CHASING BANDOS presents
NORTH KOREA
10-part Podcast mini-series
My fascination with the most isolated country in the world started in my early 20s and systematically progressed. Visiting Pyongyang in 2019 was one of most memorable experiences in my life. On the mini-series I want to share stories from different people somehow connected to North Korea. Enjoy their stories.
HOW TO GET NORTH KOREA 10-PART SERIES?
It's simple! For a price of coffee - £5 - Use PAYPAL to transfer
Please use PAYPAL to transfer £5 to gregabandoned@gmail.com and put a note: NORTH KOREA along with your email address. The file containing all North Korea episodes will be sent to your email address.
Episode 10:
Undercover in North Korea for 10 years, Alejandro Cao de Benós is a psychopath, tragic fate of Otto Warmbier and exposing North Korean criminal activities with Ulrich 'THE MOLE' Larsen.
Ulrich ‘The Mole’ Larsen went undercover for more than 10 years infiltrating the Korean Friendship Association (KFA) and exposed North Korean regime weapons program, drugs and how North Koreans avoid international sanctions. He is the main protagonist of the award-winning Danish documentary The Mole: Undercover in North Korea. In the interview he describes his extraordinary journey, his motivation behind the project and he sends a direct message to his former ‘friends’ at KFA.
Social Media: ulrich_themole_larsen (Instagram), TheMoleUlrich (Twitter)
References: Ulrich Larsen – The Mole (Wikipedia)
Episode 9:
All defectors are brainwashed and everyone is lying about North Korea but Korean Friendship Association (KFA) members with Dermot Hudson
On today’s episode we welcome Chairman of United Kingdom Korean Friendship Association Dermot Hudson. Dermot is a British political activist with close relations with North Korea, he is the president of the Association for the Study of Songun Politics and he featured in short film ‘A Friend of Kim’ (Happenstance Films). This was crazy, mind-boggling and fascinating !
Social Media: SONGUN007 (YouTube), KFA United Kingdom (Facebook), Dermot Hudson (Facebook)
References: Korean Friendship Association (Wikipedia)
Episode 8:
Informing and empowering North Koreans is how to overthrow Kim Jong-un regime with Jieun Baek
Jieun Baek is a fellow at the Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School and a founder and director of the nonprofit organization called Lumen. She is the author of a book ‘North Korea’s Hidden Revolution’ as well as ‘A Policy of Public Diplomacy with North Korea: A Principled and Pragmatic Approach to Promote Human Rights and Pursue Denuclearization’.
Social Media: JieunBaek1 (Twitter), jieunbaek412 (Instagram)
References: Lumen (Website), jieunbaek.com (Website), North Korea’s Hidden Revolution (book)
Episode 7:
Escaping North Korea with Seohyun Lee
Interview with ‘freedom fighter’ and ‘North Korean “Kim Kardashian” Seohyun Lee who defected from North Korea. Seohyun shared stories about her childhood, realities of growing up and living in Pyongyang and her reason for escaping. She talks about family and school life, public executions and debunks myths and stories surrounding North Korea.
Social Media: Pyonghattan (YouTube), pyonghattan (Instagram), pyonghattan (Facebook), Pyonghattan (Twitter)
References: Conversation with the Pyonghattan Siblings: Hyun-Seung and Seo-Hyun Lee
Episode 6:
Studying Korean language for 6 weeks in North Korea with Simon Haywood
Interview with Simon Haywood who shares his incredible and unique experience of studying Korean and living in Pyongyang for over 5 weeks. He was able to document and photograph daily life of citizens of the most isolated country in the world. Simon shares stories from his time in North Korea, among them the time where was all by himself running through the streets of Pyongyang.
Social Media: sihaywood (Instagram)
Episode 5:
North Korean escape stories, reasons for defecting and the issues facing afterwards with Seoul-based photographer Tim Franco
Tim Franco is a French-Polish photographer who moved to China where he started documenting the country’s incredible urbanization and its social impact. In 2016, Tim Franco moved to South Korea where he started working on a long term project about North Korean defectors. He is the author of a book called ‘Unperson – Portraits of North Korean Defectors’. In the interview Tim talks about realities of escaping North Korea and what the whole process looks like. Tim shared his insight into what issues North Koreans are facing upon defecting to the South and he shared what he had learned from interviewing North Korean defectors.
Social Media: timfranco (Instagram), shanghaiphotographer (Facebook), timfrancophotos (Twitter), shanghaisound (Flickr)
References: timfranco.com (Website), inlandstories.com (Website)
Episode 4:
Zoe Stephens is a North Korean tour guide. Zoe talks about what it like to visit North Korea and discusses perceptions and preconceptions about China and North Korea. She shares stories about Pyongyang and debunks many North Korean myths.
Social Media: zoediscoversnk (Instagram), Zoe Discovers (YouTube)
References:
Episode 3:
Linguistic differences between North and South Korean and the South Korean perspective on the North with polyglot Judy Um
Interview with a linguist and polyglot Judy Um who is based in South Korea. Judy discusses the differences between both Koreas from the linguistic point of view.She also shares her insight of what North Koreans are facing after successfully arriving in the South. Judy describes her take on the subject and gives her opinion on the attitude of South Koreans towards the North.
Social Media: judylinguist (Instagram)
References: judylinguist.com (Website)
Episode 2:
Documenting Pyongyang's hotels and what is fake and what is true when you go on the trip to North Korea with James Scullin
James Scullin is a former tour guide in Berlin and in North Korea. He shares his perspective on his experience as a tour operator in Pyongyang and he discusses what it is like to visit North Korea on an organised travel trip, what tour like that is like and what can you expect from this experience. While inside North Korea James convinced his North Korean tour guide friends to let him document and photograph hotels in Pyongyang.
Social Media: hotelsofnorthkorea (Instagram)
References: hotelsofnorthkorea.com (Website)
Episode 1:
Helping North Koreans re-settle after their escape and explaining defectors needs and issues with 'Liberty in North Korea' Director Sokeel Park
Sokeel Park is British-born and now Seoul-based director of non-profit organization called ‘Liberty in North Korea’ which helps North Korean defectors re-settle after their escape. He worked for the Korean government and the United Nations before joining ‘Liberty in North Korea’, where he is charge of research and global media outreach. He belongs to the community of Global Shapers of the World Economic Forum and has lectured about North Korea around the world. He works with North Korean and non-North Korean experts to develop analysis and strategies to accelerate change and opening in North Korea and is involved in briefs policymakers and the South Korean and international media on North Korean issues.
Social Media: LibertyinNK (Twitter), libertyinnorthkorea (Instagram), Liberty in North Korea (Facebook), Liberty in North Korea (YouTube), Sokeel (Sokeel’s Twitter Account)
References: Liberty in North Korea (Website), Liberty in North Korea (Wikipedia)
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