Mission Nordkorea | The Untold Story of Survival Behind the Regime

Mission North Korea – A country in isolation. A people starving. And an unusual aid mission from Germany. North Korea – isolated, strictly controlled, and virtually cut off from the rest of the world. But while millions of people there suffer from hunger, a German aid team sets off with a very special cargo: 27,000 tons of beef, once deemed unusable in Germany due to the BSE crisis, are now intended to help North Korea survive the winter. Christoph Bürk, an employee of GTZ (now GIZ), accompanies the distribution of this donation – in a country that hardly anyone is allowed to enter. Amidst control, mistrust, and diplomatic tightrope walking, this documentary offers rare insights into a North Korea that is seldom seen. Learn how German aid reaches those who have nothing left – and where every gesture becomes a political tightrope walk. Christoph Bürk, an employee of GTZ (now GIZ), accompanies the distribution of this donation – in a country that hardly anyone is allowed to enter. Mission North Korea (2003) 🎥 Director: Bernd Girrbach ✍️ Screenplay: Bernd Girrbach (also book) ⭐ Cast / Protagonists: – Christoph Bürk (GTZ/Emergency Relief Specialist) – Team of the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) – North Korean citizens (e.g., pensioner Frau U, traffic police officer Major Kim Kun-Son, farmer Kim and his wife Sal) 🎞️ Genre: Development / Social Documentary 🌍 Country of Production: Germany (GEO Reportage for Arte, WDR, NDR, Discovery) 🗣️ Language: German (Original Version) 🔤 Original Title / Alternative Title: Mission North Korea (360° – The GEO Reportage, Season 2003, Episode 5) 📅 First Broadcast: 2003 (Original Filming), re-released on January 1, 2019 on Apple TV 📍 Filming locations: Cities and villages in North Korea (Pyongyang, provincial cooperatives, orphanages, nurseries) 📄 Synopsis: German aid expert Christoph Bürk and his GTZ team accompany the distribution of 27,000 tons of frozen, BSE-tested beef, donated by Germany in the wake of the BSE crisis, as winter aid for approximately six million starving North Koreans. They monitor the shipment to ensure that the meat—from about 130,000 cattle, worth over 100 million DM—actually reaches the needy population and does not benefit the army or privileged circles. For the first time, the footage shows people in their everyday lives—pensioners, students, farmers, traffic police officers—and allows for private encounters that were long forbidden to foreigners. They also visit rural cooperatives to document living conditions and initial reform efforts. .................................................................. #documentary #history #worldhistory .................................................................. COPYRIGHT: All films we publish are legally licensed. We have contractually acquired the rights (at least for certain territories) from the rights holders. Plot11 Publishing GmbH.