To watch in HD, get ClipCafe PRO
Back in 2006, we interviewed a North Korean defector
Please log in to add to collections.
Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling

Back in 2006,we interviewed a North Korean defector who had spent time in one of the...

Back in 2006,
we interviewed a North Korean defector who had spent time in one of the notorious
North Korean prisons, and he described it
as just an absolutely heinous and insidious place to be,
and so the thought of my sister going there
was just unimaginable

Full Transcript

00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.043
Back in 2006, we interviewed a North Korean defector
00:00:04.003 --> 00:00:05.068
who had spent time
00:00:05.074 --> 00:00:08.029
in one of the notorious North Korean prisons,
00:00:08.036 --> 00:00:15.023
and he described it as just an absolutely heinous
00:00:15.029 --> 00:00:19.001
and insidious place to be, and so the thought
00:00:19.999 --> 00:00:22.001
of my sister going there was just unimaginable.
Duration
22 seconds
Views
37
Timestamp in Movie
00:35:35
Uploaded
Jul 06, 2025
Genres
documentary
Production
National Geographic

Want This Clip in HD?

Upgrade for HD/4K downloads and unlimited access. Upgrade now →

Movie Summary

In 2006 NG correspondent Lisa Ling traveled to North Korea under the guise of a humanitarian program that performed eye surgeries. With unprecedented access she exposed us to this closed, authoritarian society. Since then the coun...
And I was terrified, I was absolutely terrified. - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:05
And I was terrified, I was absolutely terrified.
The judge shouted, "No forgiveness, no appeal." - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:10
The judge shouted, "No forgiveness, no appeal."
I was standing at a podium, and I just clutched onto it - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:06
I was standing at a podium, and I just clutched onto it
"I don't know what it is that you want, - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:18
"I don't know what it is that you want,
We don't want to antagonize the North Koreans, - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:07
We don't want to antagonize the North Koreans,
And one of the first things I said to my sister was, - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:21
And one of the first things I said to my sister was,
And so, in a phone call to my sister, I asked, - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:12
And so, in a phone call to my sister, I asked,
I mean, there was a period of just silence, - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:14
I mean, there was a period of just silence,
After that first phone call, I sort of launched - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:09
After that first phone call, I sort of launched
Knowing how sensitive the North Korean government is, - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:10
Knowing how sensitive the North Korean government is,
I knew that we had to communicate to the North Korean government - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:21
I knew that we had to communicate to the North Korean govern...
I devoured each and every word, memorized every letter that I received. - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:06
I devoured each and every word, memorized every letter that ...
"I so desperately wanted to reach right through the phone when you called - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:06
"I so desperately wanted to reach right through the pho...
Lisa always expressed messages of deference and respect - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:10
Lisa always expressed messages of deference and respect
After Vice President Gore - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:08
After Vice President Gore
It was a secret mission to North Korea, and it all happened very, very quickly. - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:07
It was a secret mission to North Korea, and it all happened ...
Images of President Clinton landing in North Korea - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:06
Images of President Clinton landing in North Korea
And there to greet him was a-a jubilant-looking Kim Jong Il. - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:08
And there to greet him was a-a jubilant-looking Kim Jong Il.
It became pretty apparent to me - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:07
It became pretty apparent to me
And I heard the North Korean newscaster, - Inside North Korea: Then and Now with Lisa Ling 00:11
And I heard the North Korean newscaster,