Two Korean-New Zealanders have produced a documentary on North Korea to highlight the “human side” of the country.
Sarah Lee and Inah Kim decided to produce the documentary after travelling twice to North Korea before the Covid-19 pandemic and discovering that life there was different from how they expected it to be.
“When we think of North Korea, we only think of nuclear weapons, starvation and human rights breaches,” Lee said, speaking to the New Zealand Herald.
“I think many will be shocked, just like I was when I went to North Korea, that life is pretty normal.”
The documentary “Insight: Into North Koreans” shows how North Korean citizens live, work and relax.
Lee said she was surprised to see that people could move freely around, dine out and most even had smartphones, although with no internet access – only to the country’s internal network.
“I could talk to the locals because we speak the same language, and they were really warm people,” Lee said. “The people we met are at odds with how North Koreans are stereotyped.”
Because few North Korean citizens had been out of the country, they frequently asked Lee what life was like in the South. Most were just curious about her family background and if she had any ties with North Korea.
Despite heavy sanctions, Pyongyang has a growing consumer class.
“North Koreans are determined to get on with their lives, but I guess they are happy because they don’t know any better,” Lee said.
“However, I feel they deserve better and I hope our documentary will in a small way help them get there.”
The documentary is a project of the social charity group Reconnect, and will focus on people who have built friendships with North Koreans, including Roger Shepherd, a Kiwi specialist in hiking in North Korea.
Image credit: NZ Herald
