Vesti Correspondent Got Close to Leader of DPRK: Report from the Most Closed-off Country

Pyongyang's nuclear tests might be held on Saturday. They are timed to the great holiday, the 105th anniversary of the birth of the great leader Kim Il-sung. To counter this threat, Washington sent a powerful armada to the shores of the Korean peninsula. Our special correspondent Darya Kozlova will tell you about what is happening in the DPRK. She works in Pyongyang and today saw the country's leader Kim Jong-un. This is a unique opportunity to see the most closed-off country in the world during the worsening of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and military exercises near the North Korean border. Pyongyang made an unprecedented step and opened the country to hundreds of journalists, including the American ones. You can look into the windows, film the military, and ask questions. The United States launched missiles against Syria. What will happen if the same thing takes place on the Korean Peninsula? We believe in our leader and we will follow him! The US is trying to unleash a war now. But we believe in ourselves. We have the best leader. Victory will be ours. Koreans start gathering in the square a couple of hours before the arrival of their leader. They come in groups: schoolchildren, students, military, civil servants. The last ones to come are the representatives of the party leadership. They have seats right in front of the podium. Local journalists are everywhere in the front and even on the roofs of the high-rises. The foreigners are placed in a specially designated area. Kim Jong-un and the whole party leadership are on the podium. This is the closest possible distance that foreign journalists can get to the North Korean leader. Kim Jong-un opens a new residential area in the center of Pyongyang. It was built in just one year. Thousands of people stayed for a long time in the heart of Pyongyang after the completion of the ceremony's official part and the departure of their leader. Only now, they began to leave the square. How do you feel now? It's joy! It’s the greatest happiness in the world. Residents from all over Pyongyang come to see the new apartments. In the newly opened district, there are only high-rise buildings of 40-70 floors. Which apartment is the best here? All apartments are the same. The Korean apartments, which are shown to the foreigners, have balconies, bedrooms, bathrooms, and offices. Their area is 100-140 square meters. The opening of this district is a real holiday for Koreans. Several new supermarkets also opening today in Pyongyang. Now, while it seems that all the residents of Pyongyang are on the streets, you can quickly go to the store and see what they are selling in ordinary stores of Pyongyang. Here are rows of shelves with juice, alcohol, and local soda. Meat, mostly pork, is packed 200 gram per piece. Why is everything in different places, so far apart? Everyone needs different groceries. It’s inconvenient when everything is all together. Kim Jong-un is an example to follow for all North Koreans. They call him "the respected supreme leader" and "comrade." Suits, like the ones the leader wears, and, of course, his haircut are in fashion. We don’t do such haircuts for the elderly. The young want to cut their hair short at the bottom, long on top, and look like our leader. Today, Kim Jong-un didn’t say a word on the podium. People from Pyongyang spoke with the foreigners.