New Yorkers Touring North Korea

During my normal searching around of material concerning North Korea, I came across a video series put out by the online production group Vice Broadcasting System (VBS). This seems to be the visual arm of the guys who produce the Vice Magazine, a counter-culture type publication that loves to poke fun at conventional wisdom and society. One of their most popular items are their Vice Travel Guides that take people into controversial locals like Baghdad or Sudan from a perspective normally not covered. For example, during their trip to Iraq, they followed around the only Iraqi heavy metal band in the country. Using the creative talents of Spike Jones, they have put together a website of some pretty humorous stuff, although a lot of it isn't for the feint of heart.

The guys and gals over at VBS managed to negotiate a trip inside the heart of North Korea. Now, from what others have told me, the tour they were given is the one typically given to tourists and its one that is meticulously scripted to give the best impression to visitors. However, the commentary of VBS co-founder Shane maintains a bit of perspective about what is really going on all around him. Pretty interesting stuff. I've posted part 1 of the 14 part series (each about 4-5 minutes) below. Make sure to not miss part 14 where Shane sings "Anarchy in the UK" karaoke style before his North Korean handlers. The entire series can be found here.