All language subtitles for The.Mole.Infiltrating.North.Korea.Part.1.2020.720p.WEB.H.264-PTP

It began when an unknown man
from Denmark approached me

with a proposition.

This is him in his tiny apartment
in the outskirts of Copenhagen.

If this was a piece of fiction,

no-one would believe that
he would be meeting

with North Korean arms dealers
in Africa...

You can walk in here no problem.

..or going to the North Korean
embassy in Sweden

to pick up secret documents.

If something happened, embassy
does know nothing about this.

Exactly.

But this is no fiction.

Everything you are about to see
is real,

and has been going on for more
than ten years.

This is him aged 14,
somewhere in Denmark.

He is celebrating his birthday.

Among the guests are children
who grew up

in the communist dictatorship
East Germany.

Many years later, as a grown man,
he will claim that

befriending these kids
and learning about the horrors

of a totalitarian regime made him
decide to infiltrate and expose

the most brutal dictatorship
of all...

..North Korea.

It's a nice explanation, but exactly
why he chose to place himself

in mortal danger is also
beside the point.

What only matters here
is that he is a mole.

In the end, I had to hire an expert
to help me sort it out.

Annie Machon is a contentious figure
in the intelligence world,

but this does not concern me.

I am only interested in her skills
in debriefing agents.

So, Annie, the mole arrived
last night?

Mm-hm.
And soon he's ready for you?

Do you have concerns?

Maybe...we should discuss that
after you have met the mole.

Hi, Ulrich. I'm Annie.

Hi, Annie. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too. Thank you.

I used to work for the
British Security Service,

otherwise known as MI5, and part of
my job as an intelligence officer

was to debrief agents.

So the film team has asked me in
to debrief you

about your life
over the last ten years.

Yes.

Can you tell me a little bit more
about him? His background?

Erm, you know,
if he would rob a bank,

you would not be able
to describe him.

Mm-hm. Erm...

He blends in. He blends in. Perfect.

So, how did you get interested
in North Korea?

Oh, it's a long story.

It is a long story,
so I will speed it up.

Back in 2006, as a journalist
from Denmark, I went to North Korea

and shot a documentary called
The Red Chapel.

The regime in Pyongyang
really hated my film,

and because of that, I can never
travel back to North Korea.

Seen from a western point of view,
the film has its moments,

but it does not offer up
the smoking gun,

the irrefutable proof
that North Korea is an evil

and criminal enterprise.

Ever since, I have been on a quest
to prove these points,

yet being forever banned
from the Chamber of Secrets.

But back in Denmark, the man who I
prefer to call the mole saw my film,

and somehow it gave him the idea
that he could travel

to North Korea in my place.

Approximately ten years ago,
out of nowhere, he wrote and asked

if I would be interested
in doing a film about him

infiltrating the Danish North Korean
Friendship Association.

So... I mean, what happened?

Can you talk me through exactly
the first steps you took in this,

and the sort of thought process
you were going through?

I told him it could be of interest
if it would evolve to something

of international importance,

because the Danish North Korean
Friendship Association in itself

is a fairly depressing
group of people. Mm-hm.

He said, "Please keep me posted
if it's interesting,"

and I was like, "OK."

I also told him, "I will never
be able to pay you any money,"

so that is not of importance
for him,

and then he just kept on going.

The mole went down the rabbit hole
and discovered a bizarre world

of Danish senior citizens
who are true friends of North Korea.

MAN SPEAKS DANISH

Slowly but surely,
the mole advanced in the hierarchy

and became a member of the board,

working under chairman
Anders Kristensen,

a die-hard communist.

Here you have him back in
his heyday, meeting with

the founder of North Korea,
Eternal President Kim Il-sung,

grandfather of the current ruler,
Kim Jong-un.

All the time, the mole was filming,
the excuse being that he was

making movies for YouTube
about his work as a board member.

So, how did things progress for you
once you were a member,

and on the board?

The mole went to North Korea,

and the North Koreans
took a liking to him.

His main contact person in
North Korea was a man named Kang,

who works for the Ministry of
Cultural Affairs.

Kang is a key person in this tale
of deceit and intrigue.

Everywhere he went in North Korea,
the mole was filming.

Of course, he also brought his
camera when he was awarded a medal,

recognising his work for the regime.

OK, congratulations.
Thank you.

So when did things really start
to move?

Could you confirm that
this is a photograph of him?

Amongst the friends of the regime
in Pyongyang,

Alejandro Cao de Benos
is the biggest friend.

Compared to a small group

such as the Danish North Korean
Friendship Association,

the Korean Friendship Association
is the international lodge

for people who consider North Korea
to be heaven on Earth.

Alejandro Cao de Benos
is the founder

of the Korean Friendship Association

and is known around the world
as the gatekeeper of North Korea.

As such, Alejandro Cao de Benos
was my tour guide and access ticket

when I travelled to North Korea
back in 2006.

Here, we are posing
for a North Korean newspaper.

Spending time with him, I found it
hard to understand why Alejandro,

who was born in Spain
and lives in Spain,

has chosen a life
as a cheerleader for North Korea.

According to the UN, North Korea
starves, abuses

and kills its own citizens
on a daily basis,

but Alejandro Cao de Benos
considers all that to be fake news.

I also discovered that his preferred
foods are French pastry and candies,

which is, I guess, the perfect diet
for a supervillain.

Do you think Alejandro's dangerous?

APPLAUSE

You're a Spanish aristocrat

representing the North Korean
regime. What's in it for you?

APPLAUSE

So you meet him in Pyongyang,
and then you go back to Europe,

and then your second meeting
is when you go to Spain. Yeah.

Can you tell me a little bit
about that meeting?

So what did Alejandro want from you?

And so the mole began
channelling his way through

the Korean Friendship Association,
hoping to find the secrets

of this global club for friends
of Pyongyang.

Advised by me, the mole had
a professional cameraman

enrolled in KFA Denmark
as his personal assistant.

Is Alejandro aware of the
personal aspects of your life?

A lot of time because, in his real
life, the mole is a retired chef

who lives on welfare subsidies
from the government

because of some sort of
chronic disease

which prevents him from working.

He is married with children
and resides in the suburbs

of Copenhagen, living
a seemingly normal life.

As such, he is the best mole
you could ever want.

MUSIC PLAYS

That's quite a quick leap up.

So what were your responsibilities
in that?

This is Ulrich out of Copenhagen.
Here's what he had to say.

So, Andre, he's really picking up
on that theme

that Dermot had about a smear
against North Korea.

Do you happen to know if he's told
his wife what he was doing?

I don't think so. Mm.

What did your wife say when you went
home smelling of that strange scent?

Mm-hm.

LINE RINGS

Why does Alejandro like the mole?
What does he see in the mole?

Alejandro Cao de Benos begins
putting pressure on the mole.

He wants him to source for
businessmen who will invest

in North Korea.

So the main part, really, is raising
business and investment. Yeah.

In a debriefing filmed in Denmark
back in 2013,

the mole was already talking about
KFA president Alejandro Cao de Benos

wanting him to find investors.

But investing in North Korea
is tricky business

because of the tough UN sanctions

levelled against
the cash-starved regime.

NEWSREEL: The new sanctions
include a ban on exports of

North Korean goods such as machinery
and electrical equipment.

Since no-one in their right mind
would throw money at North Korea,

I decided to invent a fake investor
in order for the mole to find out

what exactly Alejandro Cao de Benos
had in mind.

I forgot to mention there is
another person involved in this.

That person is Mr James.

His real name is Jim,

and he was chosen by me to perform
the role as Mr James,

a man of international mystery.

In real life, Jim is a former member
of the French Foreign Legion

who later went on to become a jetset
cocaine pusher in Copenhagen.

In the end, he was caught
and served eight years in jail,

and now works and lives
as a legitimate businessman.

In my mind, he was tailor-made
for extreme role-playing.

So I had the mole invite Alejandro
to come to Oslo in Norway

for meeting with the man
of his dreams,

Mr James, a dapper Scandinavian
oil billionaire.

So how did you set it up?

Mm-hm.

What kind of investments
into North Korea

would President Alejandro Cao de
Benos have on offer for Mr James?

Go.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Sorry, just to interrupt,

but what sort of cover story
had you developed for James?

I mean, Alejandro presumably would
have done some checking

on the background of James.

So he didn't need to know the name
of this oil billionaire?

Did he discuss what types of
business he would be looking for?

Meeting with President
Alejandro Cao de Benos in Oslo

gave a whole new perspective on
the Korean Friendship Association

because, officially, the KFA
is a peaceful organisation

which works to promote North Korean
culture, history and values

through its members in more than
30 different countries...

..including the official delegate
for all of Scandinavia,

the mole.

Was the KFA really being used

as a front for dealing with weapons
and drugs from North Korea,

with Alejandro as the spider
in the web?

Or was Alejandro Cao de Benos
playing us in order to get to

the deep pockets of Mr James?

And who was Alejandro really?

Simply a buffoonish braggart
acting as a useful idiot

for the regime in Pyongyang?

Or was he a highly connected
and sophisticated

international criminal?

At last, the mole had found his real
mission and true purpose -

follow the lead of
Alejandro Cao de Benos

and see where it takes us.

So, what happened
after this meeting?

For the first time ever,
the brave soldiers of the KFA

would have their annual meeting
without their president -

a perfect chance for the mole
to rise in the ranks.

PHONE RINGS

Next, the mole and Mr James
went to Madrid in Spain

to meet with Alejandro Cao de Benos.

Through me, Mr James had an order
ready for North Korean weapons

as well as methamphetamine.

Would the president of the
Korean Friendship Association

be open for business,

now that he was being investigated
for arms trafficking?

So, Alejandro took James entirely
on trust, on your recommendation?

And what was that story?

So, at this meeting in Madrid...
Yeah.

..does James give any ideas about
why he wants, why he's interested

in buying this sort of materiel?

At this point, he's stuck in
Spain... Yeah. ..for legal reasons.

But he can organise your trip
with James to North Korea.

Going on a secret mission
to North Korea

calls for careful planning,

so I had my first in-person meeting
with the mole and Mr James together,

making sure that Mr James especially

knew the most important rules
of the game.

Hi, Jim. I'm Annie.
Pleasure to meet you.

Lovely to meet you, too.

If we can keep the answers
as brief as possible

and as precise as possible,
that would be appreciated. Sure.

So, what was your perception
of the possible risk at this point?

SHE LAUGHS
Erm...

I was also worried for the mole.

Mr James had been
around the block.

He could fend for himself.

But what about the mole?

He was just a retired chef.

So, I took him to see a teacher
who could give him a crash course

in what is known as "tradecraft"
among spies.

In short, I took him to see Max,

a former CIA agent.

If he makes a mistake,
he could find himself...

..tied up in the centre of town
with a blowtorch...

..as an example
for nobody else to do that.

So...

But why trust a former CIA agent

with the identity and secrets
of the mole? It's a good question.

Max had been fired from
the Central Intelligence Agency

and was not in good standing
with the company any more,

which made it safer to trust him.

I'm going to kill you.

Why?

OK, yep.

Anyway, I was in need of someone
who could teach the mole the ropes

before he returned to North Korea.

If somebody's holding a gun on you,

you're not going to expect them
to...take it away.

All right? All you're looking for
is a split-second edge.

And besides, as the saying goes,

who can you trust these days?

Observation skills.

What I say, what's common
is common... Yeah.

..and what ain't, ain't.

That means if it's common,
that's usual for the area,

OK, that's normal.

If something stands out,
it stands out for a reason,

so you've got to be aware
of your surroundings.

You might as well give them
your phone and say,

"Here, look at it," because
that's how easy it is nowadays.

You have to assume they can read
all of your messages.

So, when they look at
your emails accounts,

they can go way, way, way,
way, way back.

They're going to feel like
you betrayed them.

You didn't really believe
in...socialism or communism.

You didn't really believe
in North Korea as a place to go.

You didn't really believe it.

That was all just...
You were a mole.

Be careful that they don't set
a trap for you.

So, like, when they walk out of
the room and leave papers,

don't touch them,
don't go near them.

Then, they can say, "Oh, we knew
he was going to go through these."

You don't care about those. Don't
even think about messing with that.

I tell you what, you are a hero
of mine doing this.

It's very dangerous.
So, this is the real deal. Yeah.

Safe journey. Thank you, Max.

Godspeed. Thank you. Bye. Bye now.

Right in the middle of
these anxieties,

an American university student
was arrested in North Korea.

NEWSREADER: ..was sentenced
to hard labour

for stealing a propaganda poster.
The Warmbier...

His crime was simply
stealing a poster

from his hotel in Pyongyang.

NEWSREADER: Another American
front and centre

in Pyongyang's propaganda parade.

Otto Frederick Warmbier,

a University of Virginia
business major,

making a dramatic,
emotional confession.

Warmbier's parents issued
a statement today...

VOICE FADES OUT

So, can you tell me what happened
when you got there?

MUSIC PLAYS

POP MUSIC PLAYS

VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYS

OPERA SINGING

OUT-OF-TUNE SINGING

WOMEN SING

APPLAUSE

So, how did the deal progress
once you were there?

GUNSHOT

GUNSHOT

So how long did this, erm - shall we
call it a courtship period - last?

Two days. OK.

LOW CHATTER

INDICATOR CLICKING

Under a basement... Yeah.
in a rotting house. Yeah.

Were you frightened?

MEN SPEAKING KOREAN

Is this when this photograph
was taken?

So, can you tell me who is who?

Mm-hm.

Mm-hm.

OK.

HE LAUGHS

Mm-hm.

Like a sort of menu? Yeah. OK.

And what sort of weapons
are we talking about?

So this is all on offer?

Yeah, this is what we were just
handed over the table.

Wow! So we've got Scud missiles?
Yeah.

So, you can get five Scud missiles
for $14 million.

Missile launchers. Yeah.

So we're going up to Scud-E missiles
now. Yeah. Good God.

$25 million.

Yeah.

And that's a high explosive warhead,
and that's thermobaric. Oof!

I mean, that's as close
as you can get to a nuke... Yeah.

..without it being a nuke.

What's this?

The arms factory? Yeah.
Yeah, OK.

All signed and sealed, as well. Yes.

And what was Ulrich doing
during this meeting

when you were signing contracts?

He was allowed to film?!

CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS

And where is that?

At this point, you're in a secret
underground lair in North Korea,

facilitating the signature
of a weapons contract.

What is going through your head
at this stage?

APPLAUSE

And Alejandro is aware
of all of this?

MUSIC PLAYS

APPLAUSE

And did the Koreans have
any preferences

when it came to countries,
or suggestions?

So, to sum it up,

you are now a North Korean
weapons dealer and broker?

Yes.

NEWSREADER: Good evening, and it's
great to have you with us here

on a Monday night. And we begin
with late developments today,

the worsening horror for
a mother and father from Ohio.

Their son, who was just returned
from North Korea

with severe brain damage,
has now died.

Since the moment their son
was sentenced

to hard labour for stealing
a propaganda poster,

the Warmbiers were fighting
until he was released.

The look in his eyes, which I didn't
know he was blind at the time,

was absolute horror -
horror like he'd seen the devil.

And he had. He was with the devil.

Back in Copenhagen, I was shocked
to discover what my two proxies

had accomplished in Pyongyang.

They had brought real, raw
intelligence with them.

As the scholar Andrea Berger writes
in her study Target Markets,

very little is known about pricing
on North Korean weapons systems,

but here was a fully detailed menu
in hard copy.

Mr James being appointed
as a North Korean arms broker

seemed like the figment
of a sick mind,

but here also was a signed and
sealed contract,

drawn up in English
by the North Koreans.

Before Mr James came along,
only a few non-Koreans

had been known to broker weapons
for the regime in Pyongyang.

Back in 2011, the British arms
dealer Michael Ranger was arrested

for brokering a deal between
Azerbaijan and North Korea,

but he was a highly experienced
arms dealer in a dangerous game

for experts, let alone amateurs.

Nevertheless, Mr James and the mole
had scored a jackpot.

RUSTLING

ZIPPER ZIPS

To prepare the mole for his next
mission, Alejandro would now provide

guidance on how to operate
as a businessman in Uganda.

OK.

OK.

Oh, OK.

You were mic'd up?