He made a movie about the Laibach concert and he was next to Kim: He revealed what is really forbidden in North Korea and what is a lie (PHOTO) (VIDEO)

North Korea is considered to be the world's most closed country, and according to few of those who have had the opportunity to visit it - we will never know the full truth about it or understand it completely. Norwegian artist Morten Traavik has been to North Korea multiple times and he also made a documentary with Slovenian band Laibach about their concert and the stay in this communist country. 

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Although the information is becoming increasingly available in the media about the life in North Korea, the fact is that we don't have any real image about it - the only things that remain are prejudice and delusions. Telegraf.rs talked with Traavik about the documentary "Liberation Day", where we tried to unravel something about North Korea in order to get an impression about the most mysterious country in the world which is always, according to the media, on the verge of war with the USA.

Foto: Tanjug/AP

In August 2015, Slovenian band Laibach performed in the capital Pyongyang before 1,500 people, and the rock concert itself was the first of its kind where one group from the West performed in North Korea. Laibach is considered one of the most famous groups that came from the former communist block. The group has built its success on the deliberate two-way use of national and political symbols, as well as on provocations, causing some of its members to be detained in the time of former Yugoslavia.

The mini-tour was called "Liberation Day Tour" and coincided with marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Korean peninsula from the Japanese occupation in 1945. The group received an official invitation from the authorities in Pyongyang, and the tour was organized by the Norwegian himself.

• How true is everything that is being said about North Korea, is the whole world mistaken, and is it propaganda of the West?

Regarding North Korea, the truth is never one perfect unit, but a puzzle made up of hundred tiny pieces you need to put together yourself. Most things being said about North Korea, both by Western media and the North Korean regime itself, is a mix of speculation, rumors, ignorance, different political agendas, propaganda, clickbait. and sometimes pure lies. Quite often, however, there is a tiny little seed of truth deep inside multiple layers of distortion and hyperbole, and you need both lots of time and a really open mind to uncover it and to puzzle all the pieces together. Anyone who claims to be an expert on North Korea is either a fool or a liar so you should trust no-one single source of information, including me.

Foto: Tanjug/AP

• What are the similarities and differences between North Korea and Yugoslavia? Did you feel when you were there that something resembled Yugoslavia, Tito's rule?

There are of course superficial similarities as both countries are or were officially Socialist, with all the standard make-up and props of that ideology like red stars, partisan movies, Young Pioneers, etcetera.

I never lived in or visited Yugoslavia and only started visiting its ex-republics many years after it fell apart, so this is probably more a question for Laibach who co-existed with it for more 10 years. One thing I’m certain of though is that although there was, of course, brutal repression of dissidents in Yugoslavia too,  compared to the level of repression in North Korea it was like a kindergarten group hug.

• What was forbidden for you to record while you were making a movie and what's forbidden to film outside "the set"?

“The set” is, if you will, all of North Korea so you are always “on set” while filming. As you see in the film, there were a couple of private conversations that they didn’t want us to film but that happens in any country.

Our North Korean minders are generally quite sensitive to filming or taking pictures of people in uniform, soldiers, police and so on, but this is not an iron rule – as long as the soldiers themselves don’t notice you can basically get away with it. They are also very worried that all the big portraits of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung that are everywhere in public buildings, in meeting halls etc should be photographed in a “respectful” manner.

Apart from that, as long as you always ask in advance so they feel they know what you are doing, they were generally pretty laid back about letting us film almost anything.

Foto: Tanjug/AP

• What was all censored at the concert, except for porn movies and Nazi symbols? Do you think that the movie now, as it is, should have to be censored again if authorities would look at it again and which parts exactly?

We had agreed in advance with our hosts in the North Korean Committee for Cultural Relations to play 12 songs at the concert, of which 2 were North Korean pop songs that Laibach had made their own cover versions of especially for the occasion. As all music in North Korea is political, however, even pop music (and their lyrics) are very closely associated with boosting the regime’s image so when they heard Laibach – shall we say – somewhat darker and less motivational versions of those songs they politely asked us to remove them from the repertoire. Representatives from the Committee has actually seen the film, after its completion, as I brought it to them on a USB stick on one of my visits. And although they said that they would, of course, have made the movie in a different way, they agreed that it shows what happened during our stay in a truthful way and never asked me to change anything.

• Given the current situation and North Korea as such, do you see the Third World War as possible to begin in the country where you played the first rock concert at a time when it seemed impossible?

I can promise all of you that if there will ever be a Third World War it will not – I repeat not - start on the Korean peninsula. That this is a worry at all for so many people around the world only shows the power and irresponsibility of the world media in stirring up panic – of course with the good help of their useful idiots Trump and Jong Un. Now listen: North Korea is a small, Third World country with the attitude of a superpower, a squirrel with the voice of a Grand Danois, who has succeeded in barking loud for most ignorant world audience to take their theatrical provocations seriously at all.

• How did you come to the idea that the controversial Laibach should hold a concert in Pyongyang, how long did the negotiations with the authorities last and how did they agree?

That’s far too valuable information to give away for free. If any of you want some consulting in setting up impossible concerts in North Korea you’ll have to dish out for it! There are some clues in the film, though.

• Laibach was supposed to hold two concerts in North Korea, however, the second was canceled. What was the main reason for the cancellation?

It wasn’t canceled at all. The thing was that the second concert was to take place the very next day and on the other side of town, in a music high school which was a significantly smaller venue than the 1500-seater where we played the opening concert.  After having worked morning to evening for three days with setting up the whole concert in the opening venue, none of us felt very much like having to do the same operation in three hours on the next day as well as moving all the equipment across town. So we, Laibach, took the decision to do just a few songs with a simple musical setup, and let the music high school students entertain us for the rest of the concert with a wonderful programme of North Korean pop that they had prepared.

Foto: Tanjug/AP

• Did you have the opportunity to meet or at least see from distance leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un? And did he watch the documentary?

I’ve never said hello, but I have seen him up close on 4-5 meters distance a couple of times from the VIP tribune during military parades, surrounded by half a million screaming fans.

I have no idea if he’s seen the documentary, but I wouldn’t exclude the possibility.

• Have you noticed something that North Koreans have that people from the West should look up to them?

I don’t think I would say “look up to”, but one thing a Western person perhaps sometimes could envy a North Korean are the clear and well-defined rules of how to live their lives. And the absence of the constant mental pollution of social media.

The documentary "Liberation Day" was shown at the "Free Zone" festival which ended yesterday. However, five movies will be played today which attracted the most attention of the audience, and the movie about North Korea and Laibach is among them. If you are interested in the documentary of Morten Traavik you can watch it tonight in 20:00 hours in the Youth Center in Belgrade.

Look at the trailer:

(Telegraf.co.uk / N. Ivanovski)