Product Details

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: National Geographic Video
• DVD Release Date: March 20, 2007
• Run Time: 52 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000M2E34K
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,098 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

INSIDE NORTH KOREA - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Made me cry, December 6, 2007

By 

Robert Ryder - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic - Inside North Korea (DVD)

Everyone should see this documentary about what must be the worst country in the world. I can only say what so many others have said about this film.

BUT! There was one thing I noticed. The lack of respect Miss Ling and her cameraman showed sometimes. Their behaviour could've put others in GREAT danger. The first thing was when the camera man lied down on the ground to photograph a statue of Kim Il Sung. They put the guide and the security guard in GREAT danger by doing that. It was easy to see how scared he was when he said he had to leave the country. The guide/guard is the one who'll be accused for letting foreigners behave that way, and might be sent to a gulag camp. (Ms Ling and the crew must've known that it was forbidden in the first place!)

The other thing was when the team visited the old blind woman, and Ms Ling first asks what's the favorite picture of the great leader, and then asks if the great leader can do anything wrong. Had ANYONE of the North Koreans answered those questions in ANY way, it would've meant fatal consequences for them! The North Korean family had no less than six observers observers watching them, and even a fraction of doubt in the faces could've been seen as doubt to the regime. This could've meant DANGER for the family. Consentration camps, torture, execution etc.

I couldn't stop wondering what happened to the North Koreans who appeared in this movie after the film crew left. I can only hope nothing did, but I also fear the worst.

So to Ms Ling and her crew: Remember not to put your objects in danger!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelieveable - A real eye-opener., March 23, 2007

By 

Keith Thode (Detroit, Mi USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: National Geographic - Inside North Korea (DVD)

It's hard to imagine a society so repressed and isolated where you and your entire extended family can be placed in prison for life merely for questioning the "Dear Leader"(Kim Jong Il). This documentary revolves around a Nepalese doctor who brought his team and equipment into North Korea to perform cataract operations on 1000 blind North Koreans, and in the process, teach North Korean doctors the procedure. A news team posed as part of the medical team. Also includes interviews with defectors.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Primer/Introduction to the DPRK, May 25, 2007

By 

KorLing (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: National Geographic - Inside North Korea (DVD)

Overall, this is a very well done production by National Geograhic and can serve as an effective introduction to the DPRK. National Geographic did a fine job covering all of the basics in terms of the history of North Korea, the Kim regime and their personality cult, the Juche philosophy, and the current state of affairs on the Korean peninsula. However, it did it all without any great detail. In that regard, this program could be considered a primer of sorts for the non-expert.

While there are some excellent interviews with North Korean defectors that provide interesting insights, from my perspective, the program's biggest weakness is the fact that it is less than an hour in length and tends to leave the viewer "wanting more." The other negative in my opinion was the choice of Lisa Ling as their correspondent. Granted, North Korea is a world unto itself and though Lisa Ling did a good enough job presenting information, there were numerous times throughout the course of the film where it became clear that she was a little out of her league (for instance, a few of the questions she asked the "typical family" whose home she was allowed to visit, were just ridiculous).

The film also does a nice job illustrating the high level of ideological indoctrination typical of the population. However, even that should be taken with a grain of salt simply because in a society that repressive where strict obedience is the difference between life and death, no outsider will ever be able to know for sure just how much of the ideology the average North Korean citizen actually believes in their heart of hearts and how much of it is merely parroted back as a means of survival. However, at this stage, perhaps that point is moot.

On balance, this is an excellent introduction to the "Hermit Kingdom," and highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in the one of the most closed societies in the world.