In the 2018 documentary “North Korea’s Deadly Dictator,” FRONTLINE examined who killed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother, Kim Jong-nam, and what it revealed about the North Korean regime. (Aired 2018)
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In 2017, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother Kim Jong-nam was ambushed in a Malaysian airport by two women bearing a lethal chemical weapon 10 times more powerful than sarin. He died en route to the hospital. In the 2018 FRONTLINE documentary “North Korea’s Deadly Dictator,” producer Jane McMullen examined claims that Kim Jong-un and his intelligence services ordered the assassination on Kim Jong-nam, and shed light on his broader intentions and his regime’s nuclear capabilities.
“If you want to understand what’s actually going on in Pyongyang … one of the things you have to understand are these rare moments when the palace opens its doors inadvertently and lets you in,” Evan Osnos of The New Yorker said in the documentary. “And one of those moments — perhaps its most spectacular moment — was the assassination of Kim Jong-nam.”
Drawing on interviews with a leading North Korean defector, diplomats, Kim Jong-nam’s school friends and even a former North Korean secret agent, the documentary offered a rare glimpse at the inner workings of the Kim family. It also examined how King Jong-un operates, and how he tries to ensure his regime’s survival and perpetuate his own power.
“North Korea’s Deadly Dictator” was a BBC Current Affairs production for WGBH/FRONTLINE and the BBC. It was produced and directed by Jane McMullen. The senior producer was Dan Edge. The executive producers for the BBC were Sarah Waldron and Sam Bagnell. The executive producer of FRONTLINE was Raney Aronson-Rath.
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FRONTLINE is produced at GBH in Boston and airs nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Prologue
01:34 – How the Attack on Kim Jong-nam Unfolded in a Malaysian Airport
05:26 – A Look at Kim Jong-nam’s Early Life and Upbringing
10:55 – The Investigation Into Kim Jong-nam’s Assassination
22:28 – Exploring the Battle for Succession in North Korea’s Kim Dynasty
25:30 – Examining North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un’s Rule
31:59 – North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons and Missiles Program
42:23 – How Former U.S. President Donald Trump Responded to North Korea’s Threats
51:58 – Credits
