Inside the Most Secretive Nation: A Comprehensive Map of North Korea

🗺️A decade of mapping and research has resulted in a comprehensive map of North Korea, showcasing its military and infrastructure sites.

🏰The Kim family has ruled North Korea for three generations, creating a society stratified by class and maintaining a persona of quasi-deities.

☢️North Korea's nuclear program dates back to the beginning of the country, with sites like the pyongsan uranium milling plant producing highly enriched uranium for powerful nuclear weapons.

🏢The elite in North Korea live in luxury, with mansions and luxury apartments, while the majority of the population faces challenges like poor working conditions and toxic waste.

🛩️North Korea's conventional military forces are falling behind in capabilities compared to South Korea and the US, leading to small steps to increase survivability.

How accurate and reliable is the comprehensive map of North Korea?

—The map is the result of over 7,000 hours of mapping and research, with verification of over 64,000 places. It provides a comprehensive view of North Korea's military and infrastructure sites, but due to the secretive nature of the country, absolute accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

What challenges did you face in gathering information for the map?

—North Korea is a secretive nation, and access to accurate and reliable information is limited. The regime classifies almost everything, including demographics, making it difficult to obtain accurate population figures. Additionally, state-sponsored agents have made multiple attempts to hack into my systems.

Can the average North Korean citizen access the comprehensive map?

—Access to the comprehensive map is limited to the general public. The regime prefers to keep information restricted, and the map provides details that they would rather not be known outside the country.

What are the implications of North Korea's nuclear program?

—North Korea's nuclear program is a matter of concern for the international community. Their production of highly enriched uranium and development of compact nuclear weapons pose a threat to regional and global security.

How has North Korea's military fallen behind in capabilities?

—North Korea's conventional military forces heavily rely on Soviet hardware, which is aging and faces difficulties in securing spare parts. In a direct aerial combat, they would not win against advanced military forces like South Korea and the US.

00:00North Korea is one of the most secretive nations on the planet, with a regime that tightly controls information and keeps the country isolated from the outside world.

03:34Jacob Bogle, a North Korea analyst, has spent over 7,000 hours mapping and researching the country. He created a comprehensive map that shows ballistic missile bases, tunnels, palaces, and more.

06:01The Kim family has ruled North Korea for three generations, propagating the myth of being quasi-deities with a divine right to rule. The society is stratified, with a top elite living in luxury.

07:00North Korea's nuclear program dates back to the beginning of the country. The pyongsan uranium milling plant produces highly enriched uranium, a key ingredient for powerful nuclear weapons.

07:26While the elite in North Korea live in mansions and luxury apartments, the majority of the population faces poor working conditions and challenges such as toxic waste affecting water sources.

07:55North Korea's conventional military forces are falling behind in capabilities compared to South Korea and the US. They are taking small steps to increase survivability in a potential conflict.

08:20Jacob Bogle's project of mapping North Korea is ongoing, as the country is constantly evolving and presenting new challenges in gathering accurate and reliable information.