The Most Dangerous Cult in the World: North Korea

The largest cult on earth has over 25 million followers, the 4th largest army in the world, and a nuclear arsenal. It also has bowling alleys and karaoke bars, and regularly hosts international marathons. Under three generations of iron-fisted dictators, the so-called Hermit Nation disconnected from the rest of the world, but with the rise of western-educated Kim Jong-un, North Korea is rapidly modernizing. Is the country bracing for change? What is life like in an isolated, rogue state? And is there any point in negotiating with a hostile, nuclear-armed enemy? Join Shane and Duncan for a nuanced exploration of the most feared and vilified country on earth.

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In this episode: 

• The First Sino-Japanese War
• The Military Police Reign Era
• Kim Il-sung, the Tiger
• Kim Joins the Soviet Army
• World War II and Pearl Harbor
• Establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea
• The Korean War, 1950
• Armistice, 1953
• Syngman Rhee and South Korea
• Juche
• Kim-Il-sung's Cult of Personality
• Kim and the Titanic
• The Rise of Kim Jong-il
• Cult of Kim Jong-il
• Mount Paektu
• Collapse of the Soviet Union
• North Korean Famine
• The Rise of Kim Jong-un
• Purging of Enemies
• The Execution of Jang Song-thaek
• The Murder of Kim Jong-nam
• North Korean Economy
• The Black Market
• The Drug Trade
• Counterfeiting
• Cyberwarfare
• Reforms 
• Sanctions
• Nuclear Capabilities
• Life in North Korea
• Life in Pyongyang
• The DMZ (the 38th Parallel)
• North Korean Myth Busting

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Episode Transcript

 

~ KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, AND SLEEP IS OVERRATED ~