"Control and Propaganda Everywhere"... British YouTuber Participates in Pyongyang Marathon

British YouTuber Harry Jaegard Shares Pyongyang Marathon Experience
Videos Capturing North Korea Attract 25 Million Views on YouTube

There is growing interest as a foreign YouTuber who participated in the Pyongyang International Marathon, which resumed after six years, shared vivid accounts of his experience.

Harry Jaegard, a British YouTuber with 2.43 million subscribers, gave an interview to the New York Post on May 21 (local time). Jaegard participated in the Pyongyang International Marathon last month. He told the outlet, "It seems that North Korea still does not fully understand the concept of influencers," adding, "They allowed me to film YouTube videos relatively freely, possibly because they underestimated the influence of social networking services (SNS)."

British YouTuber Harry Jaegard who visited Pyongyang, North Korea. YouTube capture

Jaegard spent five days in Pyongyang, capturing various aspects of North Korea on camera. The videos he filmed were uploaded to YouTube, where they have garnered over 25 million views, attracting the attention of viewers worldwide.

He said, "The tour guide told me, 'If you enter North Korea with 100 questions, you will leave with 1,000,'" adding, "That was really true." This highlights just how unusual his experiences in Pyongyang were.

Jaegard explained, "Filming itself was relatively free," but added, "The control and propaganda deeply rooted in North Korean society seem unchanged." While filming, he visited a war memorial at the guide's suggestion. He recalled, "There was propaganda everywhere I looked. I saw a sculpture depicting a crow pecking at the body of a dead American soldier from the Korean War, and a propaganda poster showing the U.S. Capitol building exploding."

He also described the hotel as reminiscent of the 1970s, but said it was generally clean and comfortable. In addition, the hotel where he stayed was reportedly the only place in North Korea where internet access was available.

Jaegard commented, "North Korean residents definitely seem to be brainwashed." He speculated, "Some people might know that the outside world is much more developed, but if they openly reveal or acknowledge such knowledge, their entire family could suffer severe consequences, so they would not dare to act on it."

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the Pyongyang Marathon resumed this year after being suspended for six years. Two hundred marathon runners from 40 countries participated, and Jaegard also trained seriously for one month in order to complete the marathon.