| Frontline/World: Suspicious Minds Parte 3 of 3 www.pbs.org Their journey begins on a rainy day in South Korea at "the absurdly named demilitarized zone, one of the most heavily armed places on earth," according to reporter Ben Anderson. An American soldier takes Anderson and Daws on a tour of the border that has divided the Korean peninsula since the end of World War II -- and that is a last vestige of the Cold War. The soldier points out North Korean "jammers," which block foreign radio and television broadcasts. "So they have no idea of what actually goes on in the outside world," says the soldier. "They think that a BMW is manufactured by North Korea." Before leaving for North Korea, Anderson meets in Seoul with a group of North Korean refugees who had fled from famine and political repression. "The moment a child utters a word they start him on ideological training," one refugee says. "So they can't think for themselves." As soon as they land in North Korea, Anderson and his producer are greeted by their official "minders," Mr. Pak and Miss Pak (no relation). Anderson's first impression is of the streets outside the hotel, how quiet and empty they are. "North Korea is desperate to engage with the outside world," he notes. But the regime takes a heavy-handed approach to public relations. North Korea is infamous for the "cult of personality" surrounding the late dictator Kim Il-sung, who ruled from 1948 until his death in 1994. Anderson's obligatory first stop is an ... |
