RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. North Korea's late leader Kim Jong-il loved movies, calling film the most powerful medium for educating the masses. Now, his son, Kim Jong-un, is leading the masses into the future with North Korea's own Netflix-style service. One official called it elevating the people's cultural life by allowing its citizens to stream state-run TV, which is to say binge-watch propaganda in the comfort of their own home. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.