Travel deep into the world of Kim Jong-un, one of the most ruthless men on the planet

In some ways, North Korea is the closest thing to a unknown land in the 21st century.

While it is possible to locate him on the map and basic information is available for anyone who wishes to search for him, the country ruled by the Kim family since over 70 years ago remains a mystery that generates fascination and horror in equal parts.

And in this scenario, there is no greater conundrum than the one surrounding its current ruler, Kim Jong-un.

Driven by the desire to spy behind the Korean veil, the National Geographic channel has embarked on the production of the series North Korea on display, composed of five documentaries. The first of them opens on February 1.

Between nuclear weapons and cyberattacks, an episode dedicated to Kim, the current 36-year-old strongman of the “hermit empire” who is only the third person to rule the country, could not be missing.

Titled The mind of a dictator, the 120-minute documentary retraces Kim’s life from her Korean childhood and adolescence in Switzerland to the present day, possibly already made up in the The most enigmatic and ruthless leader on the planet.

“Our intention was to try to put together a a slightly more complex portrait of this man, which we sometimes judge in a one-dimensional way, ”said the executive producer of the documentary, Kate quine, during a press conference via Zoom in which he participated Bugle.

“We are determined to study how his years in Switzerland have been, what we believe is the key to understanding who he is, and what dilemmas he faces,” he added.

A story that encompasses the crimes with which the regime supports itself economically with the the leader’s devotion to Hollywood films. “We found out that Kim’s bodyguards were running next to the limo because they love the Clint Eastwood movie, In the line of sight. A way of reproducing Hollywood in its own way, ”explains David Glover, the producer of the documentary who was also part of the interview.

If there is anything that sets Quine and Glover’s position apart, it is their predisposition to looking at Kim as a complex and contradictory man, drawn if you wish between two poles which shaped it and which coexist within it.

On the one hand, the brutal family inheritance received from his grandfather and his father, the fierce Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, who created and perfected the reign of terror that reigns in North Korea.

His place within this dynasty would clash with the experiences he had during the years he lived in Switzerland, where he could be a normal young man in a western country who went to school, smoked with his friends. and he lived his passion for basketball without worries.

“Kim Jong-un is going through a dilemma: wants to be a legitimate ruler, but at the same time she is strongly conditioned by the history of her family, ”says Quine by way of summary.

Dreaming of Madison Square Garden

Like all mortals, many clues about Kim Jong-un are in their childhood. The documentary traces the Korean leader’s formative years as the pampered son of Kim Jong-il, a childhood brimming with luxury but seemingly devoid of affection.

Young Kim was not allowed to interact with other children and their his first playmates were his bodyguards. In fact, the documentary features an interview with a bodyguard who spent time with him as a child and managed to escape North Korea.

Perhaps the most notorious discovery of the documentary is obtaining testimonials from people who shared Kim’s life during her years in Switzerland. The story of a former classmate is told, who speaks publicly for the first time during his visit to the leader in North Korea, as well as the abandonment that Kim suffered by her uncles, who in those years passed themselves off as her parents.

“One fine day, his uncles decided to defect to the United States. They left in the middle of the night without saying anything and they left Kim, who at the time must have been around 13 years old. It’s impossible to know how an episode like this must have marked him at such a young age, ”Quine says.

Despite this episode, the impression of the years spent in Switzerland left an indelible mark on Kim. “The only person in the world who is friends with Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump is Dennis Rodman. And Rodman says one of Kim’s dreams is to someday see an NBA game at Madison Square Garden“, comments Glover.

“There is clearly a psychological push in him, and this is already a personal opinion, but I think his attempts to reform North Korea are genuine, and are based on his own experiences,” he adds.

Despite these inquiries into the leader’s dilemmas, the brutality of the korean regime he still flies. Stories of purges, torture and disappearances of disgraced political figures circulate amid all the significant political episodes that are recounted.

In this universe, the murder of Kim, Jong-nam, half-brother of Kim Jong-un, at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017 appears as the most significant event due to the sophistication of the attack coordinated by North Korean agents.

“The story of the woman who was recruited to murder Kim’s brother is fascinating. She thought she was on a TV show that played street pranks, and he never knew he was going to kill someone. When you read this you cannot believe it is true. When you meet her and the circumstances she was going through, you come across an incredibly moving story, ”explains Quine, who adds that they will see each other in the documentary. the whole airport shoot where the attack is shown.

While there is only speculation as to possible reasons why Kim Jong-un had his half-brother murdered, the suspicion that he was transmit information to the CIA About the Kim family comes to the fore as a compelling reason when considering the history of North Korea.

“Animosity towards the United States is a factor that comes across as a family heirloom, which is understandable at one point. North Korea was bombed so brutally during the war in the 1950s that some have even said the country seemed a ‘lunar surface’ “, Glover said.

From Trump to the future

The three meetings with Donald Trump were Kim Jong-un’s first serious foray into the world stage.

According to data collected by documentary filmmakers, the Korean leader had high expectations at the Hanoi summit to be able to reach some sort of deal with the former President of the United States that would allow him lift the sanctions against North Korea.

“The details of the Hanoi summit are incredible. Kim took a huge risk with this initiative, but it failed. The frustration is palpable in the fact that they got up on the spot and did not touch the food. John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, also told us what it was like to experience this moment in Hanoi when everyone realized that no settlement could be found. It was a dramatic moment, ”says Quine.

Without Trump in the White House, it’s hard to predict what will happen to US negotiations with North Korea. However, documentary makers believe that there is still a window open for possible negotiation.

North Korea: the spirit of a dictator premieres Monday, Feb.15 at 10 p.m. on National Geographic.