DAVID PETRAEUS: Kim Jong-Un is the sun
around which all else revolves in North Korea.
He has proven to be a vicious leader,
not in the least reluctant to take very swift
and very harsh action against those who are a threat to the state,
which means a threat to him.
NARRATOR: Aged just 28, Kim Jong-Un became the leader of his country,
only the third man to rule North Korea.
He took over his father’s nuclear weapons program and supercharged it.
MICHAEL MADDEN: The accomplishments in terms of ballistic missiles
and nuclear weapons in North Korea...
that is a result of Kim Jong-Un’s characteristics as leader.
And he far exceeded
the lifetime accomplishments of his father and grandfather.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
JERROLD POST: You really can’t understand this man
without understanding the family into which he was born,
and the impact of his grandfather upon him.
JEAN LEE: To sit down with the U.S. President...
that’s something his father and his grandfather never were able to do.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
NARRATOR: In charge of the world’s 4th largest army,
who is Kim Jong-Un?
This is the story of how the youngest Kim took control of his country,
and used his family’s legacy to put himself onto the world stage.
(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)
NARRATOR: The sudden death of Kim Jong-Il,
the second man to lead the country rocked the North Korean people.
The future of this rogue state was now a global concern...
and had become top priority for the then director of the CIA.
What I recall in particular was the uncertainty.
What will Kim Jong-Un be like as a leader?
He is quite young, late twenty-something,
untested, said to be impulsive, said to be a bit headstrong.
What will he do with respect to the nuclear program, the missile program?
So all of these factors together give you considerable pause,
and that’s certainly how we felt at that time.
NARRATOR: North Korea was a unique state.
A communist country, but under the rule of one family.
It was founded by Kim Jong-Un’s grandfather,
who outlasted every other Communist dictator,
before handing over to his eldest son, Kim Jong-Un’s father.
His untimely death at the age of 70
meant there was little succession planning,
before Kim Jong-Un was thrust into power.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
The CIA wanted to know who he was.
PETRAEUS: Footage like this is always looked at and studied,
and the analysts were pouring over it, trying to divine something out of it.
But there was no real solid basis,
I mean, trying to do a psychoanalysis of someone like this,
about whom we had such few details, was almost mission impossible.
NARRATOR: One reason the intelligence agency files were lacking in detail
was that Kim Jong-Un was not always the obvious successor.
His father had five known children...
one of whom was a daughter, but no known photographs of her exist.
His youngest child was also a daughter
but North Korea wasn’t ready for a female leader.
Of the three known sons, Kim Jong-Nam was the eldest...
and once seemed like a good option.
REPORTER: Are you Mister Kim Jong-Nam?
If you are not sure, why you follow me?
NARRATOR: In the early 2000s, he left North Korea for China,
a move that put him out of contention.
The next son, Kim Jong-Chul, had no interest in politics,
preferring to play guitar in a band.
REPORTER: Why are you in London please Mr. Kim?
NARRATOR: He’s a reclusive figure but since been spotted abroad,
attending rock concerts.
REPORTER: This is believed to be Kim Jong-Chol.
He’s seen smiling, as he enjoys an Eric Clapton concert
at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
NARRATOR: Which left Kim Jong-Un
on paper, the third in line for the throne,
and the only option to continue the family dynasty.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
JEAN LEE: My first impression was how vulnerable he was.
But I did wonder: is that grief tinged with fear?
It’s not like it’s taking over leadership of a country that is... rich...
and... surrounded by creature comforts.
This is a country that has chronic food shortage,
doesn’t have much electricity, is isolated from the outside world...
It’s not an easy job to take on.
I was the first American journalist
accredited to work in the local Pyongyang press corps,
and I was able to talk to North Koreans about what they were being told
about who this young man was or at least in terms of the propaganda.
(CHEERING)
We were told that Kim Jong-Un would be very different from his father,
more like his grandfather, who was legitimately loved by his people,
and extremely charismatic by all accounts.
He wanted to show the people that he was a people person,
like his grandfather.
And so, he would often get down on the ground
and bring children into his lap and bring them into his arms
and that’s very strategic...
to mold him in the image of his grandfather.
He does happen to look a lot like his grandfather, and so that helps.
But adding all the accessories:
the straw hat, which is identical to the straw hat that the grandfather wore
kind of replicating the gait.
North Koreans are going to remember that.
So that’s a way that Kim Jong-Un piggy-backs on his grandfather’s legacy,
to legitimize his role as the leader.
NARRATOR: Kim Jong-Un was keen to use the god-like status
enjoyed by his father and grandfather,
but he wanted to be a god for the 21st century,
showing the North-Korean people a sense of modernity.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
JEAN LEE: His campaign to show that he was a different kind of leader
also included bringing his wife out into the public.
That was so significant because his father was very rarely out in the public.
we didn’t know who his wife was because he never presented his family.
And so now they had Kim Jong-Un’s wife. she was beautiful, elegant.
And that’s actually powerful in a society like this,
that meant that the people were encouraged to show a little bit more individualism.
NARRATOR: Some of the intelligence agencies
put this kind of modern openness
down to Kim’s formative years outside North Korea.
In his early teens, he spent nine years at school in Switzerland.
After Kim Jong-Un became leader, media interest focused on this time,
with news agencies quick to interview his former classmates
for any kind of insight.
Most of the time he was shy, not loud, a quiet guy.
But when we played basketball, he came up,
he could be very aggressive but in a positive way,
and loud, and a little bit of trash-talk.
NARRATOR: According to his minders in Switzerland,
he was so obsessed with the Chicago Bulls
that he slept with a basketball by his side.
JEAN LEE: I think we’re all very curious to know
how much Kim Jong-Un’s time in Switzerland has shaped who he is,
because we would think that that would expose him more to Western ideas.
Pretty early on in his reign we started to see that.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
It’s interesting, he had his own personal pop group,
this girl band called the Moranbong Aktan.
And it was all the buzz in Pyongyang at the time,
and these girls were wearing these really revealing dresses
you know like, strapless, really short mini-skirts,
and playing these electric instruments.
We heard them playing the theme song to Rocky,
which is a very American movie.
So, really fresh, really modern, very, for North Korea, very cutting edge.
CROWD: Kim Jong-Un! Kim Jong-Un! Kim Jong-Un!
NARRATOR: Kim kept the same military parades established by his father
and his grandfather,
but he used his power to indulge some of his own personal interests.
In 2013, he asked for one of his heroes to come and see him.
My name is Dennis Rodman.
I used to play basketball for the Chicago Bulls,
Detroit Pistons, L.A. Lakers.
Done movies. Wrote books.
It’s a great cover and quite a title: "I Should Be Dead By Now"
You name it, I’ve done it.
(CHEERING) Yeah!
I’m that guy, Dennis Rodman.
I had no clue about North Korea.
I guess something came up in 2013.
Something about that the leader of North Korea wanted to meet someone
from the Chicago Bulls
and I got wind later that they asked Michael Jordan first,
and he said no, he didn’t want to go.
So, I guess I was the second option.
and they said, 'Dennis, would you like to go North Korea?’ I said, 'Yeah, sure.’
8I wasn’t worried at all. I was just pretending like I was going to Vegas.
One of my crazy wild trips you know,
hanging out with a couple of hookers or whores or something,
you know hanging out in the pool,
you know, thinking I’m going to do some real cool (BLEEP) you know.
So, it’s like, okay, great, let me add this to my resume.
That was my whole idea right there.
Just go and play basketball, that was it,
shake some hands, take some pictures: done.
I was in for a really big shock.
NARRATOR: Former NBA star Dennis Rodman
was about to participate in the strangest away match of his entire career.
RODMAN: I walked in on the stadium.
And then one of the, one of the leaders said...
I’m like, 'What’s going on?’ He said, "Well...
why don’t you come and sit over here. "I said, 'Okay, great."
So I still have no clue, no clue what the (BLEEP) going on.
That’s when the people start to stand up and start to clap.
(CHEERING)
And I’m thinking they clapping for me.
So I’m saying, I’m thinking like I’m as cool as (BLEEP), right.
I realize, I look to my left, I’m like,
Oh, that’s who they clapping for? And I still don’t know who this guy is.
Oh, I know this. I said... oh, that’s crazy.
Wow, that brings you back a little bit, that says how powerful this guy is.
And this right here went on for ten, fifteen minutes.
And I’m sitting there doing the same thing.
I’m thinking like, "What the (BLEEP) am I clapping for?"
So I’m an American, I’m like, "I don’t know what the hell I’m doing!"
So it’s like, all right, well, I might as well just join in.
And I was just at awe to see these people crying.
I’ve seen a lot of weird things in my life,
I’ve seen a lot of people, I’ve seen presidents,
I’ve seen a lot of stuff but that right there blew me away.
That’s when I finally sort of realized what 's going on.
Team on three. One, two, three, yeah.
Once the game started then he started just to talk to me.
I don’t know what the hell he’s saying.
You know he’s talking in, you know, Korean.
He just went on and on about basketball the whole game.
We kept talking the whole game.
I think that he is such a fan of basketball in America
and he’s such a great supporter of the Chicago Bulls.
And we just pretty much hit it off like that
and we just talked, we laughed,
and he said, "Whatever you want it’s yours, you know."
And the interpreter was saying, "Wow, Dennis,
you’re one of the very few people ever to come to our country,
and I think you’re one of the very few people to ever sit beside our leader.
For some reason, he actually likes you."
You guys have been very, very kind to me, and to my compadres from America.
Sir, thank you. You’re a friend for life.
Now I’m getting to feel like I’m getting comfortable now
and we’re just having a good time like we’ve been best friends for years.
And he asked me, he said, "Dennis, please, please, please, come back anytime.
I want you to come back as much as you can."
I said, 'Okay, great, okay, I’ll come back every three months."
And he said, 'Yeah, do that!’
US NEWS ANCHOR: Dennis Rodman is back in North Korea.
And he’ll meet with his friend, the dictator Kim Jong-Un.
WHITE HOUSE PRESS REP: Mr. Rodman is on a private trip.
Our views about North Korea have not changed.
Look I’m not a president, I’m not a politician.
He’s just more like you, or him, or anybody.
He just wants to let his hair down, whatever, great, cool.
One day, and we’re sitting outside smoking cigars, drinking tequila, vodka
and I think that’s the first time he asked me about he would love to come to America.
He said I would love to come to America to watch a basketball game.
I said, "What game you wanna see?"
He said, "I want to go to the Madison Square Garden building."
He kept saying it over and over: "Madison Square Garden building."
He kept doing his hands like that, you know.
I said, "You can do anything you want." He said, "I would love to go but I can’t."
And he said, "Well, you know, because people don’t like me."
And I’m like wow.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
-REPORTER: How was your trip? -It was awesome, man.
-REPORTER: Kim, Kim Jong-Un -How awesome was it?
RODMAN: I’ll be coming back in about a week!
NEWS ANCHOR: Is Dennis Rodman the man right now
who knows more about Kim Jong-Un than any American?
INTERVIEWEE: He is that man, there is nobody at the CIA
who could tell you more personally about Kim Jong-Un than Dennis Rodman.
And that, in itself, is scary.
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Marshall
Happy Birthday to you
NARRATOR: Rodman’s visit to Pyongyang
fulfilled a childhood dream for Kim Jong-Un.
But being an all-powerful dictator of the most secretive state on earth
was not without its challenges.
Generals at the heart of the regime were trying to outmaneuver the young Kim,
in an effort to topple the inexperienced leader.
But Kim Jong-Un was about to show
that he was just as ruthless as any Kim had been before.
NARRATOR: Kim Jong-Un is a 21st century dictator.
He’s happy to embrace certain kinds of progress...
but retaining complete control is fundamental...
as is loyalty from his inner sanctum.
JEAN LEE: One of the things I pushed for
when I was working as a journalist in North Korea,
was to be allowed into a private or closed meeting.
I wanted to see what things were like behind closed doors.
And you get to see a lot more than they show you on TV.
They know that when the song comes in for Kim Jong-Un,
that they have to leap up and start cheering.
But one of the things I noticed then, and it really struck me,
was that somebody did not jump up...
and clap the way that everybody else did. And this was noticeable.
Jang Song-Thaek just stayed seated.
NARRATOR: Jang Song-Thaek was Kim Jong-Un’s uncle.
In the early 1970s, he married Kim Kyong-Hui,
the only sister of Kim Jong-Un’s father.
He had joined the family firm,
and thanks to his unrivaled access to the Kim’s,
he became one of the regime’s most powerful figures.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
RA JONG-YIL: Because of his position inside the family,
he’s well informed about what is happening inside the core of the power structure.
But he is also aware of what is happening outside the family.
Jang Song-Thaek was the second man in the hierarchy of power in North Korea.
He was a man of great ability.
Very competent man, but also charming.
JEAN LEE: He was almost always right behind Kim Jong-Un’s shoulder
whenever I saw Kim Jong-Un.
He’s an interesting person. He had been educated in Russia.
So he had been exposed to the outside world quite a bit.
He also had good relations with China
so he’s somebody who had built a lot of connections to the outside world.
And that may have been seen by Kim Jong-Un
as suspicious and threatening.
RA JONG-YIL: There have been rumors going around, that he had plotted
with the top leader of China, to replace Kim Jong-Un with his step-brother.
In any kind of tyranny, you have to be constantly watchful
about who is posing danger to the security of his throne.
NARRATOR: Uncle Jang continued to travel to and from China.
But, in December 2013, at a governmental meeting in Pyongyang,
he realized that his role within the party was over.
RA JONG-YIL: In the party meeting, even his close friends denounced him
as having committed serious crimes against the state,
against the leader.
And he was taken away, and then he was arrested.
And his face shows signs of torture.
And these guards chosen with particular care,
towering over him, tall and carefully coordinated and staged,
to get rid of any kind of lingering illusion about Jang Song-Thaek.
I believe the regime was trying to humiliate him,
to sort of degrade him.
NARRATOR: An article in the state newspaper listed crimes
like gambling state funds, embezzlement, and even adultery.
Jang wasn’t allowed to mount a defense.
This was a show trial, and the judges made a swift decision.
He was sentenced to death, which was immediately carried out.
US NEWS ANCHOR: Kim Jong-Un’s uncle has been executed.
BRIAN TODD: The official North Korean news agency report on this,
called him, quote: "despicable human scum, and worse than a dog."
We have known that Jang Song-Thaek was executed by...
anti-aircraft machine gun.
Which didn’t leave much traces.
His remains were completely destroyed,
so there is nothing left about him in this world.
It certainly sent not only a chill through me,
but I know it sent a chill through the elites of North Korea.
And it was meant to serve as an example that no one’s untouchable.
NARRATOR: Kim marked the execution with a new song,
performed by North Korea’s favorite girl-band.
(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)
He is the driving force behind Korea!
In his embrace He holds the People’s fate!
His ideals are our dreams and hopes!
Which will make All our flowers bloom!
We will be loyal...
To great comrade Kim Jong-Un!
JIEUN BAEK: Every image, everything that people are exposed to
is just crafted.
They are hired artists, hired musicians,
who are supported by the government to produce artwork, music, poetry
all to support the larger narrative.
North Korea’s the greatest country in the world,
and the Kim Dynasty is the gods that are leading the North Korean people.
NARRATOR: Kim wanted his people
to buy in to the new vision of a 21st century North Korea.
But it wasn’t really optional.
Expressing any doubts in Kim, or the regime,
or attempting to contact the outside world
would be a fatal error.
In the early years of Kim’s reign, the rate of public executions tripled.
(SPEAKING KOREAN) Ready your weapons!
Single-shot!
Fire!
JIEUN BAEK: In the executions... they’re shot three times,
usually in the head, chest, gut.
Fire!
They’re tied up so they can’t you know run around or flail
but the idea is, if someone is shot, especially in the stomach,
you just, you fold over.
Single-shot!
Fire!
JIEUN BAEK: Some of my North Korean friends
who have seen executions say it’s just crazy,
that even in the moment of death,
a North Korean person is forced to bow to the state.
Fire!
JIEUN BAEK: From the moment someone is born...
Fire!
...to the moment that someone is killed...
Cease Firing!
...it’s all in the name of the Kim family.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
JEAN LEE: There is a story in ancient Korean history
that most Koreans will know...
and that is the story of the first king of the Joseon dynasty.
He had a number of sons.
When it came time for him to hand power,
he picked one son and that triggered a rivalry...
one of them ended up killing the other.
This parable is known as the Hamheung-chasa.
When I heard that story, it just kind of sent chills up my spine
because I thought, this history of brothers vying for the throne,
of fratricide
within the royal family, is a part of their ancient history.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
NARRATOR: The Kim family was about to add a 21st century chapter
to the fabled stories of the Korean dynasties.
Kim Jong-Un had an older half-brother, Kim Jong-Nam.
He was their father’s first son,
and a man never afraid to speak his mind.
MICHAEL MADDEN: I became interested in North Korea about ten years ago...
developed a specialty in North Korean politics, collecting information,
and there’s a lot of people with skin in the North Korea game,
and I’m in touch with them.
REPORTER: So... your father is Mr. Kim Jong-Il?
-I think it’s a very ridiculous question. -REPORTER: Ah, okay, sorry, sorry.
MADDEN: Kim Jong-Nam had studied in Europe for about ten years,
and he had absorbed certain aspects of Western culture
that are not necessarily in line with North Korea’s political priorities.
NARRATOR: Kim Jong-Nam used a fake passport to travel the world,
but was caught entering Japan on his way to Tokyo Disneyland.
A major embarrassment for the family, and the start of a bitter rift.
MADDEN: Kim Jong-Nam started living outside of North Korea
in the early 2000s.
Now that didn’t prevent Kim Jong-Nam from having a certain power base
and having ties to certain North Korean elites,
but it does, you know, it does eliminate him
from the day to day grind of the North Korean regime
and if you’re going to become a successor you can’t be that removed from it.
(BOTH SPEAKING KOREAN)
Hello, are you Mr. Kim Jong-Nam?
-Yes, I am. -Hello.
NARRATOR: As the eldest child,
Kim Jong-Nam often aired his views on North Korea and its future.
From a new base in China, he spoke to journalists.
He made sure that the location was hidden so his whereabouts were unknown.
REPORTER: As the first son, are you fine with not being the successor?
I have no regrets.
I had no interest in becoming leader.
Personally I’m against a third-generation succession of the dynasty.
YOJI GOMI: (SPEAKING JAPANESE) The fact that
a member of the Kim family
criticized the state of their closed regime
even if from the outside, was highly significant and very brave.
NARRATOR: In 2011, Kim Jong-Nam agreed to an in-depth interview,
in the Asian gambling capital, Macau.
GOMI: When I met Kim Jong-Nam in Macau,
of course, I was surprised and nervous.
He looked very nervous too.
When we shook hands his palm was sweaty.
Then I started asking him questions.
I asked him about nuclear issues and the internal affairs of North Korea.
To my surprise,
he seemed serious and intelligent.
NARRATOR: Their correspondence continued over email.
Kim Jong-Nam was clearly not in favor of perpetuating the Kim dynasty.
So when Kim Jong-Un became leader, the correspondence gained significance,
and Gomi asked permission to publish their private emails.
He asked me to wait.
But big changes were happening in North Korea
so I felt it was important to publish the book at that point.
He replied "I understand."
"But there will be no further contact between us."
NARRATOR: Later that year,
South Korean intelligence claim to have intercepted a memo written by Kim Jong-Un.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
CCTV footage showed Kim Jong-Nam arriving at Kuala Lumpur Airport,
and entering the departures hall.
Two women come out of nowhere,
each with separate elements of the VX nerve agent on them.
They both rub their hands on his face,
combining the chemicals, and creating a deadly poison.
In distress, Kim Jong-Nam appeals for help...
but just minutes later, he’s dead.
GOJI: For a moment I was speechless.
We’d been so close.
I was so saddened by it all.
My heart still aches.
(SPEAKING KOREAN)
South Korea said it is highly likely
the North was behind this cloak-and-dagger type killing
We don’t know if this was an order that was issued by Kim Jong-Un.
But it was very clear that he found his brother’s presence to be a nuisance.
NARRATOR: The assassination of his half-brother,
didn’t necessarily stop criticism from within the Kim family.
NEWS ANCHOR: Nearly a month after the half-brother
of North Korea’s dictator was poisoned to death in Kuala Lumpur airport,
this video emerged showing the murdered man’s son, Kim Han Sol.
My name’s Kim Han Sol, from North Korea.
Part of the Kim family. Here’s my passport.
JEAN LEE: He is... in his early twenties,
has his whole life ahead of him,
very promising from all we can tell and from those around him,
but perhaps is going to be on the run for the rest of his life...
because he does pose a potential challenge to that throne.
He is a member of the Kim family and he does have the bloodline.
KIM HAN SOL: My father has been killed a few days ago.
I’m currently with my mother and my sister.
And, um, we hope this gets better soon, yeah.
NARRATOR: The assassination of his half-brother
and the execution of his uncle
meant that Kim Jong-Un could now make some changes to his inner circle.
He brought in his younger sister,
and gave her a pivotal role in the Party’s Politburo.
The young leader’s next move was to raise his profile on the global stage.
He achieved this with a number of missile launches,
showing the regime’s growing military capabilities.
NEWS ANCHOR: North Korea launched a long range rocket...
NEWS ANCHOR: One more rocket launched in this weekend’s barrage...
ANNA COREN: This is North Korea showing the United States
that it is a force to be reckoned with.
NARRATOR: Kim was baiting America.
This was a move straight out of the family playbook.
But for Kim Jong-Un this tactic appeared to be backfiring.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: North Korea’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons
is a path that leads only to more isolation, it’s not a sign of strength.
NARRATOR: Just when it seemed that Kim Jong-Un had taken North Korea
into the diplomatic wilderness...
CROWD: Kim Jong-Un! Kim Jong-Un! Kim Jong-Un!
CROWD: USA! USA! USA!
NARRATOR: ...a new kind of politician entered the fray.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: One of the papers called the other day.
And they said: "Would you speak to the leader of North Korea?"
I said, "Absolutely, why not?
Why not?"
Who the hell cares, I’ll speak to anybody!
NARRATOR: Kim Jong-Un had spent his first five years in charge
purging his inner sanctum of dissenting voices.
CROWD: Kim Jong-Un! Kim Jong-Un! Kim Jong-Un!
Fire.
NARRATOR: He then turned his attention to the international stage.
NEWS ANCHOR: Good Morning America. The most stunning upset in American history:
Donald J. Trump elected the 45th President of the United States.
CROWD: USA! USA! USA! USA!
TRUMP: If you look at North Korea,
this guy, this, I mean, he’s like a maniac.
And you gotta give him credit. How many young guys,
and you know it’s pretty amazing when you think of it, how does he do that,
he goes in and he takes over and he’s the boss.
He wiped out the uncle, he wiped out this one, that one,
I mean, this guy doesn’t play games.
(SPEAKING IN KOREAN)
North Korea’s first missile launch on President Trump’s watch.
NARRATOR: The early months of Trump’s presidency
were punctuated by a series of launches, culminating on Independence Day
with the test of a rocket capable of reaching Alaska.
(SINGING IN KOREAN)
The regime called the launch "a gift to the American bastards."
The United States has great strength and patience.
But if it is forced to defend itself or its allies...
we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.
(CROWD CHEERING)
TRUMP: Rocket man...
is on a suicide mission for himself, and for his regime.
NARRATOR: While Trump laid down the law,
North Korea was about to reach a crucial milestone.
(BEEPING)
The new threat from North Korea: they have tested a powerful new missile,
experts say it could reach the entire U.S. mainland.
(SPEAKING IN KOREAN)
NARRATOR: Kim Jong-Un released a statement,
saying his nuclear missile program was complete.
He was ready to talk.
He began by visiting his South Korean counterpart.
After a successful summit,
he then managed to broker a meeting in Singapore
with President Trump.
JEAN LEE: Just remember that when we first saw him in 2010 and 2011
he was just this fresh-faced, baby-faced young man that no one knew.
Didn’t have a whole lot of credibility.
He is now a leader
who has a verifiably threatening nuclear arsenal.
That puts him in a very different position
when it comes to negotiating and interacting with other countries.
RODMAN: I knew things were gonna change.
I knew it, I was the only one, but I never had no one to hear me.
I got so many death threats, but I was sitting there protecting everything...
and I believe in North Korea.
But today is a great day for everybody: Singapore,
Tokyo, China, everything. It’s a great day!
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
JEAN LEE: The way the North Koreans will be looking at it, is:
-this tiny country with so little... -Thank you very much.
JEAN LEE: ...is so important
that their leader is able to sit down with the President of the United States.
That’s something his father and his grandfather never were able to do.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)
Very good. Very, very good.
Excellent relationship, thank you, thank you very much.
NARRATOR: Kim Jong-Un had achieved a massive coup,
persuading the leader of the free world to sit down and meet him
on equal terms.
For over 70 years, the grandfather,
father, and son, have convinced the North Korean people...
that they are gods.
(SPEAKING KOREAN) These are the USB’s here.
These sell well, right?
Lots of recent films and TV shows saved on there.
JIEUN BAEK: For Kim Jong-Un the country’s Achilles heel
is its citizens accessing foreign information.
(SPEAKING IN KOREAN)
JIEUN BAEK: And so the more and more citizens listen
and read and watch foreign media,
and the more and more they’re starting to question their reality in North Korea,
the more they question the political legitimacy of the state.
It puts Kim Jong-Un in a very dangerous position.
If people stop believing that these are gods...
that is pretty much eroding the single foundational belief for this country.
Once that political legitimacy is eroded, then he has nothing to stand on.
NARRATOR: For over 70 years,
the Kim family have literally kept their people in the dark.
The most secretive state on Earth remains cut off from the outside world.
The hermit kingdom, still under the rule of one family.
(MUSIC PLAYS THROUGH CREDITS)