My university semester in North Korea - BBC News
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Alessandro Ford went on a gap year with a difference; he was the first western student to study at Kim Il Sung university in North Korea. He told BBC World Service Newshour programme what he learned during his stay. (All photos courtesy Alessandro Ford)
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Kudos to this guy for talking without moving his mouth or even moving at all.
DeadTroperSociety ikr pretty amazing
That's a part of supreme leader's "re-education".
Nah it's a picture you silly goose
@@Ben.N Wow you are dumb omgggg!!!! that is joke omg!!! 🖕🖕🖕🖕😳😳😳😳😳
RakaZet - Black Squad are you okay...?
I don't know who's braver, this guy for going over to NK or the other students for asking him questions about the outside world.
good one
both I guess..
Don't mistake stupidity for bravery.
I'd be careful with polarising things, sure everything's highly censored and all that but they lead thier own normal lives too, people with curiosities too not all robots.
+Quack Dragon
Not to mention that those are already the elite.
I bet this makes for an interesting resume.
Resume? This makes for an interesting anything. You go on a date and say "I studied in North Korea", you're not going home alone that night! :P
Going back home with two blown up Kim dolls
@AXOM l SHADOW no such thing
Or a questionable one
For what job though? Lol
I didn't even know they accepted international students ..............
Tiffany Zette I was also unaware. Very interesting and eye opening interview nonetheless
Ah he said there seems to be a lot of Chinese students but I guess it's uncommon to see students from western countries
Yep. Juche Travel Services is offering a summer language programme this year
I know USA makes alot of propaganda
They do. Don`t know what the point of that, but they do.
That North Koreans can make a mental separation between the American government and American people says a lot, many Americans have trouble making that distinction with other people.
Oftentimes, it's this sense of growing up in an oppressive regime...you start to differentiate between the "state" and the "people", wherein one is almost an artificial facade and the other is the reality. Their empathy is reflective of the cut-off, suppressed life they live. It seems that compartmentalisation is almost normal in such a scenario.
Not really. I feel awful for the North Korean people. I hate their government.
I'm sad to admit, I'm quite jealous of this guy. I think going to North Korea for "education" would be very eye-opening.
+StephenB indeed
Fools, you'll be destroyed
StephenB I was born in Tehran. Going to Iran is more eye opening. I would be glad to travel with you.
What being told false history
Yeah literally eye woman in the reeducation centres
6:09 translation "Did you smash in your time there?"
Tom Neville lol
Translation answer: "I've tried, but no. They're scared of me."
Tom, there are still standards for broadcasting, somehow. For now.
@um mapping That was great. I don't think people got the joke.
Went to school with this Lad Ford for 10 years. He was a chill kid, fair play to him for being brave enough to try a semester abroad in PyongYang of all places.
Wow
Imagine seeing in his resume "studied in Kim Il Sung university"
It sounds like North Koreans have much the same opinion of westerners and the US government as westerners do of North Koreans and their government. North Koreans don't hate westerners but they think they're being brainwashed by their government, and westerners in general think the same of North Koreans.
Its a pity how true this is with the Trump administration
@@noellow1190 Explain further if you have an actual point to make. He went to an exclusive university they are so scared to let any reql info out...
@@noellow1190 I hardly think Trump is brainwashing the US or turning it into some expansionist evil empire as the north koreans believe. The way the US government works the President doesn't really have enough power to even do that much, he only controls 1/3 of the federal government.
The feeling is mutual situation
@@468erpeashooter9 Under Trump, America is getting there.
Look at the racism he encourages regarding Muslims and how minorities should be treated. He actively de-ligitimizes the media when they don't portray him favorably just so he can only have positive things said about him (something many authoritarian leaders do btw), and people listen and act upon what he says. Look at the people who have tried consuming disinfectant during COVID-19 because "our President said so". Same deal with how minorities and muslims are viewed. Trump always tries to brainwash America by using the "Make America Great Again" slogan. Under HIS Administration, America has fallen a lot but still many people think its still great?
Also what about the charges dropped against Michael Flynn who lied to the FBI in the Russia investigation probe? What does it say about the rule of law being applied to every citizen?
America isn't authoritarian, but under Trump's administration, it shows similar signs of authoritarianism and people getting brainwashed by the government, and these are just a few out of many signs. I can get why North Koreans feel that Americans are being brainwashed by their Government, because now as a spectator, I also see many similar signs.
Also you don't get to call someone a moron if you can't see from their POV.
The credits for sure didn’t transfer 😂
The Korean people aren't wrong of their assessment of American government
How so. I would like to know your reasoning. I don't mean this in a hostile way, it's just that I've always seen the American government as the closest thing to Freedom. Maybe I'm a sheep.
Ramiro- the US has military bases all over the world, far more than any other country, and has historically meddled in the affairs of other countries to disastrous consequences for the locals. From vietnam, to cuba, to the middle east, and even korea, the list goes on and on. Some would argue that many interventions were necessary and for the greater good, but many others appear to be purely US imperialism. Ironically, Korea is an example of US intervention I would probably support, but you can imagine the North Koreans leadership are very angry that South Korea is independent and thus create propaganda to bring the population into alignment with their will.
Laser Nite Ah, thanks for explaining. I do think that the US having so many military bases and intervening in world conflicts is a result of them being a world superpower. If the US stopped intervening and maintaining military bases, China could replace the US's previous world superpower status, and that would be disastrous and a return to global instability. I find it that a world led by the US government, which believes in Freedom, is a better one than a Chinese or European leadership.
I tend to agree- but just because the alternatives would be worse doesn't mean the US can't greatly improve its handling of international affairs. It certainly can and should! From the perspective of the North Koreans the US is imperialist, as South Korea has been greatly westernized, and the US provided weapons to the South Korean government which the North Koreans consider to be rebels. Of course from our perspective the North Koreans seem somewhat delusional, but that may be more due to our acceptance of a degree of imperialism of western/democratic values, than an actual mischaracterization of the US government as imperialist.
Laser Nite I agree that the United States is definetly Imperialistic, by text book definition. I had always kind of accepted it, so I see what you mean.
There is a lot of Chinese student went to DPRK's Universities to learn Korean,we have got more information since we could communicate with the local student more free, actually the local student is fascinated by the outside world, but the government told them not to talk with foreigners. Chinese student bring the laptop to watch foreign movies with them in private, they actually feel very very excited by these new info.
***** Not exactly, North Korea do not listen to China at all,for instance, the Korean war, the DPRK invade South Korea which is completely their own idea. China do not want to mess up with America.Now DPRK is building their nuclear weapons without listen to Chinese suggestions.
卡门山迪亚戈 你学习在朝鲜吗？
Late but why not go to South Korea to learn Korean?
Vivian West I’m guessing cause school in North Korea is way cheaper. I was looking at North Korean tours and was fascinated to learn that a 10-day vacation costs around $1,000. Thats because everything is dirt cheap there.
@@GianVersace nah
If Alessandro had to sit and look at his feet for 3 hours after arriving back in China imagine what it would be like for North Korean defectors living there their whole life... I can't even...
Food for thought
why did he look at his feet for 3 hours? i didn't get that part
@@peacexoom4936 maybe a new season of his favourite tv show got fully aired and he doesnt have to wait a whole week for an episodd ?
@@peacexoom4936 He developed foot fetish. But seriously though, it appears that the sudden influx of stimuli overwhelmed him and that can cause someone to pause whatever he's doing.
It seems to take a few years for defectors to adjust in South Korea and some don't.
Fascinating account of life as a foreign student in North Korea. I'd love to hear more .
4:10 GODDAMNIT COMIC SANS, even in North Korea?????
If you go there you'll see that a lot.
јехсаххахахсхсјасха
Of course, they don’t even know what fonts are, they just chose that one at random.
People obsessed with talking about this particular font
If you don't get thrown in jail or executed then this must be the experience of a lifetime. What an EPIC adventure, no books, no coarses no professor could EVER teach you in a million years what you learn by going to the very last place on this world we know almost nothing about.
This guy should write a book. I would read it 💯
I would read it as well!
I'd love to have a conversation with someone so curious
And you got caught and be sent into labor camps.
a very interesting interview, i envy this guy for having the opportunity to even visit NK! it fascinates me how different , unique (in some way ) their lifestyle is , i really wish i could go there someday
Well they obviously cherry-picked those students who were allowed to interact with him.
i need more content like this. this is way too short,fk
This guy is so lucky
Because he has experienced something most never will, in a genuine fashion.
Ryan Broadhurst you know you can go to North Korea at any time right? they'd actually be happy to have you (after they make sure that you're not a spy)
1:47 - 1:51 out of context this would've sounded really weird
>How can you not hate the American people, but hate the American government?
The lack of self-reflection is baffling. Does he think the two are equivalent?
Nathan Dehnel I think he mentioned that in case some ppl think of the two as the same
4:07 Well, Comic Sans made it even into North Korea!
You cannot defeat Comic Sans.
Comic Sans is universal.
Omnipotent.
Give him time, and he shall spread to every corner of the globe, regardless of your efforts
He definitely wasn't the first western student at Kim Il Sung university. Helga Picht & Rüdiger Frank studied there way back in 1960/1961 respectively 1991/1992.
That was a different age, things worked very differently. The few foreign tourists who could go there back in the day were allowed to freely roam around in Pyongyang, instead of the guided tour crap that they're forced to deal with today. Back then, North Korea was even more soviet. It's still soviet now, but it's started to seem soviet with a slightly modern twist to it.
That was different. I think what they meant was «first western student after Kim Il Sung’s death», when stuff in the DPRK started to become darker. The DPRK in the 60s was thriving, it was a socialist paradise at that time - it enjoyed the full support of both China AND the Soviet Union (who, at that time, had become enemies). Helga Picht and Rüdiger Frank were both from the DDR, a socialist republic allied with the DPRK, so that was entirely different.
Reisist I also studied at Kim Il Sung university and I’m from Egypt
Reisist I also studied at Kim Il Sung university and I’m from Egypt
As a westerner how was he even accepted into the university?
man the streets of north korea looks so clean. I was at San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf the other day and there was trash everywhere.
Typical for communist states. They make their capital amazing but prohibit entering other parts of the country.
False, many people visited also other cities: I visited Nampo too, but there are Americans who visited Hungnam, Wonsan, Sariwon etc. as well.
jcm96 There is a selection of places you can visit in North Korea, but you cannot just wander off to wherever you like. Even North Koreans themselves need a permit to leave their town or city.
Jeroen Bollen Yes, it's true, but don't forget that the DPRK is formally still at war, always under attack by hostile nations. But that about the permit for the citizen is a falsity.
jcm96 It's not a falsity. Read this report, specifically section 2d. www.state.gov/documents/organization/186491.pdf
Also, while the DPRK is still at war, if it's not under attack by other nations.
His Freind was damn confident in asking those questions knowing damn well his room was bugged
He's very well spoken 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Nice name! 😁
@@levi-lukesmith3504 hahahah you too😂
@@levi-dh9fu thanks 😂
The power of Juche. The guy can talk while standing still with only one semester in NK University. Imagine what he can do if he completes his Degree and get a PHD.
Their education quality level is above those expensive western universities.
@@gla9322it is not the juche is ineffective and the government is running the country to the ground and their is a good reason North Korean people flee to South Korea and never come back to North Korea. South has better education then North Korea
what a fascinating experience this must have been!
Mr.Ford says that North Korean people differentiate the American government and American people. While they are very critical of the U.S. government,they are not necessarily hostile to Americans. Very interesting comment. I hope North Korean people are not hostile to my people either.
MrEjidorie actually, i love the irony. they said that the american gov were misleading the people.
+MrMysteriousXD i live here and its true everything tends to be sugarcoated or covered up in america many of us don't know what to believe
+John&Tyler Travlers Atleast we know what happens for the most part and are free to theorize and contemplate. Conspiracy theorists would be burned alive if were in N. Korea.
I want to know more about his first arrival in Beijing, that part about looking at his feet for a few hours is interesting
This Is Gold! Thank You For Doing This! :-)
So weird how that popped up in my recommendations 😅
You have been selected to be in the next bunch of 'students ' going to North Korea on a exange programme ..
Some anti-west guys here need some reeducation camp by visiting North Korea.
Yeah because that's sound logic...
You need some re-education camp by living in Pinochet's Chile.
it ended 26 years ago. Anywhere else?
Yes. Iraq in particular, where the new government is responsible for multiple human rights violations.
oh, no thanks. I prefer to stay in my great western country
I bet he went for the weed!
Weed is completely legal in North Korea
MasterBattle2000 it's not that weed is considered legal/illegal in the DPRK. Instead, the Public Health Ministry merely doesn't consider weed a 'drug.'
MasterBattle2000 also legal in Canada.
It's not legal, north Korean police will arrest you if you're doing it
@@virtualhustles6916 It's not. Look it up.
Bad place to get the munchies.
Awesome. I would love to do the same thing as Mr. Ford. Would do anything to study in the DPRK. I think it's an awesome experience and a great way to learn the language too.
I envy you so much Mr. Ford.
Sounds like a very dangerous endeavour. He's lucky he didn't end up like Otto Warmbier......
I didn't know the DPRK had keyboard warriors.
@agapp11able
@agapp11able how on earth can u say he got what he deserved?he was tortured snd murdered for stealing a poster It's seriously fucked up that people would say that he deserved that.
@agapp11able not North Korean law that sanctions torture and murder,no.
@agapp11able that's funny,playing the "racist" card for not supporting a disgraceful,murderous dictatorship that has abused its citizens or years.Ridiculous.
"How can you hate the American government and not the American people?"
Class consciousness?
was this guy suicidal to study North Korea?
i think he valued life enough to venture there to experience what life would be there, albeit a foreigner.
Amazingly, all that I've heard seemed very familiar. I lived in Russia for a year and a half, and l must say that Russia and North Korea are su much alike in their domestic and international policies, that it is unbelievable.
Cum a fost?
Thad because Stalin personally wrote the North Korean Constitution
Happy new year from a drunk me
LOL Maybe you can steal a poster from the wall. ;-)
Origenes Trismegistos lol, I get what you mean
Origenes Trismegistos i get the reference. Sad story...
LifeLikeIan So is the kid released yet?
nope
Joey's Fourth Chin There is a little chance to be soon, but it depend on that Brilliant Comrade.
This was before or after that kid Warmbier? Either way, kudos to him. Very eloquent and brave.
i was curious too so i checked Alessandro's Linked In. Says he was there in 2014, so before Warmbier. So sad what happened to that kid....
@@danab7498 Warmbier broke law on multiple fronts, burglary and trespassing. What ddi he expect
i was wondering about the exact same thing!
if the students were chosen to interact with alessandro, how do we know they’re not just working for the government?
Are there more videos on this guy that I could check out?
also wondering this. Anyone know of any clips or articles?
There's a TED talk by him, look him up under "Alessandro Ford ted talk"
chris blah click on his channel and find out
What college offers this wtf
Out of all the places he could have chosen to study abroad, he picked the place that could have thrown him into a labor camp for any arbitrary reason
This guy has balls of steel.
That was really interesting.
Couldn't agree more.Nice to hear someone else talk about how they really live....
Ok
I genuinely curious of how to get in, and if it's possible, I consider it
You can check their website and email. They are on Google.
I already checked after watching the video, yess. My country is on the list as well hahaha, I will think about it, thanks anyway! :D
Fascinating interview, great upload.
I didn't think he'd be allowed to wear sweatpants in North Korea. I thought the state would have banned them for being too 'Western' like jeans are.
Dylan Johnston imagine believing every word of what you typed! Incredible
The North Korean government even produces faked Adidas shoes with the real logo. You can buy nearly any brand of clothes there - but barly the real one.
@@JanR1995 Definitely true, in the VICE series on NK work camps in Russia, one of the workers they were talking to was wearing Champion for everyone to see
Korean Workers Party = IngSoc
+AJ
So funny that you hypocrites say that, when you got NSA that does worse spying than anyone else in the entire world not to mention Spyware Windows 10 that forces itself on people.
Good job kid *CLAP CLAP*
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
AJ I don't get it
Joey's Fourth Chin INGSOC was the name of the totalitarian party in Orwell's 1984. It is short for English Socialism
AJ true
North korean fascinated because in the west you have to pay for your house.
I suppose everbody in the west must be fascinated to hear somewhere in the world you get a house for free.
It was in Soviet Union
I would much rather pay and have freedom then live like a slave and be given a free house in return.
Well, it's not like they really get it for free, they are still expected to work. The only difference is, that they don't have a choice which house to get or where to live. Also, in many western countries we have a social security net, which also provides you with free housing even if you don't work at all.
guy said that north korea was 'left wing'. i wonder what uni he went to
North Korea is a state capitalist tyrannical regime
"What is rent?" Oh ... I love North Korea. I definitely have to go there again. In some respects, these people are so innocent.
The people are but not their leader.
I don't think this is allowed anymore
"They're very much conservative"
American Conservatives : *Pure Rage*
It's funny because this country, which most people consider the most evil country in the world, is still less racist than most western countries I know. They may hate the American government, for example, but don't judge the Americans themselves, whereas most millennial Americans I know generalize that all North Koreans as nuclear-crazed communists. This doesn't apply just to America or Western countries though, because Asians do this too. (Even my mom thinks so!) Though I kind of expected it I was still surprised to hear that North Korean students, aside from the uber-conservative set of morals, are just like students from the rest of the world. This just goes to show that, despite their trigger-happy government, most of the people, particularly the students, are still quite open-minded and brainwashed only to reflect their government's political standing, not necessarily to be racist to other races. In spite of their situation I still think that's admirable, I mean look at countries nowadays! There's all this racist talk about Muslims or Africans constantly being the butt of jokes, and there are even the trends promoting whitewashed skin as opposed to appreciating dark skin equally.
Basically, though the North Korean government, to put it briefly, sucks, the people don't necessarily have to. Therefore, don't judge and I recommend being as open-minded as this man is, bravely walking into North Korea without any idea on how the country will treat him and coming back with an eye-opening experience and good memories with North Korean friends.
6:38 "we don't do that here"
tall, handsome and European... I'm sure all those North Korean girls lined up at night in front of your dorm/apartment.
True. They don't have foreign films and advertising in North Korea so probably they don't find Europeans that attractive, the same way as most Europeans don't find non-whites attractive because they don't see them much.
Is the rest of this very fascinating interview around? And what did he mean by "stimuli" in the context he used it?
I guess he just meant cars and planes and people doing things spontaneously and general noise and confusion, compared to North Korea where there are few cars and the only noise is pre-rehearsed brass bands and military choirs and speeches by Kim Jong Un.
Scott Bowman its like living in an Amish town the going to NYC
Good interview, I wish there was more 😋 thank you
How to narrow down your career options
How career options narrow you down ;)
Lol
Why did he even choose the North instead of the south?!!!!!!!!
laanaa because he was curious about the north probably
what is there in the south that you can't see anywhere else? its the same western country, same old, same old
Probs be the first to study there from overseas
laanaa probably because NK has 100% literacy rate
Logic and Reason You are missing IL in literacy
I have always felt bad for the people of North Korea because of how the embargoes have been going on for over 60 years. That's just crazy. I don't think it is fair that we treat others that way just because we don't like there government that's being a bully. We are the maker of our own problems.
Why the heck have you spent a semester in north corea...?
Paolo Benedicti why can't you spell?
Lucas Edensor ?
Paolo Benedicti sorry😂. That came across as rude. You spelt Korea as corea, that's all😊.
Lucas Edensor I'm Italian and we spell it Corea😉
Paolo Benedicti
That is jokes had to stare at my feet for 3 hours because I couldn't handle 4 months of isolation. So imagine spending 30 years nearly have a heart attack
Bro was trynna hit some North Korean Women lmao
4:07 I guess that someone get executed for that poster
Lmao, even North Korea uses Comic Sans
niter43 comic sans is amazing
Dude, I know many crazy guys. But none of them comes close to you. You admit in North Korean University
Hats off man. 😄
What's the point of studying in North Korea?
well it was a gap year plus its an interesting experience to study in north korea
TUTB my nama cheeef
learning about the world more fun than school
Chef foreign dude studying at the university *looks up* oh look a U.S nuclear war head heading str..........💥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥☄️
Me thinks he's a spy.
tom conti Me thinks the people who was allowed to interact with him are spies.
B.J. Martin +tom conti Me thinks, you could be both right.
ZanuDA9711
Me now thinks I is being stalked by spies on youtube.
tom conti me has the same thoughts.
ZanuDA9711 Me thinks who the hell wants to go to North Korea? It's like I want to go to prison to learn, lol.
Damn, what a cutie this guy is :3
Saif Malik Damn straight
That's not relevant to the video though.
@@bestrafung2754 I don't care though.
@SM S..t up.
@@linkven9196 And you too.
University in North Korea would have the worst credibility and jobs around the world and won't propably accept especially multinational companies, in my opinion.
05:00 ... now that looks like one amazing Korean BBQ. Interesting programme to listen to.
Holy shit, roller blades, welcome to the 90s North Korea.
I want more conversation between the two. Who else agrees?
Juche Travel Services is running a summer Korean language programme at Kim Il Sung University this year
I hope his classmates will make change after learning the infos
Why?
I've been to North Korea recently. You can take a look at some of the videos I made.
Well, they treasure they women and want to save from rape or abuse from outside. Very good.
amazing interview
This is amazing.
I would'nt mind going there for a year or so
Wished the interview was longer.
I Think, I should go to North Korea for my study🤔🤔🤔
nope
Pradip Rulzs why?
Stop being so ignorant by western media and actually consider it.
Lol, really?!
sheparddog117 I'm really interested in the reason, why would you want to go there. Any one reason perhaps?
its just ridiculous one man violating so many humans rights, and still the world is watching him
how on earth did he manage this gap year?? lol
i wish i could have gone ~
Wasn't a gap year, he was actually going to university in North Korea.
+Castle Of Glass He did it in a gap year from his regular studies.
If the DPRK collapses we have to be really gentle to this people and connect slowly.
- What is rent?
- It's an animal that bites my ass when a month ends.
My question is what would they talk about on the way to uni? Like literally what would they talk about
North Korea is so int resting and mysterious/cool
When the Kim regime falls I'm definitely visiting it, South Korea too. But by then it'll most likely be just "Korea".
+IrishCommunist same, I just wanna meet and interact with North Korean people and learn about them
I would love to learn about what happened during their sixty years of isolation. I have a feeling that North Korea is hiding something in its borders, and I'd love to find out what that is.
Korean socialism will never fail because that is the soul of people. I would be worried about south Korean puppet regime. There will be one Korea: The Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo. I visited the DPRK, they are all but "isolated", many politicians, scientists, people from all walks of life visit that country, and nothing is been hidden in the DPRK. It is in the West that there are hidden a lot of things, starting from who actually rules us...
Caleb Jenkins read Nothing to Envy
He should talk to them about somethings they don't have like Star Wars or Harry Potter or even shows like Timeless or Stranger Things
how did he get into university in the DPRK? And which university is this?
*Looks at date
God it’s not April fools