When we hear about North Korea in the news, it is often about missile tests, diplomatic negotiations, cyber attacks, the threat of war, or even what former pro basketballer Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong-Un are discussing. But, what is going on behind all of this? What is life really like in North Korea? For a country that makes owning a business illegal, a quiet revolution rumbles on as the infiltration of illegal commerce grows. North Koreans are taking more risks to serve themselves.
Today, we peer inside the so-called “hermit kingdom”. We’ll hear about the human rights crisis in the country, North Korea’s “quiet revolution” of capitalism, and about two harrowing escapes from the country. My guests in this episode are Ji-Hyun Park, a North Korean refugee living in the UK, and Michael Glendinning, Founder of the charity ‘Connect: North Korea’.
Ji Hyun shares with us the immense trials and tribulations she experienced from her first escape from North Korea in 1998 to her arrival in the UK a decade later.
Michael moved to South Korea in 2009 to teach English. There he volunteered in charities supporting North Korean refugees. Seeing how the UK could play a bigger part, he got involved with The European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea in 2009, and set up Connect: North Korea in 2017.
This conversation is fascinating and deeply moving. We discussed:
- North Korea’s human rights crisis and the Western media’s focus on nuclear weapons over this crisis;
- North Korea’s “Songbun” class system;
- Ji -Hyun’s experience of the N Korean school system;
- The collapse of North Korea’s public distribution system, and its effects;
- North Korea’s quiet revolution of illegal capitalism;
- Access to foreign media in North Korea and its impact;
- Human trafficking;
- Ji-Hyun’s two escapes from the country;
- What ‘Connect: North Korea’ does and how you can help
Show Notes:
The European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea
Connect: North Korea on Twitter
Ji-Hyun and Michael’s talk in Funzing Talks at Night
2014 UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Volunteer to teach English/ mentor with North Korean refugees
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
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How often do you get to listen to an hour’s worth of wisdom from the from the FBI’s former chief hostage negotiator? Well, today we get that chance. Meet Gary Noesner, who led the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Unit until his retirement in 2003. Gary is now a consultant, speaker and author of the book Stalling for Time, part of which forms the basis of a new miniseries on the Paramount Network called “Waco”. Yes, Gary was involved in negotiations with Branch Davidians in the lead up to the 1993 Waco Siege, and his efforts saved lives in the process.
Gary talks about that, but this is an episode about so much more. We have a wide-ranging conversation about crisis management, negotiation, the importance of listening, and tons more. I am highly appreciative of Gary coming on to the show and in spite of cold and sore throat, Gary provided an enormous amount of insight into:
- The different types of hostage negotiations that can happen, including those involving ideology like the Waco siege;
- The importance of relationships and creating connections in negotiations;
- Why listening is a fundamental skill in hostage situations;
- Speaking truth to power;
- Dealing with nuance and finding common ground;
- How these skills can be applied to all types of situations;
- Much more!
Show notes:
Gary’s book, Stalling for Time;
Waco on the Paramount Network;
The book, Nonsense, the Power of Not Knowing by Jamie Holmes;
Cats in the Cradle, by Harry Chapin;
“My Way” sung by Frank Sinatra;
Behavioural Change Stairway model
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This is our second annual “best of” episode which is a compilation of what I and some of you have considered to be your favourite excerpts from our episodes in the past year. It’s always difficult to leave things out, and we had an amazing set of guests and conversations in 2017. The clips that didn’t make it are in no way “lesser” than those that did – the selection process was not highly “scientific”. However, we had to exclude more than we could include.
This year’s compilation features clips from:
- Ep. 66: Monika Sattler – Adventure Cycling and Listening to Your Heart
- Ep. 64: Caspar Craven – Sailing Around the World With A Family
- Ep. 61: Tim Davies – Decision-Making and Performance on Fighter Jets
- Ep. 60: Linda Swindling – Negotiation and Why You Should “Ask Outrageously”
- Ep. 59: Cathy O’Dowd – Decision-making and Risk on the World’s Highest Mountains
- Ep. 54: Michele Battle-Fisher – Transhumanism is Coming, Are We Ready?
- Ep. 53: Alex Sidorenko – Making Great Decisions “With Risks in Mind”
- Ep. 52: Jacki Hill-Murphy – Recreating Journeys of Extraordinary Adventuresses
- Ep. 51: John Perkins – From Economic Hit Man to Life Economy Champion
- Ep. 47: Charles Cassidy – Evidence-Based Wisdom
- Ep. 44: Erik Newton – Risk and Resilience in Love and Relationships
- Ep. 43: Marc Stoiber – Authenticity, Future-Proofing and Brands in the Post-Mad Men Era
- Ep. 41: Tim Stanley – What Does Russia Want?
- Ep. 38: Tom Hardin – “Tipper X” on Ethics, Decisions, and Resilience
- Ep. 37: André Goeritz – Art, the Unknown, and Ultra Cycling World Records
- Ep. 36: Ford Fischer – On Transhumanism
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