country that tries to convince people of the same thing, is the chinese communist party. The Kim family line has always been an unstable branch of the tree, and todays leader Kim Jong Un will ultimately lead his people into absolute ruin.

Mark
Mark
4 years ago

This movie explains well why Kim Jong Un wants to develop and keep nuclear weapons.

Space Ace
Space Ace
5 years ago

LOL... ONE person controlling the thoughts and lives of MILLIONS.
And the point of that is....????

Kim
Kim
5 years ago

Propaganda. Their economy doesn't support that kind of military program. I feel nothing but empathy for those poor citizens of North Korea. They are so controlled and are afraid.

Truth first
Truth first
5 years ago

"The focus of the world's anxieties lies squarely on the country of North Korea." Huhhhh??
How many democracies has NK overthrown? How many needless wars has NK started? How many trillions $ of weapons has NK exported? How many countries has NK trained in the use of torture?
When it comes to global anxieties the USA is #1. Look it up!!!

Guillermo Toro
Guillermo Toro
5 years ago

biased documentary that misinforms and does not show the reality of the people of the north korea

GunnarInLA
GunnarInLA
5 years ago

I don't believe one word of what western propagandists might have to say about North Korea...I have watched enough of American television attempts at showing how awful it is there – and they always failed...

Tudor
Tudor
5 years ago

Without the big powers to decide the world maps after the war there would never been two Korea's. I believe that the only minor state who managed to decide for himself his political system was Yugoslavia. Surely not Greece.