Inside North Korea: Rare Footage of Daily Life in the DPRK (1995)

On 3 May 1995, ITN's cameras were given a rare opportunity to enter the hermit state of North Korea, officially named the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Having historically closed itself off to the world, in the mid-90s a number of factors including the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union (North Korea's primary source of economic support) and the 1994 death of national founder and 'Great Leader' Kim Il Sung led North Korea to reach out to the world. This coincided with South Korea's implementation of a 'Sunshine Policy' of cooperation and reengagement with its northern neighbour as well as international efforts to bring North Korea into the world community, primarily through sports. Days before this footage was captured, World Championship Wrestling produced Collision in Korea, also known as the Pyongyang International Sports and Culture Festival for Peace. The professional wrestling pay-per-view event took place on 28 and 29 April 1995 at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium. Around the same time, North Korea invited Western nations to attend a mass gymnastics display at the Kim Il Sung Stadium to mark Korea Day.

Accepting the invitation to witness the Korea Day celebrations, ITN's cameras captured a great deal of footage of Pyongyang and the nearby suburb of Mangyongdae, revealing something of the rhythms of life in the country's governing district. Perhaps more significant, however, is what ITN's cameras were not allowed to capture on their one-day visit. Had the crew been able to venture further outside of Pyongyang, they might have seen something more of the realities of daily life for North Koreans. The country was, at the time of filming, in the grips of a nationwide famine. The loss of Soviet economic support saw a sudden drop in food supply and production, which was made worse by a series of floods and droughts. A year after ITN captured this footage, North Korea finally accepted UN food aid, though the crisis continued to worsen for another two years. It is estimated that during the North Korean Famine of 1994–1998, between 240,000 and 3.5 million people died of starvation and related illnesses.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:41 The border: Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) and the Joint Security Area (JSA)
00:12:16 Border city of Kaesong
00:18:47 Women at work: Kaesong textiles factory
00:30:02 Collectivised farm outside Pyongyang
00:34:32 Rakwon department store, Pyongyang
00:42:50 Riding the Pyongyang Metro
00:52:32 Korea Day celebrations at the Kim Il Sung Stadium
01:13:47 Pyongyang Housing
01:17:32 Playing games
01:24:30 Back in Rakwon department store
01:35:59 Pyongyang Maternity Hospital
01:38:58 Chimneys and smog: The city from above
01:41:15 The Arc of Triumph
01:42:53 Children learning at Mangyongdae Children's Palace
01:56:47 Putting on a show
02:07:34 Birthplace of Kim Il Sung
02:09:36 Mangyongdae funfair
02:25:40 Taekwondo demonstration
02:29:10 Kwangbok Street (Liberation Street)
02:35:07 Mourning the Great Leader
02:39:53 Taedong River
02:42:22 Juche Tower

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