heyjoe: the whole time you had no intention besides dissing them, and you wonder why they don't want to let you in
this is journalism at its most pointless
19 days ago
WujouMao: Good Doco mate. hey, you know all that wasted food in the hotel was paid for by you. well, i wouldnt think the government would splash out on all that food, only for it to be chucked away.
makes you laugh. for a country that hates america, why have a pool table with spots and strips balls!!
25 days ago
notjoelschneier: My students got a real kick out of the Guide to North Korea episodes. Kudos on getting across the border in the first place. Students did have this to say though: Cut down on the condescending Westerner crap. And they're high-school dropouts, too.
25 days ago
SteveCassidy: Love the discussion on "fried matter". Was hoping to get an encore for KJI's birthday (2/16).
25 days ago
wingedsoul: Shane: "Okay, I've come to crazy land."
lol, I cracked up sooo much during this documentary.
27 days ago
Balcacer: How can I send a postcad to the tea girl, she is so sweet !!!! In mad in love with her. No joke !!!
29 days ago
Balcacer: Postcard, Shane great job on this Korea film. Keep the good work. How about doing an extended film about the Dominican Rep ? Why is it so different from Haiti. Why it seems the powerfull nations wants to merge Haiti - DR ???
29 days ago
freeandfun1: Loved the doc. Was stationed at Panmunjom/Imjingak (north of the River) for three years (three consecutive one year tours) in the 80's and fell in love with the Korean people. I travel to Korea about six times a year and have since 1992. I've always wanted to go to North Korea and hope to do so one day. The people of NK are going to get the shock of their lives whenever the countries finally unite. I must honestly say I thought it would happen by now, but since it hasn't, I worry if peaceful unification can ever take place.
Korea is my second home and the Korean people my adopted family. I pray one day the peninsula can be united under an open and free system.
about 1 month ago
pmcgerald: This is insane! I agree that it is so sad that those "prodigious" children are only used to serve their country at whatever they were chosen for. Great documentary.
about 1 month ago
goodluck4287: Thank you so much. I found a link on Digg to the CNN story about this and found my way here.
This is an amazing documentary. I'm glad you are getting the credit you deserve on CNN, thanks for risking so much to bring this to us! I think this video is of immeasurable value.
about 1 month ago
jch: love this series! showed part of it to my seventh grader students, and they were incredibly into it....!!! :)
pshap555: Bravo. Many thanks to Shane and the rest of the crew who risked their safety in order to bring us this incredibly insightful documentary. It's incredible how much effort the DPRK puts into the creating the mere appearance of wealth and prosperity. Makes you think about what the country might be like if they made that investment in their people... You have to be very careful about a country that defines itself by what it is not. What is North Korea? Well, many things: it's NOT imperialist America, it's NOT vulnerable to invasion by any foreign army, it's NOT deprived of food, it's NOT hated by the rest of the world, etc. It is unsustainable for a government to establish its legitimacy in this way, and I think our generation will be around to witness an Iranian-style revolution in North Korea. Great work all around! Looking forward to exploring the rest of the website!
about 1 month ago
wilothewisp: I lived in South Korea for two years during the eighties and have kept up with news from the two Koreas since then. Ex_Presidents is dead wrong to think that North Koreans don't care what we think--everything the NK Govt. does is a show created specifically to make us think that they are powerful, modern etc. They are an empty shell. Even though they have a giant standing military, we could take them out rather quickly--the only reason we don't is the damage that would be done to the South and possibly Japan in the process. So, we wait for dear leader to die and hope for a more open leader to take over eventually.
about 1 month ago
Oakcliff214: the banquet room and the placing of food for nonexsistent patrons really just weirds me out, I dont understand the logisitics behind this
LumaNatic: "Good God we're going to North Korea." - hilarious! lol, funny how North Korea will make the atheist of atheists get religion, lol (not saying that anyone is or isn't an atheist *disclaimer* lol)
EX_PRESIDENTS: @scrood, who would you want to go to NK and investigate their every day behavior? you are everything that you hate about this video. Have you ever been to NK? Or even china for that matter? what does propagandist for status quo even mean!!?? What is the status quo in America? Just fill me in. If you can tell me that then you are a fucking genius and I will retire as an Ex Prez. NK does not want us to like them, nor do they give a shit what we have to say on any matter. Those people are bonkers bro....get into it. Oh yeah and you must have rolled your eyes about 20 times in your little spiel.
cacophobia: i want a dvd of this and of the liberia one. come on vbs...gimmie!
about 1 month ago
JT1989: It never ceases to amaze me with idiots like scrood posting. Vice goes and makes perhaps one of the best docs on NK ever made - and I know I have watched most of them - Shane singing Anarchy in the UK is maybe one of the best cultural statements I have ever seen. Its a Vice Guide totally unique and great, then come all these people saying that he should be more objective and show more of this or that.... First of all its Vice he can say whatever he wants. The fact that he ISN"T like mainstream media is what makes it special. And to the second point, they don't let journalists in to NK so the fact that he has this at all is amazing. I think that VBS is one of the freshest and best new entities on the media landscape and Shane is obviously their star. Scrood your are a pathetic little fuck sitting at your computer offering up meaningless critique to something that most of us realize is the best shit out there.
about 1 month ago
shanedd: This is not an accurate documentary as I stated in an earlier post, I was there for 9 days in August 2009 and the impression of NK in terms of danger to foreigners, the difficulties in getting to NK, and being the only foreigner in the country are greatly overstated. They do allow journalists into the country, but there are extreme restrictions as to when they can visit. US journalist Bradley Martin has visited it on seven occasions (and he identified that he was journalist prior to visiting) so it can be done.
I like irreverence in programs - actually I love it. What I find inexcusable in this one is that they identified the guides who showed them around the country. NK is extremely sensitive to the way it is observed by and portrayed by visitors (which is why they control the movements of foreigners so strictly), and this video definitely portrays NK in a negative light. By identifying the people who allowed this video to be shot is likely to cause them great difficulties - more then we can possibly imagine. This is not responsible reporting in any form, regardless of whether you agree with the style of this program - shameful.
29 days ago
Zelios: @scrood
Yeah, I bet you think Pol Pot was a national hero too.
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heyjoe: the whole time you had no intention besides dissing them, and you wonder why they don't want to let you in this is journalism at its most pointless
19 days ago
WujouMao: Good Doco mate. hey, you know all that wasted food in the hotel was paid for by you. well, i wouldnt think the government would splash out on all that food, only for it to be chucked away. makes you laugh. for a country that hates america, why have a pool table with spots and strips balls!!
25 days ago
notjoelschneier: My students got a real kick out of the Guide to North Korea episodes. Kudos on getting across the border in the first place. Students did have this to say though: Cut down on the condescending Westerner crap. And they're high-school dropouts, too.
25 days ago
SteveCassidy: Love the discussion on "fried matter". Was hoping to get an encore for KJI's birthday (2/16).
25 days ago
wingedsoul: Shane: "Okay, I've come to crazy land." lol, I cracked up sooo much during this documentary.
27 days ago
Balcacer: How can I send a postcad to the tea girl, she is so sweet !!!! In mad in love with her. No joke !!!
29 days ago
Balcacer: Postcard, Shane great job on this Korea film. Keep the good work. How about doing an extended film about the Dominican Rep ? Why is it so different from Haiti. Why it seems the powerfull nations wants to merge Haiti - DR ???
29 days ago
freeandfun1: Loved the doc. Was stationed at Panmunjom/Imjingak (north of the River) for three years (three consecutive one year tours) in the 80's and fell in love with the Korean people. I travel to Korea about six times a year and have since 1992. I've always wanted to go to North Korea and hope to do so one day. The people of NK are going to get the shock of their lives whenever the countries finally unite. I must honestly say I thought it would happen by now, but since it hasn't, I worry if peaceful unification can ever take place. Korea is my second home and the Korean people my adopted family. I pray one day the peninsula can be united under an open and free system.
about 1 month ago
pmcgerald: This is insane! I agree that it is so sad that those "prodigious" children are only used to serve their country at whatever they were chosen for. Great documentary.
about 1 month ago
goodluck4287: Thank you so much. I found a link on Digg to the CNN story about this and found my way here. This is an amazing documentary. I'm glad you are getting the credit you deserve on CNN, thanks for risking so much to bring this to us! I think this video is of immeasurable value.
about 1 month ago
jch: love this series! showed part of it to my seventh grader students, and they were incredibly into it....!!! :)
about 1 month ago
devildee: bravo!!!
about 1 month ago
pshap555: Bravo. Many thanks to Shane and the rest of the crew who risked their safety in order to bring us this incredibly insightful documentary. It's incredible how much effort the DPRK puts into the creating the mere appearance of wealth and prosperity. Makes you think about what the country might be like if they made that investment in their people... You have to be very careful about a country that defines itself by what it is not. What is North Korea? Well, many things: it's NOT imperialist America, it's NOT vulnerable to invasion by any foreign army, it's NOT deprived of food, it's NOT hated by the rest of the world, etc. It is unsustainable for a government to establish its legitimacy in this way, and I think our generation will be around to witness an Iranian-style revolution in North Korea. Great work all around! Looking forward to exploring the rest of the website!
about 1 month ago
wilothewisp: I lived in South Korea for two years during the eighties and have kept up with news from the two Koreas since then. Ex_Presidents is dead wrong to think that North Koreans don't care what we think--everything the NK Govt. does is a show created specifically to make us think that they are powerful, modern etc. They are an empty shell. Even though they have a giant standing military, we could take them out rather quickly--the only reason we don't is the damage that would be done to the South and possibly Japan in the process. So, we wait for dear leader to die and hope for a more open leader to take over eventually.
about 1 month ago
Oakcliff214: the banquet room and the placing of food for nonexsistent patrons really just weirds me out, I dont understand the logisitics behind this
about 1 month ago
Oakcliff214: p.s pointing is rude
about 1 month ago
LumaNatic: "Good God we're going to North Korea." - hilarious! lol, funny how North Korea will make the atheist of atheists get religion, lol (not saying that anyone is or isn't an atheist *disclaimer* lol)
about 1 month ago
OhHeroin: very good documentary.
about 1 month ago
EX_PRESIDENTS: @scrood, who would you want to go to NK and investigate their every day behavior? you are everything that you hate about this video. Have you ever been to NK? Or even china for that matter? what does propagandist for status quo even mean!!?? What is the status quo in America? Just fill me in. If you can tell me that then you are a fucking genius and I will retire as an Ex Prez. NK does not want us to like them, nor do they give a shit what we have to say on any matter. Those people are bonkers bro....get into it. Oh yeah and you must have rolled your eyes about 20 times in your little spiel.
about 1 month ago
OhHeroin: well stated
about 1 month ago
cacophobia: i want a dvd of this and of the liberia one. come on vbs...gimmie!
about 1 month ago
JT1989: It never ceases to amaze me with idiots like scrood posting. Vice goes and makes perhaps one of the best docs on NK ever made - and I know I have watched most of them - Shane singing Anarchy in the UK is maybe one of the best cultural statements I have ever seen. Its a Vice Guide totally unique and great, then come all these people saying that he should be more objective and show more of this or that.... First of all its Vice he can say whatever he wants. The fact that he ISN"T like mainstream media is what makes it special. And to the second point, they don't let journalists in to NK so the fact that he has this at all is amazing. I think that VBS is one of the freshest and best new entities on the media landscape and Shane is obviously their star. Scrood your are a pathetic little fuck sitting at your computer offering up meaningless critique to something that most of us realize is the best shit out there.
about 1 month ago
shanedd: This is not an accurate documentary as I stated in an earlier post, I was there for 9 days in August 2009 and the impression of NK in terms of danger to foreigners, the difficulties in getting to NK, and being the only foreigner in the country are greatly overstated. They do allow journalists into the country, but there are extreme restrictions as to when they can visit. US journalist Bradley Martin has visited it on seven occasions (and he identified that he was journalist prior to visiting) so it can be done. I like irreverence in programs - actually I love it. What I find inexcusable in this one is that they identified the guides who showed them around the country. NK is extremely sensitive to the way it is observed by and portrayed by visitors (which is why they control the movements of foreigners so strictly), and this video definitely portrays NK in a negative light. By identifying the people who allowed this video to be shot is likely to cause them great difficulties - more then we can possibly imagine. This is not responsible reporting in any form, regardless of whether you agree with the style of this program - shameful.
29 days ago
Zelios: @scrood Yeah, I bet you think Pol Pot was a national hero too.
about 1 month ago