Secret State of North Korea

Jeong Kwang-il, a former political prisoner in North Korea, now smuggles Western entertainment back into the country he fled.

In this undercover footage, North Korean soldiers are forced to build a railroad honoring Kim Jong-un — but privately question the new leader. This clip is an excerpt from FRONTLINE's “Secret State of North Korea,” which premieres Tuesday, January 14.

Undercover footage smuggled out of the country shows North Korean women defying the rules and regulations of Kim Jong-un’s regime. This clip is an excerpt from FRONTLINE's “Secret State of North Korea,” which premieres Tuesday, January 14.

Kenji Fujimoto was hired by Kim Jong-il to prepare sushi for the North Korean leader and his entourage. He became close to the family, and soon was assigned to entertain the young Kim Jong-un, with Japanese toys and games of basketball.

A former classmate of Kim Jong-un recalls their days together at a Swiss public school. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the classmate says that Kim Jong-un posed as the son of a diplomat, not the North Korean leader.

Just two years in the job and armed with nuclear weapons, North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un is the world’s youngest dictator, ruling one of the world’s most isolated countries with an iron fist. Drawing on undercover footage from inside the country and interviews with recent defectors, FRONTLINE shines light on the hidden world of the North Korean people.