“They told me that I might get charged with a criminal offense for shooting-so now I’m shooting a bit more quietly”

These guys have some fucking balls. Still filming this after police said they say don't. I would be shitting myself

“You’re a lier, you lied to me” How did Shane even survive after a line like that

When the tour guide snickered at Shane's comment about cigarettes being bad for everyone, that was the most genuine moment I had seen from a North Korean (one who is still living in the country, anyway).

This is back when vice actually did cool shit. Now they just show you how to smoke weed out of vegetables.

If these people went to South Korea or America they'd have a sensory overload.

The tour guide being drunk, laughing at, “they’re bad for everybody.” 🤣 that was great. That was the first genuine emotion I’ve seen in any NK doc.

this is legitimately hard to watch, how awkward and insane it all is. I'm sure Shane felt the same way. it's like he had to embrace the craziness to even operate

im sorry but can we take a small moment to appreciate the balls on this man not only is he risking his life to go to the most dangerous of places on earth but also he barely shows any signs of fear while doing it props to you mate

"Korear"

"crazy food, politics, crazy food, politics.." Sounds like a a heaven on earth for my uncle

The sad part of this is that even though I appreciate the insight they brought us about north korea, they actually put in danger everyone they filmed who must´ve been blamed and/or punised for not noticing,... just my guess

"How can they have nukes? They don't have electricity." what a sad sad country

If this documentary has made anything clear, it must be that the North Koreans are beautiful, loving people, no different from anyone else. The problem is that these beautiful, loving people are born into an insane asylum. I could have been born there, you could have been born there. It's just bad luck that these people happened to have been born into the real life version of 1984.

I know Vice isn’t exactly the most unbiased media network, but it is extremely entertaining to watch on the weekends.

Back when vice wasn’t owned 26% by Disney, you can already tell the difference in documentaries.

How those guys didn't get thrown out is beyond me.

7:04 that honestly breaks my heart, They are normal good people, who have no idea how unlucky they are when it comes to these kinds of freedoms we taken for granted. I really hope one day the government falls there, and those people finally get the freedom they deserve.

10 years later and this is still gold

I don't think "proud to be an American" was sung that night at the karaoke bar.

Save tea girl plz

"One day we will be re-united" Me: yea, I think North Korea will make a fine United State one day. Guard: wow, ok.

It’s now 2022 and I’m just here to remember when vice has balls to do this kind of journalism

Man i miss the old vice, these documentarys were the best.

Mr. Lee: *singing his heart out* Shane at the dinner table: 👁️👄👁️

I love how he went there giving 0 shits and left, if I went I'd be over anxious and somehow be mistaken for a spy and killed 😄

It’s sad you can see the genuineness with some of the people shown here, and yet none of their skills will ever get used to its fullest potential because of a Communist regime called North Korea.

I wonder what Mr. Lee's rating on trip advisor is.

"they hate every nation" *puts Teletubbies decoration in their bar

These blokes have balls of steel. Filming quietly even when told off by angry guards and laughing at the threat of gross insensitivity charges while STILL in North Korea. Brave souls.

Ah old vice. Unbelievable footage, with the writing quality of a high school sophomore book report.

Funfact: the metro train is the old S-Bahn (electrical train) of Berlin. These Trains made it somehow to north korea.

Me: *sitting on the toilet watching this* “Wow that’s crazy.”

6:46 when the lady started clapping off beat with him i lost it😂😂 8:57 Same with "why goodnight?"

Respect to this man for what he accomplished At the same time being mindful that the guards / tour guide and possibly their families could be in danger after all this.

When the electricity goes out they look up at the ceiling, shake their fists and say “ Damn Americans”.

North Korea is like playing a open world videogame without any NPCs

It's pretty scary that the "hostess" at each venue is under the whim of the visitor. Like what if the tourist got really drunk and assaulted the hostess? I bet if she fought back she would be in huge trouble with the government. I also wonder what the guides would say of you tried to ask them about their life and where they live, what they like to eat, etc.

The man at the bar looked so depressed

8:13 Mr Lee is drunk as fuck and loving it XD Poor guy probably only gets that pleasure a few times a year!

"demilitarized zone" - only people working there is military and guards

The bit at 17:30, just before the end, nobody moves until Il Sun does. A subtle show of power

Imagine showing up to the DMZ on the north korean side after doing the trip to the south korean and just goofing around like some kinda frat boy in front of the same soldier who was like "don't point, don't breath, don't start wwiii"

Be grateful you won the birth lottery and didn’t end up in NK I feel especially for the women, but ultimately this place is hell on earth for anyone, humans or animals.

I love how the North Koreans have Samsung air conditioners/fans. Context: Samsung is a S Korean brand.

I had quite a similar experience on my all-expense paid, government-organized study-abroad program in China. Though clearly not as extreme, our stay seemed oddly catered to us as well, at several points. We were of course shown the best parts of each city and area we stayed at, but it could not all be hidden. On our way to a southern city, and the city we would spend most of our stay at studying, we took a bullet train that flew through rural areas filled with things like rice farms. I had to look away several times from the window because I would see children not only working in the fields, but bathing in them. When we got to the city, there were barriers set up that attempted to hide crumbling and impoverished areas. After talking and bonding with many of the Chinese students there, some of them opened up to me about the reality of it all. The whole trip was actively attempted to hide and paint over the blatant poverty and hell that occurs to most of their people. But I learned something, and it is something still worth remembering forever: they really are not that much different than how you and I are, here in the West. In fact, many of them knew more about certain aspects of American culture, like basketball or music, than I ever did. They appreciated a lot of the same things that we do, and they are simply just people, like you and me, who live under a very oppressive government. Here's to hoping that relations can be repaired again with China and that their people can get the care and support that they all desperately deserve.

This is the best KZfaq series I’ve ever watched. I’ve never been interested in North Korea… until now.

Imagine visiting the DMZ that day and you look across and just see one random white dude and a cameraman waving at you. It'd be so confusing.

I think for the time you were there, you literally doubled the number of overweight persons in the entire country.

Vice really used to push the envelope and bring new and exciting journalism to the table. I wish they’d go back to that

Some of the best content on KZfaq...🔥🔥

I'll say one thing, the DMZ from the North Korean side does look like more fun. Imagine the look on a South Korean soldiers face when he sees a white guy on the North Korean side giving him the finger.

It looks like they are trying so hard to fake a normal life as a human being and show it to the world which is something that they know nothing about.

At 5:38 we can see the Griddy first be performed 🤣😂

Fascinating. Thanks for posting.

Mr. Lee got TURNT lol

I googled the International Friendship Museum for shits and giggles. Guess what one of the presents is? A VHS copy of SpaceJam. I have no words.

I love how he just dosen't show any fear at all even after he got threatened to be accused of crimes that can get you like 20 years of hard labor

I love how they cropped the picture in the thumbnail. So happy I live in a country where I can see things like that without risking my life

for some reason this made me really wanna fuckin visit north korea

They keeping saying 1968, 1951 and shit, i thought they believed it was year 105.

That good ol' raw vice journalism.

It's been 14 years and this is still great

9 years and im still amazed with this documentary

I really like the vibe of this guy. He just has no fucks to give.

I've really learned a lot about our neighbours. Thank u VICE

north korean technician: yo how much reverb you want on this? bar owner: yes

this guy has some balls to talk and act the way to north Korean officials

I feel so sorry for the tea girl she's soo cute!

I'm WATCHING this and it feels more surreal by the moment. Can you imagine actually BEING this guy and trying to make it through all of this undetected?

LoL @ minute 06:38 looks like he is watching his drunk grandparents up-all-night karaoke bash after winning at Bingo earlier that night, and their hearing aids are off unable to hear the feedback... but he sure can. Hilarious, man.

I'd go to North Korea just to hang out at the state-sanctioned karaoke bar.

Him: 'goodnight' Guard: how dare you, I see you tomorrow This country is weird...

Me watching: “What a horrible, oppressive, inhumane regime!” Me 5 seconds later “Paaaangaaapsumnidaaaa🎶🎶🎶”

I feel like when I first saw this I didn’t realize they could have been put inside camp for multiple things until that college kid was locked up and died from inhuman treatment . I hear but never know the full extent. I’d be paranoid and anxious the entire time.

No, North Korea did not stop the largest power in the world, the Chinese army did.

lol, north Korea hates south Korea. but, north Korea's AC is samsung

I watch this like once a year.

Ok but you gotta admit, that candle show was pretty impressive in terms of getting in formation.

this guy has balls

Didn't see one overweight North Korean... Only one exception, The Great Leader, but in fairness, a 25ft statue, can add ten pounds!! 😂 Speaks volumes...

Damn dude ! Shane Smith had some real guts to film all that stuff in the world's most secretive and unpredictable country.

8:53 "Is North Korea a gamer nation?"

at 8:30 you can really see how much these people are trained to be unhappy and never show emotion. Shane just made the guy laugh so he turns around and has a stone look on his face like nothing ever happened. I bet most of these people are great individuals but we or they will ever know that.

The women are absolutely beautiful. They are picked that way for these public positions.

Vice then: Literally goes to NK and films. Vice now: Fred Armisen Meets Tiny Aliens

Bring back the OG vice content

"Cigar is bad for me" - Puts Cigarette in mouth -

It's sad to see that the vice of today stemmed from this great work in journalism. Shane was once a great, non biased journalist with immense courage and integrity. I wish vice would go back to its roots

Shane is my favorite journalist in Vice

Mr. Lee is a tour guide and all of a sudden a singer (6:23), HAHAHAHAHAH MR LEE WHAT ARE YOU DOINGGG

Teletubbies made it to north korea 8:39

The way they say Korea, Kareir

those lonely, widepan shots of shane really show how alone him and his filmer are, they could be kidnapped at any moment, especially at that time where summer vacation trips wherent as "common" as today, truly a dystopia

16:12 I've watched a lot of documentaries about North Korea. One thing that's stood out to me is that you never see injured people in Pyang Yang. No little kids with a cast. No one in a wheel chair. Not even a bandaid. This guy using crutches on the stairs in the background is literally the only exception I've seen so far.

This makes me really sad. Even the higher ranking people are living a life I wouldn't wish for anyone... Their entire purpose and being seems so empty.

8:50 Mr Lee was drunk off his ass 😂😂😂

I like to think that Mr. Lee was listing in to the conversation they were having while walking down the hallway

"I'm not Forced to Dance For Korear! I am dance not in fear but dance is my career" long live rocket man, my favorite dictator

It’s now 2020 and I’m just here to remember when vice was awesome