Inside North Korea

Highly recommended is “Inside North Korea,” a one-hour documentary that has been playing this week on the National Geographic Channel and will be repeated Sunday at 4 p.m., and perhaps at other times as well. The documentary was made by a film crew that accompanied a Nepalese eye doctor on his mission to North Korea to operate on people with cataracts; while the crew followed the doctor around, closely watched by “minders,” they surreptitiously filmed other aspects of North Korean society as well. The film focuses on the amazing personality cult of Kim Jong Il that dominates the behavior and feelings of the North Koreans. They don’t just follow this man as their Leader, they love him and adore him in a deeply personal, heart-felt way, seeing him as literally the source of all good. For example, when the bandages come off the eyes of the cataract patients and they can see, the first thing they do is bow to the picture of Kim Jong Il thanking him for restoring their sight. They don’t thank the doctor at all.

This is an example of the kind of subject matter that cannot be adequately conveyed by the printed word. My niece, Anna Auster, is the editor of the program.

- end of initial entry -

Paul K. writes:

I was so impressed with this program that when it was repeated I made a point of videotaping it to keep. My congratulations to your niece.

The film crew visited a grandmother at her home before she got her operation. The level of tension in the family was palpable, and as they talked about their love of Kim Jong Il the strain in their faces was obvious, as if they were afraid it might appear that they didn’t love him enough. Later, as the patients thanked the Dear Leader after their operations, there was a quality bordering on hysteria. It reminded me of the classic Twilight Zone episode in which a town is ruled by an all-powerful six year old who punishes everyone who fails to think happy thoughts.

My only concern is that making this film under the cover of the visit from the surgeon performing cataract surgeries may cause North Korea to ban such missions of mercy in the future.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at March 10, 2007 03:40 PM | Send