North Korea is the Hermit Kingdom, the world’s last fully-fledged autocracy. It is presided over by Kim Jong-un, the 39-year-old Supreme Leader who controls every minute detail of his people, from their being able to travel and wear leather coats, to their food supplies and choice of haircut.
No one can leave North Korea, and very few can enter. But there are rumbles, murmurs that things might be changing.
The North Koreans spoke of fear they will either starve to death, as did their ancestors or be executed for even the smallest flouting of the rules. Some even admitted they longed for an attack by the US in order to put an end to the tyrannical regime.