Why the North Korean Government Has a Tiny Office in NYC
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- Опубликовано: 22 май 2024
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Video written by Amy Muller
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Leaser: so who are the neighbors?
Landlord: oh don’t worry its just north korea
I have heard they are very calm and respectful.
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@@benjamintomassennordahl7911 of course they are. If they caused trouble outside of the UN shenanigans, it could go very badly for their family.
@@benjamintomassennordahl791169 like
These diplomats can openly see the outside world and how much worse their country is in comparison to literally everywhere else, makes you wonder how that makes them feel
They are the upper class of North Korea. They already have access to western tech and media.
You mean worse?
I'd hate to see those American creatures outside my window.
@@AL-lh2ht Their families are probably still in North Korea as leverage. They have to do I fairly importnat job so if they either fuck up or escape their families would pay for it. I donmt think they have that good aof a live even being in the "upper class"
I mean they live in Roosevelt island and work in turtle bay, its not exactly the nicest place out there LOL (sorry if you live in those places)
@@yyyyyyexe963 It's still better than having to eat worms out of the ground, I'd imagine
Sam out here doxxing North Korea's very calm and respectful ambassador
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I can't believe anyone makes it in NYC on just $3,000,000 a month. You need to pay Amy at least $3.5
He needs to pay Amy at least 3.50 dollars? wow
Three fiddy?!
"Gotdamn Loch Ness Monstah!"
Well, you're technically right
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I love that Sam is just a narrator now, commentating on weekly Amy adventures...😂
Who is Amy? Do i know her?
@@avigdonable Amy, I barely know her
@@smalltime0 IS THAT A REFFERENCE!??!?!?!?!
we need more Amy lore
Wait, are we just going to gloss over the fact that the US has a diplomatic mission in the US? Apparently Switzerland has the same in Geneva! Seems worthy of an HAI video!
Not really that jnteresting, it's for the UN and your diplomats need a mission to be allowed in, it's an annoying "these are the rules, no exceptions" kind of thing that's funny when you see it in practice but otherwise kind of boring since it's so easy to imagine how it got that way.
Where else would the diplomats be?
It's kind of interesting at first, but "mission" is really just another name for an "office"; and they do need somewhere to work.
@@scragar half as interesting even??
Belgium also has a mission to the EU parliament in Brussels, a diplomatic mission is just a permanent diplomatic pressence that isn't explicitly to another country.
A better example would be that both Greenland and the Faeroe Islands have diplomatic pressences in Copenhagen even though they're all technically the same country. Denmark, Greenland and the Faeroe Islands also each have their own embassies in China even though the Danish one is supposed to cover for all of them.
Amy should be part of Jetlag, you guys wouldnt stand a chance in hide and seek of she can even find a North Korean official in New York 😊
her tiktok dance was the highlight of season 8!!
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I mean she was in 2 seasons via Smartphone at least 😉
Sam will lose all of jet lags budget on day 1 if he lets Amy on.
@@F35Nerd that's when they break out the emergency cotopaxi sponsorship!
3:00 The Terra Residence in Bulgaria is not a North Korean embassy, that is actually about 15mins walk away. It is one of the few buildings in Sofia that North Korea owns. The Terra Residence has been built in the 80s (during communism) and used to be the home of the NK emmissary, hence the lavish interior. The company Terra Group, that actually offers subletting of said building for parties and photoshoots, has been renting the building from the NK government for a very long time... since before NK got sanctioned. Last I checked, they haven't paid rent for years because of the sanctions and instead get to use the place in exchange for maintaining the place to a high standard.
As a person with connections to the diplomatic world, the salary is just the base pay, there are many allowances provided to diplomats, usually housing is paid for by the home country
Does this extend to North Korea?
@@Nothing2150 I believe so, I had a North Korean friend who was the son of a diplomat, and they were given transport and school fees
@@Nothing2150 This isn't like the US or UN pays for the mission, it is a base salary... more or less every diplomatic staff member gets a base salary plus a location specific stipend.
I doubt it is huge, and the NK staff members probably get a bunch of benefits - but that is definitely on the low end of what they are actually paid
@@Anonymous-vn3jnBy school fees, you mean they get free school back in NK while daddy is working abroad? And where they keep those kids safe and alive, until daddy returns?
@@juzoliI think school fees in the US. Their family goes with them.
Fun fact : i had a coworker at my old job who was a CCing bully, ccing the whole office with every email. So every time i had to email her i started to CC the DPRK un mission, they responded a few times! “Why you included me? We no need your service, please remove from list immediately.
Did she get the hint or did you just wind up roping these diplomats into a battle of wills they had no stake in?
@@Wote89 the director of operations laughed his ass off and said good luck hope they dont kill you. Yeah after that the policy was only CC people who need to know
@@stephenfazekas5054this was probably the most random, hilarious and passively aggressive office story I’ve ever read…. I love it 😂
As a Bulgarian I didn't even know we had a North Korean embassy, but the fact that they fund themselves by hosting parties and events is somehow one of the most Bulgarian things ever
Bulgaria used to be a Communist state. It's perfectly understandable that North Korea had diplomatic relations with members of friendly countries.
The DPRK currently has 6 diplomats working out of their mission in NY. They're each paid at min ~$120k usd per year, tho a lot of that is pooled back into a yearly "thank you gift" sent back to NK for purchasing a property in NY in the early 2010's thru a shell company that they all live at. The top 2 diplomats live in NY year-round until they retire and returning for a couple weeks maybe twice a year, but the bottom 4 are routinely permanently swapped with fresh meat every year. It's used as a field test to gauge the loyalties of the freshmen once they've gotten a whiff of life outside the walls of the hermit kingdom, usually young close family members of high-ranking generals.
what's the source of this information?
@@SiddiqueSukdikitrust me bro
So, a North Korean rumspringa?
@@SiddiqueSukdiki maybe that's a DPRK diplomat posting about themselves
aahhh I know a diplo intern when I see one XD
Fun fact: Purchases at the UN Gift Shop or Cafeteria do not add New York or NYC sales tax.
Im a high school student who does Model United Nations, 2 weeks ago, I went to NHSMUN, where I got to go in one of those embassies. Specifically I went to the 866 building which is right near the UN building, and my team and the diplomats representing Monaco. There were a lot of diplomats in that building, and it was so cool being in something that was filled with security. Basically every school got to go meet with a different country, I wonder who got to meet with North Korea lol...
*embassies
@@ferretyluv Thank you, Spelling Police. 🙄 Putz.
@@BennyLlama39 There’s literally no reason for you to get mad
@@GoggleDumb I'm not mad. Yet. So stick it where the sun don't shine, Buttercup.
@@BennyLlama39 police and security are 2 different concepts, putz.
I can imagine that a posting in this office must be one of the most sought-after positions in North Korea, for obvious reasons.
Whatever could you mean? A true patriot would stay in the presence of the Great Leader.
Which is why its probably only given to the most loyal/indoctrinated/privileged NKs
@@apertureemployee215 ... or the ones with a family they like a lot. Back home, in NK.
That and probably the DPRK’s UK embassy. Only downside is that one family member has to stay behind in Pyongyang within reach of an armed guard. Defect and that family member is a goner within seconds of the Dear Leader finding out.
$300-$600 a month though? Yikes
AMY IF YOURE READING THIS:
I have snuck the key to the HAI basement door into your holding cell through a small nook in the 7th brick from the bottom on the Northeast corner. Use the strip on the side to hold the padlock top down and hit it hard with a rock. From there, please wait until 3:44 AM when there is a gap between the guards as they change shifts. Take two rights, then enter the janitors closet to your left. You should find a small ladder. Use this to climb into the ceiling. You should be able to cross the hallway into a service room on the other side of the wall from the janitors closet. From here, take a chair and block the door, just in case. Under the table, you should be able to pull up the carpet and use the manhole cover underneath to enter the sewer system. Your nearest exit outside of the property is 2 miles in either direction in the sewer. Get home to your family safe.
?
@@BasilWatercressParsleyRosemary Tf do you mean "?"?
Received, thanks, see you in Virginia in May
Lol lmao
I’m unsubscribing from this channel, these facts are getting too interesting
Yeah, this is close to fully interesting.
Don't let this nondescript door hit you on the way out. The door squeaks sometimes because the hinges are rusted.
[unrusts your hinges]
The most shocking thing of all YOU CAN JUST WALK INTO THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY HALL WITHOUT BEING A DIPLOMAT?!
IKR
Why is this shocking? It's normal for legislatures to have public galleries, so why not the General Assembly?
The public viewing gallery part of it, yes. It's not out in the open air or anything, there is security, but there's so much going on at the UN that the campus can't be closed off from the world.
It's far more shocking that people think it is shocking to be able to observe a government, or in this case, multi-government, body at work.
@@WyvernYT it’s nice they can go see it for free it really is but I thought you know that had there RUclips channel but the room and given how high profile everybody in the room was it’s just you know you can’t actually go into the room.
Wow I’ve been to that Hallmark several times. Crazy to think that North Korean officials are in the same building
1:35, "affordable world tours" .. so they basically walk you around from office to office?😂
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He said affordable, not worldly
"Around the world in 80 minutes"
3:41 the way sam says dabigapple is so goofy lmao
o/ ski guy
Never thought he would do a Christopher walken impression lol
Amy is so dedicated. I can't believe she broke her arm just for the sponsor ad.
She definitely deserves a raise to at least earn enough to live in NYC.
I'm a fan of this new type of video where there's a consistent story to follow from Amy, instead of many short stock footage clips
2:50 which is why their diplomatic mission in Berlin also owned a popular hostel in the city center. It was closed when Germany found out the North Koreans were laundering money and trafficking if I remember correctly.
Residing in Japan, I find myself regularly awakened by North Korean missile test alerts, which occur as frequently as earthquake alerts. (It appears that these tests are conducted in the morning presumably to disturb the slumber of both Japanese and South Korean residents.)
It strikes me as rather unjust that they only pay diplomats a mere $600 monthly while each missile deployed in these tests costs millions of dollars. I really wish that the people of North Korea will one day be freed from the dictatorship😔
Those diplomats are one of the few who would know the reality outside of DPRK. I can't even imagine just how big of a difference it seems to them when they return to their home country and see the government's propaganda telling the citizens how advanced they are compared to the US.
usa is advanced???!!???????? usa is just a third world country with op military with cool space agency
The irony is that you have never been to NK,but just a parrot from Cnn, fox news
Most of the North Korean elite knows that the propaganda is bullshit but they also don't care because they are basically feudal lords.
Any spies or whoever they got in South Korea alone would probably already witness a more technologically advanced society.
People in DPRK are aware of life in the South, through videos of TV shows smuggled in. But they know if they talk about it they will be sent to 're-education' camps.
The delivery on that $3M/month line was pitch perfect lol
UN has... gift shop?
Money, money. It apparently works.
Yes, and the capitol building has a barber shop😂
The Pentagon has a Dunkin' Donuts
Where do you think diplomats get the little pins and flag things, they ain't giving them out for free
It used to be a Taco Bell; and before that, a hot dog stand so good the Soviets had a nuke pointed directly at it.
this was truly enjoyable and entertaining to watch.... great job! I love the idea of discovering and exploring new places and peple
This is one of the more interesting videos you have made recently. I like that you guys are doing your own investigative journalism now.
The UN Tour is actually very good. The gift shop is decent too. If you're luck and there is no general assembly/security council meeting you can wear one of the interpretation ears over your ear which is worth the price of admission.
What is an interpretation ear??
I used to sit directly behind DPRK reps at the UN in Geneva. They both had the same haircut. Luckily, they always sat in the same order.
Lol Amy found the diplomat 😂❤ 🎉 love this channel 💯
Guess you really loved the graphics of the latest Jet Lag season haha
Hey Sam! love your channel. I just got back from a Model UN trip and I thought this was a great video about UN. I live in Aspen, CO and I believe you live here (kind of, I know you are traveling for Jet Lag) I have been a fan of your channel for quite some time. I see you sometimes running around town, and I think you have some great content ideas.
You guys are real reporters.
Signed, a reporter
I know that's true because I read it on the internet. You can trust me, I'm the only astronaut who is also both a doctor and lawyer.
give us our volvos back lol
shout out to Amy's commitment, give the girl a payrise!!
Nice try, Amy
When I would see the DPRK Consulate listed on Google Maps I always thought “no way that’s real”
nice, this dropped right in the middle of my hai nk rewatch phase
What, North Korean diplomats are in India, and they sell beef?😳
Would you be surprised if I told you that foreign outposts in stricter muslim countries are among the rare places that a local can safely get some booze at? :)
@@raics101 Foreign outpost = luxury hotel.
Fun fact: it's called "sacred cow butchering" scam.
Some Trivia for ya: If you're looking for North Koreans in the area, you could also try Cubby's BBQ in Hackensack, NJ. The founder/owner of Cubby's wrote a book called "Eating With the Enemy" (not to be confused with the film). Bobby Egan, owner of Cubby's had a diplomatic/business relationship with a deputy North Korean Ambassador. In Cubby's there's plenty of pictures on the wall of North Koreans enjoying his great food...😉😁 The book is also very interesting. I know Bobby because I live near and love to eat at Cubby's, since the 80's.
This video feels different and I like the change
This is a really interesting video. Thanks for posting
Wonder how many North Korea flags get sold in the gift shop. Would love to see a chart on the most popular to least popular flags
I wonder which is more draconian, real Epcot or Lame Epcot?
Amy does so much outside correspondence, we really need her teaming with Sam for the next season of JetLag
Regarding how they live here, I'll say two things. First, while they can't legally work in NYC, it's very easy to get a job off the books in a restaurant and make pretty good money, especially in Manhattan.
Second, although rent is expensive generally, they would be able to get into affordable housing via the housing lottery, which includes a very large percentage of units on Roosevelt Island.
I've always been a massive fan, but the writing on this one in particular is top-notch. Maybe, pay them more Sam.
New HAI video! It’s been years
Living on Roosevelt Island of all places is very funny, also means you can probably see them riding the cable car across the river
Nah they drive in a White Passenger Van. I’ve seen it and the group of DPRK staff before, they always travel in a group. It’s weird knowing they’re one wrong turn away from getting off’d by KJU.
I have two demands:
1) Get Amy a massive raise for all her hard work and,
2) Get that woman on Jet Lag!!
if anyone wants a real comparison, i rent a 1bed 1 bath 550sq ft apartment in nyc and that entire 21k salary would still be over $6,000 short of covering rent for a year. and i dont live in a ritzy area nor a huge apartment building
$2250/mo? That's probably a steal in NYC.
@@JL-sm6cg it genuinely is lmao its partly cuz my uncle is my landlord, i have friends who pay more but still have roommates and their roof leaks every time it rains😬
YESSS! For a sec.. I thought Sam had quit HAI. Keep it up!
I love that Sam is just a narrator now, commentating on weekly Amy adventures...
I like this new style of video!
Amy is the best, hope we'll see HAI on overtaking RUclips channels
With her honor restored, Amy could finally return to the Fire Kingdom
In Berlin (the Germany one) there has been a youth hostel at the North Korean Embassy.
The Basque Country (an autonomous community of Spain) having an embassy is crazy.
For any other country it would be, however Spain is a shit-show. Cataluña has "embassies" in many countries (however they are not legally categorized as such as they are not a recognized nation). Euskadi having its own representatives is just par for the course.
@@TheAndrewCarrera yeah. I live in Galicia. There's also an independence movement here although it doesn't have as much influence on Galician politics.
They are a nation with a voice of their own, why shouldn't they? Only sadly stateless.
I knew a person from Basque who went to my high school as an exchange student.
@@Game_Hero a poll from December showed that only 13% of Basques wanted independence so I don't agree. The thing is that 13% is very loud. The Basque Country has enjoyed advantages given by the national government for a long time. They wouldn't be as well off on their own. Same for Catalonia. They're a delusional bunch but they're not dumb.
The statues thing makes more sense than meets the eye. Statues are one of very few major exports of North Korea
I want to be an outside correspondent like Amy. Amy sounds like she has a fun job. Be like Amy.
3:43 “duh bih GApple” will live in my mind rent free forever
This is something that definitely does need a follow-up since I can't think of any other outlet of piece of reporting anywhere that could adequatly cover this niche. 🤔🤔
There's no way they're surviving off of $600 a month, that's practically impossible to do in NYC. They must be getting additional money from somewhere, somehow.
Well it’s really only a handful of staff. $600 with free housing and communal meals and not paying for transport it’s doable.
Hope your wrist heals up nicely, Amy!
Big respect to Amy for not stepping on the cracks in the pavement… something I learnt as a child and still live by!
I lived on Roosevelt Island from 2001-2005. Back then our apartment was over $4000 (my in-laws were consular officers).
I saw the building when I visited NYC once and it definitely was tough to tell at first that it was actually the consulate. It just looks like some random office building, and with the retail on the bottom it felt even more like we got the address wrong. At the time I was with my mom and I asked if we could go into the Hallmark store just to say we went in the North Korean building and she got weirdly paranoid and told me we need to leave now.
Im scared I live across from that building
There's no need to be afraid; being near the Hallmark won't hurt you.
They're not gonna do anything on American soil. Don't be afraid.
I used to live in turtle bay. I was very curious to see what their office was like but figured I’d never be allowed inside the building
while you could have picked a better restaurant at fun EPCOT, i would never turn down a galette, there.
and, the view from the window tables is amazing.
Give Amy that raise she asked for! Her work on this video alone merits it, plus she apparently has a cat!
The cat must be fed!
I genuinely cant believe you actually found one, thats insane
Amy inadvertently showing up to the UN the same day as PotUS is peak Amy.
God bless Amy. Better pay her the 3 million dollars a year she need.
That's really silly, I find that really fun.
Bless Amy, she deserves all the money.
Honsetly another place you might find them within that distance ring would be Fort Lee NJ, there is a very large Korean population there and it would be cheaper ( not by much but any bit helps right? ) to live there than in NYC itself.
Remember: if you let your painters paint with lead paint they might try to do something stupid like paint exclusively with lead paint.
Amy is very much underrated.
Refusing to recognize Amy as a real media personality just shows how inept and ineffective the UN has become.
I knew Amy would be able to find him!
i really need that sitcom
Just when I thought that New York couldn't get any more inviting.
The most surprising thing about this was that the United States has an official mission in NYC
Amy's totally worth it, give her the raise.
HAI saving on all the stock video footage for this one…
As someone who has never been to New York in my life, I can confirm it takes three mil a month to have a comfortable standard of living there.
Amy: follows North Korean ambassador to the UN.
NK ambassador: You dare use my own spell against me?
that was very very cool
Lead metaphor then proceeds to show .22 rounds with 0 lead 🤣😂
There's a small and friendly North Korean community here in Hanoi, Vietnam. And they've plenty of money to spend
Italy rents their embassy in DC out for events.
ok honestly id watch the hell out of that sitcom
I've missed you, HAI
I was at the UN a few months back. You walk out the front doors and the US' mission is basically just across the street. It is the most imposing, uninviting concrete bunker of a building. There are no windows above the atrium, just reinforced concrete walls. Opened by George W. Bush and designed essentially in response to the 1998 and 2000 bombings, it stands as a symbol of the USA's increasing isolationism and paranoia. Seeing it against the bright, open glass facade, courtyards and gardens of Niemeyer and Le Corbusier's UN complex is a symbol so tragic it's almost comic.
That's not to say the UN complex is a perfect symbol - and particularly not now the gardens, river walk, and formerly public areas have all been closed off and restricted to UN personnel.
I wouldnt say either paranoia or isolation is increasing in the US. Not exactly sure what youre talking about
@@cameronspence4977 OK, we'll call it "nationalism" instead.
@@cameronspence4977 Of course isolationism his increased; nowadays the party of Reagan doesn't even want to help the US's Ukrainian ally fight the Russians.
It’s better than the ugly UN building. The international style (big rectangles) is a blight on city skylines almost as bad as brutalism.
@@ferretyluv I think we'll have to disagree about this one - I think the US' mission is strikingly ugly, whereas I think there's a place for good internationalist modernism, like the UN. I agree, though, that the modernist style after Le Corbusier became too pre-eminent and dominated city architecture for too long, making the skyscraper become a bland glass and steel box in the zeitgeist. However, there are still some very good buildings adopting it.
In Germany the Embassy of North Korea had many years a Hostel
the cops on bikes... LMFAO
Well done Amy! 🙃
i wonder if this tiny north korean office also threatens the neighbors across the street with rockets? 🤔🤣