Critique of Michael Palin's documentary on the DPRK -ASSPUK, JISGE and UK KFA

Veteran British broadcaster Michael Palin made a 2 part documentary on the DPRK for Channel Five . The first part was screened on the 20th of September. Palin is a typical bourgeois liberal , once part of the Monty Python team . He is also someone who has done well out of the capitalist system .
Channel Five itself is a capitalist tv channel .So basically we do not expect too much from Palin.
It has to be said that some of it was better than expected , Palin was actually in the DPRK and real footage of the DPRK was used rather than material of dubious origin that has been used in the past by some so-called documentary makers on the DPRK .
The positives of the film were undoubtedly the coverage of the May Day events and the school. Palin correctly pointed that the DPRK gives a beer ration to its citizens .
To give Palin credit he did seem to enjoy himself in the DPRK and avoided some of the more extreme vilification than some media outlets have indulged in. Basically some coverage of the DPRK has been war propaganda pure and simple.
That said there were a number of problematic issues were the programme . Palin is not the only Western film maker to have got into the DPRK and filmed , Western film crews were in the DPRK as far back as the 80s . The DPRK has been visited by tourists and for many decades by members of DPRK solidarity bodies and Juche Idea Study Groups . Palin appeared to imply that he was the only person to film in the DPRK .
Palin's own middle class liberal views and cold war propaganda crept into the film marring it . Indeed Palin looked like he felt obliged to parrot an official line of condemning the DPRK even though the evidence in front of his very eyes told him that it was wrong .Towards the end the old cold war anti-communist cliche " repressive system " was trotted out along with the words "none of the freedoms we take for granted in the West " .What freedoms would those be Michael ? , here are some suggestions ;the freedom to unemployed , the freedom to be homeless , the freedom to be poor , the freedom to be in debt , the freedom to be exploited , the freedom to take drugs , the freedom to be the victims of crime . Oh yes Michael we have plenty of such 'freedoms ' and they are taken for granted !
Palin claimed there are no international phones in the DPRK . Not true I was in the DPRK 2 weeks ago and I called my family in the UK. You can buy a Koryolink simcard giving you international phone access and internet access . Palin also claimed international travel ban is banned.Ironically it is the US that has slapped a travel ban on DPRK citizens visiting the US as well as a ban on US citizens visiting the DPRK . There is actually no constitutional provision that forbids DPRK citizens travelling abroad and some DPRK citizens live and work abroad .
Another cliche was "tightly controlled " basically a slander on the socialist system of the DPRK . Palin tried to apply Western liberal standards to the education system as well talking about "critical thinking "( ironically Palin is unaware that this is in fact rejected in many Western education systems but Palin probably went to a private school so was unaware of this)
Koreans and friends of the DPRK would have found Palin's dismissive comments about the anti-Japanese armed struggle very offensive . Rather than "plotting against the Japanese " , President Kim Il Sung led many bloody battles against the Japanese imperialists.
Yet another cliche was "Soviet style concrete blocks " , again the idea was to imply that the DPRK is a copy of the Soviet Union rather than an independent , Juche -based socialist state.
It was disappointing that Palin appeared to miss the chance to interview the English speaking guide at the Juche Idea Tower who has been in several documentaries.
Palin showed a very superficial and inaccurate understanding of the Juche idea . Juche does not advocate "isolation" but independence . The DPRK has diplomatic relations with lots of countries and has always played an internationalist role . We notice that Palin did not mention the stones at the foot of the Juche idea tower donated by Juche Idea Study Groups throughout the world.
Palin would be well advised to make a proper study of the Juche idea before he makes another travel documentary about the DPRK.
Palin talked about "prising open the door " of the DPRK .Basically Palin's documentary reflected the views of sections of the ruling class who want to avoid physical confrontation with the DPRK but instead hope to "prise open the door " by other means to destroy the Juche-.based socialist system of the DPRK and replace it with the capitalist system.