Welcome to North Korea (2001)
Welcome to North Korea, a 2001 International Emmy award-winning documentary, directed by Dutch filmmaker Peter Tetteroo and his associate Raymond Feddema, offers a chilling and surreal look at the all-too-real conditions in modern-day North Korea. The film takes viewers on a week-long journey in and around the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, revealing the stark contrast between the regime’s propaganda and the harsh realities faced by its citizens.
The Grotesque Reality
- Starvation and Deprivation:
- The filmmakers spent ample time in North Korea, capturing the stark contrast between the conspicuous nonuse of modern trappings (such as cars and public facilities) and the widespread starvation and deprivation afflicting a significant portion of the population.
- The North Koreans have no opportunity to compare their existence with the outside world due to the near-total cutoff of news and free transportation.
- The Cult of Kim Jong II:
- The one predominant feature of this oppressed nation is the omnipresence of statues, sculptures, and iconic paintings of North Korea’s Communist dictator, Kim Jong II.
- Kim Jong II has gone to great and sometimes ruthless lengths to convince his subjects that he has inherited godlike powers from his equally divine father, the late Kim II Sung (whose mummified body still lies in state, à la Lenin).
- A Grotesque Fairy Tale:
- Welcome to North Korea could easily pass as a grotesque fairy tale, out-Grimming anything found in Grimm.
- The film reveals the absurdity and tragedy of a nation cut off from the rest of the world, where propaganda and oppression reign supreme.
Legacy and Ongoing Isolation
- Welcome to North Korea remains a stark reminder:
- It exposes the human cost of totalitarianism.
- It urges us to question the boundaries of reality and propaganda.
As we grapple with global tensions and the plight of the North Korean people, this documentary serves as a haunting glimpse into a world where truth is stranger than fiction.
