Ep91: The '3 Kim' Problem

North Korea is often treated like a punchline — strange haircuts, military parades, and impossible propaganda. But behind the spectacle is one of the most controlled societies on Earth.

In this episode, Oldmate & Josh dig into Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim, a rare inside account of teaching the sons of North Korea’s elite. What begins as a story about a classroom becomes something much bigger: truth, loyalty, fear, hunger, surveillance, and what happens when the state doesn’t just control what you do — it tries to control what you are.

It’s bizarre. It’s disturbing. It’s human. And it raises one massive question: what happens to a person when the outside world is treated like a crime?

Music by: Pity lips