Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss the surprisingly complex topic of crying in North Korea.

North Korean men usually display a façade of impervious toughness to the world. But during certain events such as state funerals, they display seemingly excessive amount of tears. Dan schools Sug on the monitoring of such state events by North Korean minders who are writing down each North Korean's emotions during such events.

The hosts discuss the "big brother-ness" of it all and wonder how the North Korean government can make anything meaningful out of the millions of pages of data they have on their own citizens. They also discuss the culture behind crying both in the US and Korea.

At the end, Sug displays to Dan the full extent of his abilities to cry on demand.

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss the disastrous 2009 North Korean currency reform.

While not a salacious topic, the effects were devastating for the people of North Korea. Overnight, the North Korean people were instructed to change their old money for new money but the cap on this exchange was the equivalent of $40 USD. This destroyed the life savings of many North Koreans, sent the economy into a nose dive, and even lead to a rare case of political unrest.

Dan also shares a call he had in 2009 with people who work in North Korea and their strange request for rice. The hosts also discuss who took the fall and how this man was executed, who is actually safe in North Korea, and how the power of the regime is mixed with their own cult of personality.

The hosts conclude as they usually do, by giving suggestions to the regime on how they can do a better job next time.

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung are joined by friend and Crossing Borders' events coordinator Tony Kang to discuss what has become known as "The Pongsu Incident."

In 2003, North Korean citizens were caught running heroine into Australia in what is now considered to be one of the biggest drug stings that Victoria has ever seen. Yes, that's right. North Korea is responsible for one of Australia's largest drug busts. The three hosts discuss the incident in all of its peculiar details including the lead up to the incident, what North Korea could have been motivated by, the ineptitude of the smugglers and much, much more.

The hosts give suggestions on what North Korea can do better next time to improve their drug trade efforts.

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung talk about family reunifications between people from the North and South. When the DMZ (demilitarized zone) went up, it abruptly severed all communications. Families were separated and zero contact between the North and South Korea. Most didn't expect the separation to occur so suddenly and permanently. For decades, people didn't know whether their loved ones were dead or alive.

These reunions require cooperation and participation between North and South Korea. Sug and Dan discuss the political and familial intricacies involved and even suggest to Kim Jong Un himself some ways he can make these reunions even better.

In this special episode, Sug and Dan interview our guest engineers, Dan's kids. The four discuss a wide range of issues related to North Korean children integrating themselves with the outside world, especially to life in South Korea. Dan and Dan's children speak in detail about the challenges they face growing up as a minority in America and how their struggles are relatable to the North Korean experience. They discuss the challenges in education and economics for North Korean refugees and the deluge of information they suddenly have access to with newfound access to the internet. We end the episode with Dan's children's cultural recommendations for North Korean children.

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung talk about the life and death of Kim Jong Un's older brother, Kim Jong Nam. Kim Jong Nam (aka Nam Snow or Jason Bouring) lead an eventful life, which he spent chasing his various, mixed aspirations. Was he good or was he bad? Was he interesting or bland? There is evidence to support all of these. The fantastic way in which he met his demise again points to North Korea’s strange and focused capabilities. The hosts finish the podcast with a discussion on Dan’s legacy with guest producers, Dan’s children.

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung talk about North Korea's attempts at having their own social media influencers through their unique Youtube personalities. As the two explore this topic, they serendipitously realize the stunning similarities between North Korean influencers and western influencers. They also explain shame culture and how it informs the actions of Asian nations. By the end, they have 5 suggestions on how North Korea can spice up their influencer game.

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung explore the historical context that divided the peninsula. They also get into the "what ifs" that might have made North Korea a kinder, gentler nation. By the end of the episode, Dan will decide to hop into the Delorean but to change what aspect of Korean history? Tune in to find out.

Episode 5: Raw Laws

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung get into North Korea’s strange laws, most of which lead to the death penalty. Dan shares about his brushes with the law both in the US and in China. Sug and Dan go deep into the world of North Korean hairstyles and realize that one of their haircuts is actually North Korea approved. They also get into North Korea’s penchant for a certain kind of public execution and many, many more legal peculiarities. The hosts also explore the (some would say awesome) tweaks the country has made to the rules to the game of basketball.

Episode 4: Rocket Man

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung do a deep dive into North Korea’s strange missile launch hype video, which was produced this year. They do a breakdown of all the intricacies of this video including the wardrobe, the “plot,” and the cinematography. They also get into North Korea’s propaganda machine and whether the people really believe what the regime is selling. Dan also goes deep into what 20 years of following North Korea has taught him personally.

Episode 3: From Riches to Rags

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss a recent report that famous North Korean actors were found begging for food in North Korean markets. They explore North Korea’s attempts at modernizing their film industry under Kim Jong-il and how today, those plans appear to have been scrapped, along with the actors who starred in these films.

Episode 2: Crypto Heist

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung discuss North Korea’s theft of $400 million in crypto currency. In this episode Sug and Dan talk about the many illicit ways in which North Korea makes money from making methamphetamine to fake US $100 bills. They also explore the many legitimate ways the country makes money from sending their workers overseas to their great mineral deposits.

CORRECTION: In the episode, Dan says that experts estimate that there are hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fake, North Korea-produced hundred dollar bills in circulation.

Episode 1: Dance Dance Revolution

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung explore North Korea’s recent arrest of a woman for teaching children K-Pop dance moves. They wade into North Korea’s recent history with South Korean media, North Korea’s own attempts to start a pop group, Dan’s experiences with North Korean entertainers/waitresses/spies and much more.

Introducing The Demystified Zone (DMZ)

Hosts Sug Shin and Dan Chung have a quick conversation about why The Demystified Zone exists and what listeners can expect in this new podcast from Crossing Borders.