Incredibly refreshing doc on North Korea. Stark difference compared to the dime a dozen repetitive superficial travel docs. Great job FT, your long form documentaries have been amazing lately!

I am blown away by the detailed content in this one docu. Perfect length and extremally important content.

Excellent investigative journalism by FT as always.

0:37: 🚢 This is a story about how the triads facilitate the oil trade that keeps North Korea's weapons program alive. 5:52: 📚 North Korea relies on illicit activities, including arms trade, drug trafficking, and counterfeit money, to generate revenue and support its regime survival. 11:02: 🚢 North Korea evades sanctions by teaming up with organized crime groups, such as the triads, and smuggling oil through Hong Kong. 15:53: 🔍 Suncity Group, a gambling business operated by alleged high-level members of the triads, is accused of running illegal cross-border gambling rings and having connections to organized crime groups. 20:22: 🕵‍♂ A detailed investigation reveals connections between North Korean intelligence, oil-smuggling operations, and Chinese banks, raising questions about China's role in allowing criminal activities under its nose. 25:08: ⚠ China and Russia have been excusing and justifying North Korea's aggressive behavior, putting the Asian region and the world at risk of conflict. 31:46: ! The speaker suggests that the global community should treat North Korea's nuclear program as an organized crime problem and increase international law enforcement cooperation. Recap by Tammy AI

More like this please, can't get enough.

I always wanted to know how in the world they found money to pay for their nuclear program... this went a long way to answering that. Great content.

You guys kill it on your investigations and documentaries. You guys should focus on content like this!!!!!

Ft films are BEYOND amazing please increase the frequency by posting more ❤

I'm not 12, but I still laughed at "Sun Tit Fan".

The depth of reporting here is amazing.

So much emotion in one voice. The first time I heard Charles Bradley sing was a live on radio cover of the Black Sabbath ballad 'Changes', and he knocked it out of the park.

This is truly insightful, vigourously researched and wonderfully presented. More content like this please FT!

The editing on this is spectacular.

Amazing research and content. Bravo!

Best investigation ever. You are the best.

Excellent analysis.

Imposing sanctions on a country means you don't care about the ordinary citizens because it is them who suffers from such measures.

Great presentation thank you algorithm

excellent investigative journalism

Great documentary. Keep up the good work.

The innocent ‘uk’ investigating😂. Gotta love it

I have to admit that thos is the single deepest dive I have EVER come across into the DPRK. Scary deepest. Good job.

As an Englishman, I wish the UN would put this amount of investigative effort into the financial crime being committed in Central London...

Great show, do more of this!

Another excellent report by the FT! Disturbing, but bravo!

Now THIS right here is *REAL* journalism!

Great work FT.

This is one of the real contents we all should care about. Thank you Financial Times!

I want to push the like button 100 times, well done, FT! One question, what can an viewer do? whenever I watch a great journalism like this one, I come up with this question.

outstanding piece of investigative journalism!

Fascinating clip, well worth watching.

Good journalism.

Nice job - please make content like this on an hourly basis.

So we’ll done. Entertaining and informative

That last question, "Is this something we're going to have to learn to live with?", should have already been answered a long time ago. The World has been "living with" threats of nuclear armageddon since Little Boy was dropped on Hiroshima by Enola Gay on August 6th, 1945. All through the Cold War, and even into the current war in Ukraine, there has always been some Country with a Leader that has an itchy trigger finger and making nuclear threats. I'd say it's a bit late to start learning, it's part of mainstream life at this point.

I won’t lie, I am impressed by their methodical tactics

Beautiful work Financial Times! Please keep it up!

Someone should write a movie script about this!

Very sad and underrated doc The Mole: Undercover in North Korea

Truly amazing the dedication and intelligence these guys have

Finally somethings not talked about on any other documentaries. Some things I had no idea about. Great doc

This video is a good product!

Nice job, you completely answered a lot of questions about North Korea and how they get their economy working, loved the video keep up the good work...

Masterpiece

Very interesting... It has more than it resembles to do 😮

Respect to the shop keeper

Good investigative research! Financial Times proves again the best source of information !

What I’m curious is why then the Chinese government, seemingly in full support of the North Korean trade, suddenly decided to bring down Sun City and their owner, Alvin Chau. Would be great if you guys can delve into that and see what was the reason of his demise

Incredible detail, you can see the dominos all lined up, thank you FT 🙌🏽 what a cirwe live in smh.

6:58 that makes the better older strike backs episode in N.K seem more cool ngl😂

This is an inevitable side-effect of the sanctions imposed on the country. As you stated, its economy would be plunged into chaos if its oil supply were to be cut off - this would likely mean mass starvation for the populous. Given this necessity and the lack of legitimate means to purchase oil, it's inevitable that this will happen. Why not just remove the sanctions? They clearly haven't worked; if anything, they've only made matters worse both for people living inside the country and those residing outside - i.e. those harmed by the state-sponsored crime resulting from the sanctions.

I have a close North Korean friend who studies post-grad here in Vietnam. She also teaches Korean part-time. In her little NK community in Vietnam none of them wanna defect. In fact, they have to unofficially enter back into North Korea and then again out when returning home for a trip (due to official border being closed since Jan 2020).

These names are killing me , specially Sun Tit Fan

Of course, where else would they get their resources? - Great content FT

Good coverage, keep exposing evil!

More content like this 🚀🔥

Good job.

2:57 gotta admit, that they are creative.😂😂😂

This has to be one of the greatest names of all time Sun Tit Fun....or was it Fun Tit Fan?

Thanks.

Having served in the USAF, during the Cuban Crises, I can relate to how intolerant, tolitantan governments are and their leaders think and how UNIMPORTANT their people's and oiur lives are!

Next time do "the US and the Cartels." Thanks!!!!!!!

Since the 1950s, North Korea has been subjected to economic and political sanctions imposed by the United States and other nations. Would North Korea embarked on a path of developing a nuclear arms program and engaging in illicit activities had it not been subjected to these sanctions? While it is pertinent to consider the impact of the sanctions on North Korea's economic and political development, analogies have been drawn between the aftermath of World War I, where the actions of the victors are believed to have paved the way for the rise of Nazism, and the actions of the West post-Korean War, which some argue may have played a similar role in North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Excellent video and to be quite frank - pretty concerning.

Best news yet.

I remember watching a movie that had criminals that used that same torn bill method, they tore a $100 bill in half in the movie. Cant remember what crime movie it was, ive seen so many lol.

Good investigative reporting. North Korean regime also funds nuclear program with ransomware attacks particularly on healthcare and cyber theft from cryptocurrency exchanges. US cybersecurity & infrastructure security agency issues advisories on cyber threats including from North Korea.

My fav Kim Jong Un especially his own missile video's as North Korea's James Bond 🍿😝

ft video content has got a lot better.

21:40 I'm something of a sun tit fan myself

Truly fascinating how strange North Korea is. I’m so sad for the people and how badly they’re oppressed. I pray for all North Koreans 🙏

The 4th largest military is getting by on the occasional oil tanker delivery?

I've got a feeling those Oil Smugglers were kind of inspired by Red Heat, seeing that bank note thing.

People living in democracies tend to forget the World as a whole is much different. Many countries are run like Companies owned by Absolute Monarchs: much of Africa, Middle East, Russia the “…tan” Countries, China, much of South East Asia…that’s a big chunk of human population.

Though there are a lot of "globalists" on here it's a good documentary on the "official" stance of the global community towards DPRK. Though I feel the Mads Brugger film "The Mole" starring Ulrich Larsson is the beat way to get a feel for DPRKs clandestine activities

Money, Power and Respect....

Whenever I hear Lankov's voice I know it will be interesting

Huge respect for the north Korean leader Kim

isn't preventing NK from getting oil causing starvation in NK? Is that ethical?

The song at 16:22 had no business slapping that hard, anyone know what it is?

good documentary

Sounds like how America works. They pulled this off without American influence, Respect!

THEY GOTTA MAKE MONEY SOMEHOW, everybody blaming kim jogn un for the poor country, but nobody blaming the sanctions, powerfull countrys have nuclear weapons, and NK is not alowed, based on what?/ on nothing, this is traight up bullying

Incredible work.. I hope the right people are watching &moving . . 🌦❤🧡💛🌥

Wow Port Kelang, Malaysia

The Thing with the Banknote doesn't make sense I don't doubt that North Korea is trying to bypass Sanctions but two Ships stopping Side by Side so that they can put the Note together? Sounds insane

Everytime I see an intelligence dude come in and say something with absolute conviction, I remember the "credible evidence" of WMD's in Iraq.

I knew how the north Korean economy was subsidised by a lot of elicit activities... but selling pirate dvds in 2023!!??.... now tht needs to be applauded 😂

Having served twice on UN panels, this resonates …

Like this

Sun Tit Fan lol

Some incredible investigations! On your heels dude! Enjoy while you can.

I read the one page summary in the FT this week and was immediately struck by the obvious and poor 'opening point'. The UNICA ship made trips totaling 498,000 barrels in a year and this was reported as an illegal activity. No. The N Koreans are ALLOWED to import 500,000 barrels. So she was engaged in a valid commercial activity. And your report then failed to produce any other evidence of such illegal maritime transits. The article then degenerated into names and criminal links etc - all good stuff, and doubtless correct, but way below the standards I expect from the FT. Please publish a short correction clarifying the situation with the UNICA barrel sanction allowance. Just to be crystal clear. I hate the NK, Russian and Chinese regimes and my heart bleeds for their populations but for the FT to make such a basic error is very very poor journalism. Regards and keep up the good work. Andrew

I like how the nuke missle video they cut out the guy lighting the fuse and running away... makes it look almost real

Bloomberg screening all the good stuff

It's so sad to see that all this investigation and effort into the businesses of other countries and peoples stems from our fear of a country who does not wish to align with Western values. Therefore not knowing what they do intimidates the Western countries to then engage in actions Which yet isolate more our ability to communicate with other countries Don't understand what they are doing to work better together.

This is why sanctions don't work. Just leave them be and trade. Everyone loves money. The ship has sailed on North Korea (pun intended). How long will countries realize this will never work? If they attack us, they're gone, plain and simple, otherwise, leave it alone and let them trade.

Sharing, Justice and Freedom for All Will Save the World.

I’d imagine the United States, China, UN etc are pretty happy with NK receiving some small level of oil in order to prevent a nuclear armed country from descending into abject chaos

I wish you reported fair & unbiased N Korean News.