Inside North Korea
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Our NBC news team is on the ground inside North Korea. They were granted unprecedented access to a military base that has world leaders on edge. Video by kmir6.com
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NORTH KOREA-- We got a rare look inside one of the most secretive nations on earth.
Our NBC news team is on the ground inside North Korea. They were granted unprecedented access to a military base that has world leaders on edge.
The journey began with a bus ride though Pyongyang. A view of the world's most-closed capital through moving windows.
There are so few cars, everyone seems to walk, or wait silently for busses and trams. Apartments are provided by the self-described socialist state.
Seldom are outsiders given a chance to see the countryside where food is scarce. The farms are collective - centrally planned, but appear poorly funded.
After 5 hours we arrive at the Sohae Satellite Launch Station. After security checks, we entered a test facility.
"This is the satellite North Korea says it will soon launch into orbit. It's relatively small, about three and a half feet tall, we're told it weighs about 220 pounds. Officials say it has a high definition camera and a solar panels and will be used to take images of earth from orbit. North Korea calls this the Unha-3. It's a powerful three stage rocket, liquid fueled as far as we can tell, with enough lifting force to carry a thousand pound payload. And this is what us officials are so concerned about.
North Korea says this rocket is strictly for scientific purposes but U.S. officials worry that it could easily be converted into an intercontinental ballistic missle.
Surrounded by foreign press, the director of the site tells us, the United States has nothing to fear.
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