Munya Chawawa to explore Kim Jong Un’s regime in documentary on North Korea

Comedian Munya Chawawa is to explore the impact of North Korea’s regime under the dictator Kim Jong Un in a new Channel 4 documentary.

Following on from his How To Survive A Dictator documentary, which delved into the late Robert Mugabe’s leadership over Zimbabwe, the upcoming programme will look into how the North Korean political leader has maintained power since 2011 in the nuclear-armed state.

Online star Chawawa, known for creating topical satirical videos, will also track down a school friend of Mr Kim and meet people who have seen the effects of his regime first hand.

Chawawa said: “It’s been tricky to not feel a sense of ‘apocalypse anxiety’ recently – is the world going to end? Are nukes going to be launched? Will we make it to the release of GTA 6?

“A lot of that stems from North Korea and Kim Jong Un, so doing this doc has not only been fascinating, but also given me a strange sense of closure, cheers Kim.”

The programme will see the comic in Switzerland, Seoul and suburban west London as he seeks to “find out the truth about Kim Jong Un and how dangerous he really is”, Channel 4 has said.

It will also look at those who have risked their lives to defect from the country and hopes to “bust some of the myths” that surround the regime from both North and South of the demilitarised zone.

Shaminder Nahal, head of specialist factual at Channel 4 and commissioning editor of the programme, added: “In an uncertain and often dangerous world, it feels more important than ever to understand the dictators who wield unchecked power.

“In his utterly unique style, Munya Chawawa – with the exceptional team from Rumpus lead by Iain Wimbush – will explore the world of Kim Jong Un in a surprising and compelling way, asking questions not just about the North Korean regime, but what its existence means for all of us.”

Mr Kim is the son of Kim Jong Il, who was the second leader of North Korea, and took over as leader in 2011.

Chawawa’s How To Survive A Dictator documentary was nominated for the Bafta TV award in the specialist factual category in 2023.

He has also hosted the Mobo Awards and appeared on comedy panel shows including Would I Lie To You? and Have I Got News For You.