Inside North Korea

A BBC Radio Documentary Collection

By: Becky Milligan, David Torrance, Sara Jane Hall

Narrated by: full cast, David Torrance, Becky Milligan, Jonathan Griffin, Natalia Zuo, Matthew Bannister

A compelling collection of programmes exploring one of the world's most repressive and dangerous nations.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a highly secretive totalitarian state - and one that poses an increasing threat to the West due to its rapidly expanding nuclear weapons programme. This unique three-part collection takes an in-depth look at the country, encompassing its history, the human stories behind the regime and its possible future.

Part One: 'Inside North Korea' examines the politics, economy and leadership of this isolated nation. The Real Story: How Dangerous Is North Korea? discusses whether the country's increasing military belligerence rules out any hope for engagement with the rest of the world, while The Inquiry: Is North Korea Broke? investigates how the state makes its money, from coffee shops to counterfeiting. And in two Profile programmes, David Torrance and Becky Milligan scrutinize the Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, and his sister and closest confidant, Kim Yo-jong.

In Part Two: 'The People', North Koreans and Westerners recount their experiences. Assignment: Escape from North Korea talks to the forgotten survivors who made it across Asia's iron curtain, while The Documentary Podcast: North Korea's Celebrity Defectors discovers how these escapees have become a valuable commodity in South Korea. Seven fascinating Outlook documentaries focus on the extraordinary stories of ordinary individuals. Trending: North Korea's YouTube Stars looks at the vloggers uploading footage from inside the hermit kingdom, and in an episode of HARDtalk, American missionary Kenneth Bae tells of his arrest and imprisonment in a Pyongyang labour camp.

Part Three: 'Looking Forward' asks, what next for North Korea? Three engrossing episodes of The Inquiry delve into the regime's missile capability and its global repercussions; reveal the conversations inside the war rooms; and consider whether China may hold the key to getting North Korea to step back from its nuclear ambitions. Finally, A Korean Thaw revisits the 2018 Winter Olympics, when North and South Korea competed under a single banner, and poses the question, could sports diplomacy stop a war in the peninsula?

Cast and credits:

The Real Story: How Dangerous Is North Korea? presented by Ritula Shah. First broadcast BBC Radio World Service, 16th October 2020.

The Inquiry: Is North Korea Broke? presented by Celia Hatton. First broadcast BBC Radio World Service, 24th May 2018.

Profile: Kim Jong-un presented by David Torrance. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14th April 2012.

Profile: Kim Yo-jong presented by Becky Milligan. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2nd May 2020.

Assignment: Escape from North Korea presented by Chris Gunness. First broadcast BBC World Service, 14th May 2003.

The Documentary: North Korea's Celebrity Defectors presented by Jonathan Griffin and Natalia Zuo. First broadcast BBC Radio World Service, 26th March 2020.

Outlook: I Fled North Korea for Playing the Wrong Song presented by Rajan Datar. First broadcast BBC World Service, 26th March 2020

Outlook: I Led a Street Gang in North Korea presented by Matthew Bannister. First broadcast BBC World Service, 13th October 2016.

Outlook: A Woman Inside North Korea's Army presented by Matthew Bannister. First broadcast BBC World Service, 28th September 2017.

Outlook: My Time with North Korea's Dictator presented by Matthew Bannister. First broadcast BBC World Service, 4th April 2018.

Outlook: I Spied for North Korea presented by Lucy Ash. First broadcast BBC World Service, 21st October 2013.

Outlook: Escaping North Korea Twice presented by Jo Fidgen. First broadcast BBC World Service, 5th March 2018.

Outlook: I Want to Go Back to North Korea presented by Matthew Bannister. First broadcast BBC World Service, 30th September 2015.

Trending: North Korea's YouTube Stars presented by Jonathan Griffin. First broadcast BBC World Service, 6th April 2018.

HARDtalk: Former North Korea Detainee - Kenneth Bae presented by Stephen Sackur. First broadcast BBC World Service, 28th August 2017.

The Inquiry: North Korea Deep Dive presented by Ruth Alexander. First broadcast BBC World Service, 22nd December 2017.

The Inquiry: What Would War with North Korea Look Like? presented by Neal Razzell. First broadcast BBC World Service, 27th July 2017.

The Inquiry: Can China Solve the North Korea Problem? presented by Neal Razzell. First broadcast BBC World Service, 21st September 2017.

A Korean Thaw presented by Jean Lee. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12th February 2018.

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