This is a rare glimpse into the life of North Korea.
The report comes from journalist Lisa Ling, whose sister, Laura Ling, was recently released from prison there during a visit from former United States President Bill Clinton.
Lisa Ling and her crew obtained access to the sealed country by following a Nepalese eye surgeon and pretending to be part of his crew documenting his experience.
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It is almost surreal that North Koreans are slavishly devoted to “Great Leader” Kim Jong Il despite the hardships they endure.
The country has faced famine and still deals with malnutrition while Kim lives the high life.
In one of the documentary’s strangest moments, dozens of people who had been blind from cataracts kneel to and praise Kim once their bandages are off and they can see again.
And, Lisa Ling notes, it is difficult to determine the true faithful from the fearful and that more than 50 years of indoctrination has blurred that line significantly.
Kim’s cult of personality is so deep that he pervades every aspect of the average North Korean’s life.
The documentary shows interviews with several people, some of whom are defectors to the west.
One of those people used to be a prison guard and tells how, while being trained as a guard, he was instructed to regard prisoners as subhuman. He also said that North Korea would collapse if the many work camps there were to close.
As Lisa Ling says, this communist country would probably simply be a small anomaly except for the fact that it has nuclear weapons.
This is an interesting glimpse into probably the most insular nation in the world.
“Inside North Korea,” a National Geographic production, is available on DVD.
Murphy can be reached at: Lojano@comcast.net