With North Korea taking up a majority of headlines the past week I thought this would be a good time to share the VBS.TV Vice Guide to North Korea on the Bloglin. I just get the sense that many of us read these headlines about “North Korea and their grave threats against the U.S. and our allies” but don’t truly understand what utter shambles North Korea is in and that much of these threats are cries for attention and their way of get humanitarian aid for their people while “saving face”. Granted that’s a very over simplified explanation of the situation my part.

Traveling into North Korea is next to impossible… so forget trying to report and document the life and politics of the country first hand. The country is about as closed off from the rest of the world as you could get. Their people in the dark about almost anything and everything happening outside North Korea. No internet, no Facebook, no Twitter, no western music, movies or books from the last I don’t know 20 or 30 years? And even then only those screened and approved by the government as acceptable.

Vice co-founder Shane Smith managed to sneak his way into the country not too long ago and was able to do his best to secretly document the life of North Koreans, their cultural differences from the rest of the world and the steady diet of propaganda they’re fed by the Great Leader. The entire documentary is broken up into 3 short 20 minute parts that are pretty quick, enjoyable (save for the Nooka commercials) and funny watches that you should be able to sneak in during your work day! If you get caught just say that it was educational!

- My Pal the Crook