Reporter granted rare access inside secretive North Korea | 60 Minutes Australia

If you thought the name-calling between North Korea and the United States couldn't get any more ridiculous, this week set a new standard in the fast nation that sentenced President Donald Trump to death for apparently calling its leader Kim Jong-un short and Normally, This type of behavior would be dismissed with a smile, but in 2017 tensions on the Korean Peninsula rose to the most dangerous level ever seen, the threat of nuclear war is real and Australia is in the crosshairs of the North's missiles after months of negotiations. News correspondent Tom Stein was given unusual permission to travel to North Korea for the first time, where he discovered a country whose people are not only prepared for conflict, but are fully aware that it could mean the end of the world. .

This is North Korea as it projects itself to the world. nation marching in unison ready to defend it later at all costs do you think a third world war is a possibility here? Who knows that our country has nuclear weapons and that Donald Trump is going to attack us? But tonight we show you a North Korea like you've never seen before as we delve into the most

secretive

state in the world at a time of unprecedented tension who is the enemy Millikan Junkins American Yankees in the midst of a nuclear standoff that has implications for all of us Rocketman is on a suicidal mission for himself and his regime with unpredictable leaders and a growing war of words we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea it is the most serious threat to world peace in decades at the moment it is Launch 10 missiles that are equivalent to 1,000 Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs that will survive in this world, not in Australia, no one in the United States, the world will end as we know it.

It's

rare

for foreign journalists to have

access

to North Korea at the best of times, let alone now, be careful with your cameras. I'll tell you we can. take photos or not, it's okay, an ever-present team of miners carefully monitors our every move and a highly orchestrated tour led by government official Joo gyeong Jacques. The problem is that most Westerners have no idea what is going on here. Get to know the reality of our country. What is the reality? Our reality is that we are enjoying a normal, comfortable and happy life here and we get our way, so I believe that with one mind we can pave the way to a final victory under wise leadership. from our respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Hoon I was last in Pyongyang two and a half years ago and the changes are striking from new streets to grandiose buildings like the SciTech complex that celebrates the technical achievements of the regime at its heart is a replica of a unit precursor to intercontinental ballistic missiles that can now reach the American continent because we are very proud of the result of this base Rock Lee the successes in the science of fillers because it means that we are developing and now we are becoming a space power and that type of its economic power, we are ready.

Pyongyang is the showcase capital of one of the poorest countries in the world, home to the nation's privileged elite, but as you leave the city you will see a very different North Korea,

rare

ly seen by foreign eyes. We are on our way 200 kilometers east of One Sun City, a bumpy 5-hour drive through poor farmland and dark tunnels. We stopped briefly at a cafe where the walls are covered with photographs of North Korean missile launchers. Are you excited when you see that they have tested a nuclear weapon, that's all, it's excitement. I am beyond excited because we were weak, but now we are strong, single hearted unity, great leadership and we have ICBMs, so I usually tell Donald Trump, come, come, come. for me i will strangle you with my H bombs well on a sun we find fishermen fighting for space to eat at random we talk to kim yeongcheol who has lived here for 15 years donald trump is like a dog who barks at the moon immediately he launches the conversation towards politics, as you've seen on TV, reports that Trump is talking nonsense like he's going to kill us all, oh we have our Supreme Leader, so even if Trump blows all his guns, even if the sky falls falls, we are not afraid of its beaches. and a relaxed atmosphere Kim Jong-un has designated one of his sons as North Korea's future vacation spot, but foreign visitors are few and far between on the headland, the regime has built this huge new international airport because in they actually hope to establish it. a billion dollar tourism industry in this country, but given the current climate, it's no surprise that not a single airliner has landed there yet, but the views aren't going to go to waste because, while no planes have taken off from there, many missiles have been one of them.

Sun is one of the regime's main missile test sites. Nearly 40 have been fired from this area as North Korea or the DPRK develop their ability to strike targets around the world. Is there anything the world should fear from the DPRK because, from my perspective, the thing that scares a lot of people is the fact that it is now armed with nuclear weapons. I think not at all, no, sir, but there is a thread. It is a temporary change in the world. It's not from the DPR Korea, but from Donald. Trump, so I think we need to get rid of this threat, we need to get rid of Donald Trump.

I see how you feel when you hear Donald Trump say that he wants to destroy your nation. All Trump is going to turn our skyscrapers into ashes. total destruction of Korea, every citizen, every member of the Korean nation is God and has been angered by many Donald Trump, so if Donald Trump decided to attack his country, what would happen? I believe the next step will be the destruction of the United States. No matter how young or old everyone here marches to the rhythm of the regime, North Korea's brightest students are rewarded with a stay at the 2-1 children's song, there is plenty of fun on offer, from football to robots that They seem very confident, the Australian guy, but they like it.

Kids everywhere can't get enough of video games. What are you teaching these children? Do you teach them the technique? I teach guerrilla warfare. The tactics Chemisant used to defeat the Japanese army. The surprising thing is that children also see these games as practice for war. What do you like about this game? I'm so happy to kill Americans, so you dream it's an American and you're shooting Americans, Japanese and South Koreans, they are the enemy of the Korean people, over and over again we are shown a carefully staged scene. performances by Pyongyang's most talented students there is a rigid discipline growing up here that is difficult to understand as an outsider Students at Pyongyang Foreign Studies University learn English through tapes with a distinctly American accent we are allowed to speak with peers disgusting class and at least he Although our caretakers insist that we avoid anything political, what changes have you seen in Pyongyang in recent years under the wise leadership of the respective supreme leader that Kim Jong won?

Our country has become a modern and very luxurious country, and yes, in recent years. In a couple of years many miracles have occurred that have transformed our country into a country with problems and with our people enjoying the benefits of socialism, but a seemingly simple question is much more difficult to answer for you, who learn here, You come to Foreign Studies, what about the rest of the world? that interests you so much restore all the other countries you know foreign countries what interests you about foreign countries is not that simple um I don't completely understand you get your approval for foreign studies you have studied a foreign language foreign languages ​​What about other languages ​​and other countries that you do they seem interesting?

Should I say it? There are no special comments. It's okay, if they say what they want, there will be problems. They'll kick you all out of Kenya if you say, "Oh, I don't like it." leader and then Oh, North Korea is a bad country so no, it's going to be huge for what soon for them Julie knows very well the expectations of the regime who now lives in Seoul escaped from North Korea at the age of 16. What would happen to you if you returned to Pyongyang tomorrow, what would the government do with a serious public execution?

I mean, now I'm talking about North Korea. Okay, this will be broadcast on television, so this interview will be broadcast in North Korea and outside of this man. Describe exactly exactly. I mean, if I go back to North Korea, first of all, the Norton government can be torture, and then they forced me to announce a certain kind of script written by the government. You don't seem scared by this, well, actually, someone has to tell me. This I mean the truth, I mean the North Korean government tried to hide the truth, they try to hide the sky with their palms but they can't hide everything that comes out, the world will end as we know it, but isn't it crazy What is North? master plan just across the border from here North Korea there are over 10,000 rocket launches ready one name the US military on high alert if war breaks out tomorrow are you guys ready to go?

I think we and the South live under a constant threat that they have to fear the day you might have to put one of these on, the next one in 60

minutes

, when I got to South Korea, I was so confused that people were so nice, really, yeah, so kind, and I mean it was kind of a culture shock. a hat these days Julie enjoys a freedom she never knew existed in her previous life in North Korea since fleeing the country in 2002. She has worked tirelessly to expose the hypocrisy of the regime that creates a country for only 10% of the total population.

They say that 90% are slaves North Korea is a country but I can say that North Korea is a prison the brutality of the regime is notorious and not only how it crushes any sign of dissent from within in February the world was stunned by the brazen murder of Kim Jong in Malaysia UN exiled half-brother Kim Jong-nam, on VX nerve gas, demonstrated to many how erratic and ruthless the North Korean dictator really is. What do you think of Kim Jeong-hoon? Well, the international community continues to say that Kim Jong-un is very unpredictable. He is very irrational, but my perspective Kim Jong-un is very predictable.

He is very rational. He is smart. Yes, in terms of protecting his own regime. That's why he is developing a nuclear weapon. Do you think he wants war? He will not attack America first. He will do it. Not to attack South Korea first, but if South Korea and the United States can try to use the military option, then they will attack with tensions rising. The US military has been stepping up its preparations for war. Just this week there was a massive show of force by three planes. Carrier strike groups off the Korean Peninsula, drawing the ire of Pyongyang, two kilometers from the North Korean border, we joined US Marines as they maintained their shooting skills and conducted drills about the possibility of war chemistry.

Well, we hear a lot about the prospect of nuclear war. It's actually a conventional war, which is much more likely at first just across the border from here. North Korea has more than 10,000 rocket launchers ready and pointed south and in the first days of war here more than a million lives could be lost if war breaks out tomorrow, are you ready to go? I think we are, regardless of the environment, these Marines have to be prepared for anything. Colonel Moore Hennigan is the commanding officer of the Combat Logistics Regiment. The Marines that are here today are actually working on their basic infantry skills every day.

Marine is a rifleman so they have the opportunity to go out and shoot and in multiple environments there is some irony in this because they would hear those gunshots in North Korea, yes they sure would and in fact we can hear them every night. whether it be the radios that are playing or just everything that is happening on the other end of the line, so yes, it is not lost on anyone with tensions on a trigger, there is a fear that the region could be dragged into a war Accidentally, we have arrived in South Korea. Yongbyon Island, just 10 kilometers from the North Korean mainland, is home to 2,000 people and 2,000 marines stationed here to protect them.

Seven years ago, the island came under a hail of North Korean artillery fire that killed four people and injured 20 and followed a military exercise in the south, which Pyongyang viewed as aggression. So how long have you been living on the island? For about thirty years, local guesthouse owners Seungyeon och had the scariest day of their lives. The entire city was covered in black smoke. a sea of ​​fire, it was a cutting verse, it seems that it really had an effect on you, yes, in fact, not only me but all the people in the town. South Korea hasalmost 20,000 air raid shelters spread throughout the country.

A very heavy door, it's not until you get inside that you understand how scary it would be to have to use a huge shelter. This shelter is equipped to accommodate 530 villages, a quarter of the island's population, for three days. It is sealed against conventional chemical and biological attacks. We are as prepared as possible because we have been through this before you must fear the day when you have to put on one of these. I hope that never happens. We have heard so many threats from Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. Does that sometimes make you worry about your safety here?

I don't feel completely safe Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. I'm afraid to say it like that, but they are both a bit cyclical and they don't seem like more people to me. Kim Jeong-hoon, our leader, is simply doing the only thing that the small country - a small country with 25 million inhabitants - can do to ensure its survival. His only life insurance is nuclear deterrence. Alexander's Kalibans are the unofficial spokesperson for the North Koreans outside the Hermit Kingdom was my guide the last time I visited North Korea this time I have to catch up with him in Barcelona after the Spanish government imposed a travel ban on him.

We declare that there will be no world without Korea if the DPRK if North Korea is attacked. clearly on the part of the United States the response will be nuclear too so you will simply destroy the world if the United States the one who will destroy by launching a nuclear attack or North Korea we simply respond The moment you launch 10 missiles that are equivalent to 1,000 bombs from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who will survive in this world, not Australians, not Spaniards, no one in the United States, the world will end as we know it, but it is not that madness, the madness is that the United States tries to conquer the world and try to destroy other societies madness is acting like an emperor and the other countries serving that emperor and contributing troops and money for the end of the world that is the madness that arises here is where the battle line is effectively drawn a warning to Australia that they will not be able to avoid disaster and discover the real behind North Korea in politics.

I get to know the people and they are fantastic people. High five, oh yeah, Mitchell, the only time on this trip. I don't mind sitting down. on my shoulder yes, I wish it would go down and it's terrifying, next in 60

minutes

in North Korea you can take photos, yes, we visited the demilitarized zone that separated this divided Peninsula for more than 60 years, yes, the flags of the countries that They attended. The cream under the name UN so to speak, here rival soldiers stare at each other on what is considered the most dangerous border in the world.

This is effectively where the battle line is drawn. Almost the most tense place on Earth right now. This is very serious Australia stands with the Republic of Korea in solidarity against the provocative and illegal behavior of North Korea just weeks before our visit, the Australian foreign and defense ministers were positioned on the southern side in a move that angered Pyongyang. I want to repeat it. Some of the articles that were written by our country's Foreign Ministry spokesperson in case Australia continues to follow the United States. By imposing military, economic and diplomatic pressure on the DPR Korea, despite our repeated warnings, they will not be able to avoid disaster.

Australia will not be able to avoid disaster. So you think that if Australia engages in any action against the DPRK, it will also be detrimental to Australia. The depolarization of our approach seems to have made us a target. I don't accept that. I don't think Estrella is a primary target. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop believes North Korea is using its nuclear arsenal to force the world to rescue North Korea. She has used coercive blackmail as a negotiating tactic in the past and is stepping up her ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs to put herself in the best negotiating position.

The government's official line is that Australia is heading for disaster, no doubt that worries them a lot. I didn't say I wasn't worried, isn't that a problem we are dealing with? I just want to read you a couple of quotes from Donald Trump, he has threatened to unleash fire and fury like the world has never seen, she says. is going to totally destroy North Korea, Kim Jong-un called him little rocket man and also referred to him as short and fat, and really the kind of diplomacy that you want to get hooked on certainly has a reaction in North Korea And trade. of the insults is that it doesn't really help the cause, what President Trump's intervention has done is bring China into the discussion in a very direct way and I think that will be part of the most successful strategy that we have seen today, so think. that language is really beneficial I said I'll use my words the language has made Beijing recalculate its strategy its risk and now China is deeply involved and I think that's beneficial there are some lighter moments on our trip to North Korea another side of life here that the regime is eager to promote.

Do you think I can win today? I have been invited to participate in the Pyongyang marathon, surely one of the most unknown sporting events in the world. What do you think of the participation here? This one is very small. big marathons in April that had more than 1,100 Western runners, that's, I think, 20. Nick Bona has run a tourism business here for more than two decades. How much of that do you think is people who are a little worried about the situation here? I think it's yes, part of it is also because Americans can't visit us anymore, so that's 20 percent less, yes, and it's the current situation that has definitely affected tourism and behind all the politics, I have You know the people and they are fantastic people, politics aside. yeah I wish it would come down and it's very scary after a North Korean misfire we hit the sidewalks of Pyongyang it really is nice to just be outside it's really the only time on this trip I don't mind sitting on my shoulder. all the while watching every free move here so you can't help but feel that an event like this is very much a charm offensive by a regime that is constantly paranoid about how it is perceived to be betting its chest on the outside world and subduing his people. to an endless barrage of propaganda, well we got some of that here, they still produced this kind of crap, it was everywhere, oh my god, oh do you mind that my crazy translation of the song is for North Korean defectors?

Juli grew up saying this. kind of stuff every day we kill USA and our target is GSA this is the end of our enemy but this is just part of your everyday life isn't it growing up with these images of USA? be massacred, yes, exactly, I mean, this is not just a post-courtesan ending in the textbook, your textbook in every shop window, yes, of course, I mean, that's North Korea, that's the channel , but that's the way it is, I mean the brainwashing way. People before we leave soon Julie has something to show me her two dogs symbols of peace and unification of hope that one day the two races will come together something Julie believes that if change is to come it must be from within if the international community attacked Korea Northern people will stand united around their leader and then fight until the last person exists.

Military intervention cannot be a solution, but my solution is to send information, give them power, give them information and then make them choose their future to not bomb North Korea. with missiles bombard them with information and knowledge. Yes, I mean, knowledge has power because it is stronger than the weapon. If there is one thing you would like us to bring to Australia about your country, what would it be? I hope TBT doesn't have a line from Australia. People in Australia feel that Koreans in the DPR are really friendly and peace-loving people. Our country's nuclear deterrent is not to attack another country, including Australia.

Our nuclear deterrence is to protect our service from nuclear threats from our side. press you need a strainer to take a seat hello I'm Tara Brown thanks for watching to keep up to date with the latest news from 60 Minutes Australia. Make sure to subscribe to our channel. You can also download the 9 Now app to watch full episodes and other exclusives. 60 minute content.