Inside North Korea: From Meth To Elite Millennials And Kim Jong-Un

Inside North Korea: From Meth To Elite Millennials And Kim Jong-Un

By Chance Seales

By Chance Seales
June 12, 2019

June 12, 2019

A one-on-one interview with the author of a deeply reported book on North Korea.

SHOW TRANSCRIPT

The Beijing bureau chief of The Washington Post offers an in-depth look at North Korea in her new book, "The Great Successor."

---

Watch "The Why" Mondays thru Thursdays at 7pm ET. Click here to check local listings.

TRENDING IN World NEWS

This is the Air India Express flight that skidded off a runway while landing in Kozhikode, Kerala state, India.

Shijith Sreedhar / AP

At Least 18 Dead, 150 Hurt After Plane Skids Off Runway In India

TikTok and WeChat on a phone

'It's Overwhelming' — The Chinese App Ban Could Cut Off Families

Satellite images, obtained by CNN from Planet Labs Inc.

CNN Newsource

Lebanon's President Admits He Knew About Beirut Stockpile For Weeks

An empty street in the Central Business District in Melbourne.

Asanka Brendon Ratnayake / AP

Australia's Second Largest City Back Under Coronavirus Lockdown

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

KCNA / KNS / AP

North Korea Escalating Its Response To COVID-19

Site of Beirut Explosion

Chemical In Beirut Explosion Common In U.S., Public Reporting Isn't

People cleaning up damage in Beirut

Beirut Blast: Officials Point To Negligence, Not Nefariousness

A video showing the explosion was filmed from just over a kilometre away.

Newsy / Jennifer Smart

What Visual Evidence Tells Us About What Caused The Beirut Explosion

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar peaks at the Health and Human Services headquarters in Washington.

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

U.S. Sending Highest-Ranking Official In Over 40 Years To Taiwan

The U.K. Home Office building in London

Canley at the English language Wikipedia / CC BY-SA

U.K. To Redesign 'Racist' Visa Algorithm After Backlash

On Aug. 6, 1945 the first atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

US National Archives

75 Years After A-Bomb Dropped in Japan, Survivors Still Suffer

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez

Center for American Progress

Colombia's Supreme Court Orders Former President To Be Detained

Devastation in Lebanon after a series of explosions after a reported blaze at a fireworks warehouse.

Hassan Ammar / AP

Widespread Injuries And Deaths As Blasts Rock Lebanese Capital

Aftermath of a massive explosion is seen in in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020.

Hassan Ammar / AP

Explosions Rock Downtown Beirut

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres

K.M. Chaudhry / AP

U.N. Chief Warning Of 'Generational Catastrophe' Amid School Closures

A woman looks out a window from a locked-down public housing tower in Melbourne.

Andy Brownbill / AP

Australia's State Of Victoria Declares State Of Disaster

In this 1998 file photo, John Hume looks at his Nobel Peace Prize.

BJOERN SIGURDSOEN / NTB POOL / AP

Northern Ireland Peace Architect John Hume Dies At 83

Norwegian cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen moored in Tromso, Norway, Monday Aug. 3, 2020.

Terje Pedersen / NTB Scanpix / AP

Cruise Ship Outbreak Causes Concern Along Norway's Coast

Afghan security personnel take position on the top of a building where insurgents were hiding, in the city of Jalalabad.

Rahmat Gul / AP

ISIS Attack On Afghan Prison Kills At Least 21 People

Hospital robot Moxi

Diligent Robots

Robot Use Has Increased During Pandemic

People wait in line for COVID-19 test in Hanoi, Vietnam, Friday, July 31, 2020

Hau Dinh / AP

Vietnam To Test All 1.1 Million Residents Of Coastal COVID-19 Hotspot

A Sri Lankan security guard checks the temperature of a devotee attending an Eid al-Adha prayer session.

Eranga Jayawardena / AP

Unprecedented Hajj, Eid Celebrations Show Coronavirus Impact

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Jeremy Selwyn / AP

U.K. Postpones Next Phase Of Reopening After Uptick In COVID-19 Cases

Parisian waiters move tables apart

Christopher Ena / AP

Europe Faces Historic Economic Crash As Pandemic Fears Stifle Recovery

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam

Vincent Yu / AP

Hong Kong Postpones Upcoming Elections By A Year

Rail commuters in Beijing

Andy Wong / AP

China Quarantines 18,000 Residents As Hong Kong Warns Of Virus Surge

A health worker disinfects arriving Vietnamese COVID-19 patients at the national hospital of tropical diseases in Hanoi

VNA / Bui Guong Quyet / AP

After Months Of Calm, Vietnam Braces For Third Coronavirus Wave

The German and U.S. flags fly on a lamp post in front of the White House.

Charles Dharapak / AP

U.S. To Withdraw Nearly 12,000 Troops From Germany

Inmates protest lack of medical care at Bolivia's San Sebastian prison

Dico Solis / AP

Inmates Demand Help As Pandemic Sweeps Bolivia

People in China wearing masks while waiting for a stoplight

Mark Schiefelbein / AP

China Adds Over 100 New Coronavirus Cases In Xinjiang Outbreak

Hundreds of Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, as they keep social distancing

Annual Hajj Pilgrimage Begins, This Year Smaller And With Face Masks

A healthcare worker administering a nasal swab test behind a screen with rubber gloves

Nardus Engelbrecht / AP

IMF Approves $4.3 Billion Coronavirus Loan To South Africa

Former Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak wipes face in court

Fazry Ismail / Pool Photo / AP

Ex-Malaysian PM Given 12-Year Prison Sentence On Corruption Charges

Tourists visit a viewpoint in Pollença, in the Balearic Island of Mallorca, Spain,

Joan Mateu / AP

U.K. Stands By Its Quarantine Rule For Travelers From Spain

Tourists in Vietnam wearing masks

Hau Dinh / AP

Vietnamese City Evacuates Tourists Amid New COVID-19 Cases

A worker tries to remove the plaque from the United States Consulate in Chengdu.

Ng Han Guan / AP

U.S. Consulate In Chengdu, China Closes

A healthcare worker prepares a vaccine

Sam Mednick / AP

Study: Preventing Next Pandemic Will Cost More Than $22 Billion A Year

Korean Central News Agency / Korea News Service / AP

North Korea Locks Down Town After First Suspected COVID-19 Case

Beachgoers pack into a Spanish waterfront

Emilio Morenatti / AP

EU Approves New Aid Package As COVID-19 Cases Rise In France, Spain

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin gestures during a daily briefing

Mark Schiefelbein / AP

China Orders Closure Of U.S. Consulate In Western City Of Chengdu

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Justice Department shows Juan Tang in her China People's Liberation Army uniform

Justice Department / AP

Chinese Researcher Arrested By FBI In San Francisco For Visa Fraud

An Emirates plane taxis on the tarmac upon arriving at Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport

Vahid Salemi / AP

Emirates Is The First Airline To Offer To Cover COVID-19 Medical Costs

Medical worker greets a patient at hospital near Barcelona, Spain, where COVID-19 infections are spiking anew.

Emilio Morenatti

Spain Pulls Back On Summer Holiday Season As COVID-19 Cases Spike

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson wears a face mask as he boards an ambulance

Pool / Ben Stansall / AP

England Enacts Face Mask Mandate

Police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Ariel Schalit / AP

Protesters In Israel Are Met With Water Cannons

China's Tianwen-1 Mars probe launches Thursday in attempt to land spacecraft on planet.

Cai Yang / Xinhua via AP

China's Launch Of Mars Probe Stirs New Generation Space Race With U.S.

People wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus walk outside in Melbourne

AAP Image / James Ross / AP

Face Mask Rule Takes Effect In Australia's Second-Largest City

Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers greet migrants at an unofficial border crossing

Charles Krupa / AP

Canadian Court Rules Asylum Agreement With U.S. Invalid

Protesters in Hong Kong

Vincent Yu / AP

U.K. Announces New Option For Certain Hong Kong Passport Holders

Brazilian health workers take blood samples at COVID-19 testing site in Rio de Janeiro on July 17.

Silvia Izquierdo / AP

Trials Of Emergency COVID-19 Vaccine Begin In Hard-Hit Brazil

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa at her court arraignment on tax evasion in the Philippines charges.

Associated Press

Journalist Maria Ressa Pleads Not Guilty To Tax Evasion

The flag of China flies outside the Chinese Consulate General Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Houston.

David J. Phillip / AP

U.S. Orders China To Close Its Consulate In Houston

A man holds a Soviet flag

Markus Schreiber / AP

Report Cites Russian Interference In Britain

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and French President Emmanuel Macron prepare to address a media conference.

John Thys / Pool Photo / AP

European Union Reaches Deal On Budget And Virus Relief Package

A researcher handles samples

2 More Vaccines Show Promise As Global Race Grows Tense

Chechnya's regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov

Musa Sadulayev / AP

U.S. Sanctions Chechen Leader Over Human Rights Violations

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab

Frank Augstein / AP

U.K. Suspends Extradition Treaty With Hong Kong Over New Security Law

An Emirati man prepares to watch the launch of the "Amal" or "Hope" space probe.

Jon Gambrell / AP

United Arab Emirates Launches First Spacecraft To Mars

A woman wearing protective face mask in Paris

Francois Mori / AP

France Now Requires Face Masks In Indoor Public Spaces

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial will resume in January.

Israeli Prime Minister's Corruption Trial To Resume In January

Public Health Madison and Dane County employees and members of the Wisconsin National Guard operate drive-through testing

Wisconsin Watch / Will Cioci / AP

World Sees Largest Single-Day COVID-19 Increase

Demonstrators holding a placard reading "Generation Adama-Climate, we want to breathe" take part of a march

Rafael Yaghobzadeh / AP

French March In Memory Of Black Man Killed In Police Custody

Gustavo Martinez Contreras / AP

Former Head Of Mexican State Oil Company Extradited On Bribery Charges

Queen Elizabeth II knights Capt. Tom Moore

Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP

100-Year-Old Knighted After Raising $40M For U.K. Health Service

U.S. Marines at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on Okinawa

U.S. Marine Corps

Relations Strained On Okinawa Amid COVID-19 Outbreaks At U.S. Bases

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Alexei Druzhinin / Sputnik / Kremlin Pool / AP

U.S., Canada And U.K. Says Russia Tried Stealing COVID-19 Research

A man walks by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg

Geert Vanden Wijngaert / AP

Data-Sharing Pact Between EU and U.S. Struck Down By Top Court

In Dec. 25 photo, U.S. Army team moves coffin of Special Forces soldier who died in Afghanistan.

Alex Brandon / AP File

U.S. Pulls Troops From Bases As Taliban Keeps Up Afghanistan Attacks

A boy gets his nasal swab sample taken to test for the coronavirus at a government health center in Hyderabad, India

Mahesh Kumar A. / AP

Countries Consider Stricter Virus Measures As Cases Climb

Minnie and Mickey Mouse wave to visitors at the Hong Kong Disneyland

Kin Cheung / AP

Disney Shuts Down Hong Kong Theme Park Again Over COVID-19

Police officers and healthcare workers are stationed outside a public housing tower that was locked down

AAP / James Ross / AP

Australia Tightens COVID-19 Restrictions As Cases Surge

Medical personnel demonstrate against the government's politics

Michel Spingler / AP

Health Care Workers In France Are Getting A Raise

A person holds a Chinese national flag.

Kin Cheung / AP

China Announces Punishments On U.S., Cites Sens. Rubio and Cruz

Polish President Andrzej Duda

Czarek Sokolowski / AP

Polish President Duda Narrowly Wins Second Term In Office

A healthcare worker carries clipboards at a Florida testing site.

Florida Sets Record For Single-Day Increase In Positive Cases

People suffering from dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, rest in a hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019

B.K. Bangash / AP

COVID-19 Prevention Efforts Are Hampering Dengue Fever Efforts

A civic worker sanitizes a deserted road ahead of the lockdown imposed in India.

India's 3rd Largest City, Bangaluru, Going on Lockdown

Covid-19 patients are being treated with oxygen at the Tshwane District Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa.

Coronavirus Infections Surge In India, Double In South Africa

Protesters clash with riot police on the steps of the Serbian parliament during a protest in Belgrade, Serbia, July 11

Darko Vojinovic / AP

Serbian Police Detain 71 Protesters In Demonstrations Against Lockdown

A serviceman of Belarus Ministry of Defence wearing protective gear disinfects a local hospital in the town of Zaslavl

Sergei Grits / AP

W.H.O.: Only Aggressive Action, Unity Can Turn Pandemic Around

Turkey Plans To Reopen The Hagia Sophia As A Mosque

Smoke rises from a fire in the Amazon rainforest.

Leo Correa / AP

Brazil To Temporarily Ban Fires In The Amazon Rainforest

Motorists line up at a coronavirus testing site at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP

Study Finds Coronavirus Could Cause Brain Damage

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon

Lee Jin-man / AP

Seoul's Mayor Found Dead After Reported Missing

Chilean health workers toss flower petals at funeral for hospital nurse who died of COVID-19.

Esteban Felix / AP

Pandemic Sweeps Americas: U.S., 4 Latin Countries Among World's Worst

FBI Director Christopher Wray speaking at a hearing on Capitol Hill.

Andrew Harnik / AP

FBI Director Calls China The 'Greatest Threat' To The U.S.

Woman looks through housing complex window

Will This Aggressive Australian Lockdown Prevent A U.S.-Like Spread?

Japanese troops rescue residents from flooding Tuesday in southern Japan city of Omuta.

Juntaro Yokoyama / Kyodo News / AP

Japan Storms Kill 50 People, Soldiers Pull Survivors From Floodwaters

the icon for TikTok

TikTok To Leave Hong Kong In Response To National Security Law

Egyptian security forces cordon off roads

Nariman El-Mofty / AP

Egypt Accused Of Arresting Critics Of Its Coronavirus Response

Police guard access to housing commission apartments under lockdown in Melbourne, Australia.

Andy Brownbill / AP

Australia Locks Down State Amid COVID-19 Surge

People take pictures of the Olympic rings in Tokyo

Jae C. Hong / AP

Tokyo Gov. To Work With Japanese PM On Coronavirus Response

A man looks into a tent as a health worker in protective gear collects a sample for COVID-19 testing in South Africa

Themba Hadebe / AP

COVID-19 Efforts Disrupt Progress In Fighting Other Diseases

Aftermath of floods in Japan

Dozens Of People Dead Or Presumed Dead In Japan Floods

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press / AP

Canada Suspends Extradition Treaty With Hong Kong

An F/A-18E Super Hornet flies over the flight deck of the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan

U.S. Aircraft Carriers Conduct Drills In South China Sea