North Korea's girl dad dictator
6/22/202626 min
North Korea has been led by a string of vicious dictators — all men. But Kim Jong Un seems to be auditioning his daughter for the job.
This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King.
A TV screenshot of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's daughter attending a parade for North Korea's 75th anniversary. Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images.
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First 90 secondsNoel King· Host0:00
Some of the most enduring images of North Korea are these satellite pictures taken at night. You've probably seen them. The neighboring countries are ablaze with the lights of cities and towns, but once you hit North Korea's borders, it's just black. Everything's dark. North Korea is very poor and has very poor infrastructure, that includes electricity, because of years of sanctions from the US and other countries aimed at punishing it for its nuclear program. Until now, that's how we've understood North Korea, but The Wall Street Journal recently reported a staggering statistic. Last year, in the capital Pyongyang, more than 10,000 homes were built. That's more than were thrown up in either Los Angeles or Chicago. Something is happening in North Korea.
Tim Martin· Guest0:43
The image that's been painted for us by recent visitors to the North Korean capital is an economy that's on the uptick, an economy that's thriving, and that was hugely surprising to us.
Noel King· Host0:54
Coming up on Today, Explained from Vox, boom times in the Hermit Kingdom.
Speaker 30:58
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