I would recommend not watching the Vice Guide to North Korea. That series is more about Vice (which I've read and enjoyed for over a decade and otherwise recommend), using North Korea and their preconceptions to show themselves off, than about North Korea (though North Korea does show through). Yes, the place is weird, but Vice sensationalizes it out of proportion and shows themselves off. Great for Vice, but at the expense of understanding.

My bibliography -- http://joshuaspodek.com/north-korea-bibliography -- has many sources more valuable for learning about North Korea. I found the New Yorker pieces particularly valuable, as well as the work by Barbara Demick.

I blogged extensively on North Korea since my visit there -- http://joshuaspodek.com/category/northkorea. My goal is to promote understanding, not to sensationalize. I've gotten good reviews on

- My series on North Korean strategy --http://joshuaspodek.com/north-korea-strategy-preview

- My series on playing in the first ever Ultimate Frisbee tournament and about sport in creating bonds -- http://joshuaspodek.com/ultimate-frisbee-north-korea-part-1

To Vice's credit, their recent series on exploring the North Korean logging camps in Siberia is more mature, though is outside North Korea.

Personally I found the movie "Children of the secret state"

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b50_1188117332

extremely moving. It is video shot inside N. Korea illegally and exported to China.

Be warned though, it is extremely horrific and shocking! I'm a grown adult and it reduced me to tears.

In part based on feedback from posting on this page, I polished and compiled the series on North Korean strategy into an ebook.

Thank you, HN, for your feedback.

The books is at

- Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006PMDXTM?ie=UTF8&tag=...

- Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/118264

Please feel free to contact me directly with questions and comments.

That was a great bibliography + blog about NK.

Thanks!

Please also see http://www.flickr.com/photos/josephferris76/sets/72157627450... for stunning pictures of our trip there.

Joseph is an amazing photographer. We found by treating our guides well, we got great access (as opposed to Vice's condescension).

Watched it yesterday. Incredibly strange and unreal to think such a fabricated society is possible in these times.

wow....thanks for that!...kinnof reignited my interest in Chomsky and his ideas of libertarian socialism!...If anyone wants to learn more about the role of propaganda in our society I highly recommend the documentary "The Century of the self".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyPzGUsYyKM

We all do. You would be surprised what u believe that isn't true.

watched this a few times - very interesting yet also disturbing at times. Hats off to vice, I find most of their guides really interesting

The documentary 'A State of Mind' is available for streaming on Netflix.

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/A_State_of_Mind/70038815

Excellent documentary that follows a couple of young gymnasts through family life and training for a big event.

This National Geographic episode about an eye doctor who visited North Korea shows North Korea from the inside without showing off how cool the film makers are.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxLBywKrTf4

will give this a watch tonight.