Becoming Mr James: Undercover Inside North Korea P2

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: What I Survived – "Becoming Mr. James: Undercover Inside North Korea" (Part 2)

Host: Jack Laurence
Guest: Jim Latrache
Date: May 12, 2026
Episode Theme:
This episode follows the remarkable true story of Jim Latrache—a former cocaine dealer and ex-con—who undertakes an unofficial undercover operation inside North Korea to expose the regime’s black-market dealings. The episode traces Jim’s transformation from convicted criminal to “Mr. James,” the persona he assumed to infiltrate North Korean circles, risking imprisonment or death to reveal the lengths the regime will go to circumvent international sanctions.

---

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Stakes of Undercover Operations in North Korea

• Institutional vs. Amateur Espionage: The episode opens with a stark contrast between how intelligence agencies like MI6 and the CIA run undercover operations—with extensive training, backup, and extraction protocols—versus what Jim and his partner undertook.
  • “This is what it looks like when a professional intelligence service sends someone into danger. Now consider North Korea… not a spy, not backed by any government. No agency, no extraction team, no chain of command ready to act if things went wrong.” (Narrator, 01:48)
• The Dangers in North Korea: Capital punishment for espionage, political dissent, or smuggling foreign media is the norm; public executions are recounted; even minor activities can lead to death sentences.

---

2. Jim’s Life Before “Mr. James”

• Personal History & Imprisonment:
  • Jim describes meeting his future wife while on weekend leave near the end of his first prison sentence for drug dealing.
  • He kept his criminal activity secret from her until another arrest occurred.
    • “It’s a little bit hard to say to a girl, well, I’m in prison for dealing drugs. But to say to her, and you know, the funny part is I’m still a criminal." (Jim, 05:02)
  • His second arrest, described in detail, led to an eight-year sentence.
    • “Two big figures came and jumped me for the bag. And that was the cop. And at that point I really thought I was fucked up because... I was about to serve my second prison time for cocaine, and they sentenced me eight years to prison.” (Jim, 06:29)
• Turning Point: Education & Support
  • His wife demands he give up crime and pursue education. At first, Jim is reluctant, but she motivates him by correcting his prison letters, leading to him earning a high school diploma and enrolling at Copenhagen University for psychology.
    • “I think the turning point here was that for the first time in my adult life, there was somebody who believed in me and loved me for who I was.” (Jim, 09:41)

---

3. The Path to Undercover Work

• Connection with Documentary Maker
  • After prison, Jim wins a radio award and meets filmmaker Mads Brügger, known for satirical documentaries set in North Korea.
  • Jim is approached to help expose the North Korean black market via the Korean Friendship Association, leveraging his “criminal investor” persona.
    • “First he tried to look at actors... then he tried to find businessmen, but you couldn’t find any businessman in their right mind who wanted to do that task. And that was why he thought I could be up for the task.” (Jim, 14:43)
• The Strange World of the Korean Friendship Association (KFA)
  • The KFA serves as a global network for North Korean sympathizers; Ulrich Larsson, a former chef, had already infiltrated its ranks.
  • Jim (as “Mr. James,” a supposed billionaire investor) and Ulrich engage with North Korean officials, ultimately being propositioned to broker both weapons and methamphetamine deals.

---

4. Inside North Korea: Risks and Revelations

A. Entering the DPRK

• Preparation & Paranoia
  • The sense of peril is ever-present. Referencing the fate of Otto Warmbier, an American student jailed for allegedly stealing a poster and later dying from injuries suffered in detention.
    • “This is the country that Jim Latrache... would be walking into to expose the regime’s black market dealings.” (Narrator, 01:48)
    • [Otto Warmbier Segment, 18:17–20:12]

B. Navigating North Korean Showmanship & Secrecy

• Surreal Encounters: Taekwondo demonstrations, drinking cognac in a Chesterfield, and touring an extravagant water park.
  • “I had an amazing time... I’m a big fan of water parks. I really love water parks. I actually went to Dubai just because they have amazing water parks. When I saw that, I was like, holy, I want to try it. He said, ‘No, no, no, we will show it to you.’” (Jim, 22:54)

C. The Central Deal—Weapons for Sale

• Upping the Stakes:
  • Jim, wanting to push the North Koreans for more detail, creates a story about the high cost of his visit to force their hand.
    • “[In the basement]... In my mind... there was like a guy with a leather jacket and an axe and the hooks in the ceiling. I was like, holy... but suddenly I was standing in this amazing restaurant.” (Jim, 26:47)
  • In secret, they’re shown actual catalogs of weapons—guns, tanks, even surface-to-air missiles—and sign a “deal” under deep cover.
  • “A deal is struck and believe it or not, a contract is signed. The men left without blowing their cover and in fact with their weapons brochures under their arms.” (Narrator, 29:05)

---

5. The Uganda “Island Plot”: Outlandish Realities

• Plot to Build a Weapons Factory:

  • North Korean contacts propose constructing a weapons factory in Uganda; Jim arranges to “buy” an island, using only Google.
    • “You cannot find anything that’s more Dr. Evil than have a private island in the Victoria Lake…with a weapon factory.” (Jim, 30:18)
  • Shocking disregard for locals:
    • The local agent tells island residents Jim is building a hospital to ease their removal—thousands of inhabitants are to be evicted in 4 months as part of the “deal.”
    • “When I had a helicopter later... there were thousands of people. And they were willing to throw them off the island within four months.” (Jim, 35:32)

• Ethics of the Operation:

  • Jim underscores that every illegal initiative and escalation originated from the North Korean side or their partners, not from the undercover team.
    • “It was important that we didn’t make a honeypot. It was important that all the ideas came from them.” (Jim, 30:18)

---

6. Aftermath and Global Stakes

• Risk of Retaliation:

  • Despite exposing North Korea’s willingness to conduct arms and drug deals internationally, Jim reports no threats post-documentary.
    • “If a government wants you killed, if you’re not living like Salman Rushdie… they’re going to get you.” (Jim, 39:24)
    • “Saying we have a point is to admit that a former chef and a former cocaine pusher have offed the most paranoid country in the world. That makes them look stupid, right?” (Jim, 40:00)
  • The regime’s official response is denial and dismissal as propaganda.

• Notable Moment—Bond Villain Parody:

  • “There is a part in the documentary that made me laugh… you are sitting in this plush chair… stroking a cat. And I’m just laughing, going, you just look like the ultimate bad guy from a Bond movie right now.” (Narrator, 38:20)

---

Key Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Double Lives and Honesty:
  • “If I was a racehorse, I would definitely not have put money on me at that time…” (Jim, 06:29)
• On Redemption through Love:
  • “The turning point here was that for the first time in my adult life, there was somebody who believed in me and loved me for who I was.” (Jim, 09:41)
• On North Korean Paranoia:
  • “It turns out that North Korean as paranoid as they are for strangers, they’re also paranoid internally.” (Jim, 28:02)
• On Ethics in Undercover Work:
  • “It was important that we didn’t make a honeypot. It was important that all the ideas came from them.” (Jim, 30:18)
• On Risk and Blowing Cover:
  • “If a government wants you killed, if you’re not living like Salman Rushdie… they’re going to get you. So why get stressed about having security?” (Jim, 39:24)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Description | Time | |---------|-------------|------| | Opening: Espionage & North Korea | Contrasting professional espionage vs. Jim’s mission | 01:48–04:15 | | Double life, prison, and marriage | Jim’s criminal past and second incarceration | 05:02–08:20 | | Turning Point: Education & Redemption | Letters in prison, wife’s support, high GPA | 08:47–09:41 | | Meeting Mads Brügger | Path to undercover opportunity | 12:02–13:28 | | KFA and Infiltration Plan | Overview of Ulrich’s role, KFA, arms deals | 13:28–15:50 | | Inside North Korea | Risks, surreal experiences, paranoia | 22:54–29:05 | | Uganda “Dr. Evil” Island | Buying the island, ethical dilemmas, eviction plot | 30:18–36:53 | | Bond Villain Parody | Comic moment of Jim as Bond-like villain | 38:20 | | Aftermath, No Retaliation | Discussing risk of reprisal, regime’s denial | 39:24–40:11 |

---

Additional Resource Links:

• The Mole: Undercover in North Korea (Documentary) – Search online for region availability.
• Jim Latrache’s Book – Link in the episode show notes.

---

Tone and Storytelling

The episode is at once thrilling, sobering, and darkly humorous. Jack Laurence and Jim Latrache alternate between riveting tension—detailing the mortal risks in North Korea—and self-deprecating relief, as Jim pokes fun at his Bond villain moments. Throughout, the underlying message is one of transformation, redemption, and the extraordinary lengths ordinary (and extraordinary) people will go to for a cause.

---

Summary prepared for listeners seeking a deep dive into the risks, characters, and ethical complexities of undercover work in one of the world’s most dangerous dictatorships.

Transcript

[Jim Latrache]

ACAST powers the world's best podcasts.

[Narrator]

Here's a show that we recommend

[Brooke Devard]

hello hello, it's Brooke Devard from Naked Beauty. Join me each week for unfiltered discussion about beauty trends, self care, journeys, wellness tips and the products we absolutely love and cannot get enough of. If you are a skincare obsessive and you spend 20 plus minutes on your skincare routine, this podcast is for you. Or if you're a newbie at the beginning of your skincare journey, you'll love this podcast as well. Because we go so much deeper than beauty, I talk to incredible and inspiring people from across industries about their relationship with beauty. You'll also hear from skincare experts. We break down lots of myths in the beauty industry. If this sounds like your thing, search for Naked Beauty on your podcast app and listen along. I hope you'll join us now more

[Advertiser/Commercial Voice]

people than ever can bring in their Bill for a better deal at Verizon got AT&T or T Mobile? We got you Xfinity or Spectrum.

[Narrator]

You too.

[Advertiser/Commercial Voice]

So tell your friends, your family, your quirky neighbor Jeff. Grab your megaphone and yell it from the rooftop. Get a better deal at Verizon because chances are anyone in shouting distance is included. Bring in your at&t, t Mobile, Xfinity or Spectrum bill and we'll give you a better deal on the best network come by Verizon today. Best Network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd/2025 all rights reserved. Must provide recent Consumer Mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.

[Narrator]

Get that AMEX Gold Card ready. I'm too tired to cook.

[Advertiser/Commercial Voice]

We feeling Five Guys or the Cheesecake Factory? Both earn up to $120 a year in statement credits of participating partners, up to $10 each month when you pay with the AMEX Gold Card. Learn [e-mail] enrollment required terms apply.

[Narrator]

When a government sends one of its people undercover into a hostile country or a dangerous criminal organization, the operation that follows is the product of years, sometimes decades of institutional knowledge, training and infrastructure. For instance, candidates for the British Secret Intelligence Service MI6 must complete an intense six month training program before they are considered operational. They learn how to select and handle agents, how to operate under a false identity, how to use tradecraft skills such as dead drop surveillance detection and counter surveillance. The CIA's equivalent program runs for around eight months. A typical covert surveillance team alone can consist of 14 operators, five vehicles fitted with concealed cameras and discreet Communications and a disguised van equipped with high resolution optics. Behind each field operation is a chain of command, a station chief, legal cover built into embassies and diplomatic missions, and in extreme cases, special forces units available for extraction. This is what it looks like when a professional intelligence service sends someone into danger. Now consider North Korea. Capital punishment in North Korea is applied for offenses including espionage, treason, political dissent, and the consumption of foreign media not approved by the government. People have been publicly executed by firing squad in front of crowds. A man was sentenced to death for smuggling and selling copies of the Netflix series Squid Games. A student who bought a USB drive received a life sentence. A woman was shot for possessing a Bible. This is a country where the penalty for watching a foreign television program can be death. Whether secret police operate with total impunity. And foreigners caught with cameras, recording devices, or anything that could be interpreted as intelligence gathering face outcomes ranging from decades in labor camps to immediate execution. And this is the country that Jim Latrache, a former cocaine dealer and ex con, would be walking into to expose the regime's black market dealings. Not a spy, not a trained intelligence operative, not backed by any government. No agency, no extraction team, no chain of command ready to act if things went wrong. However, before he would even become the infamous Mr. James, he still had another lengthy prison sentence yet to start.

[Jim Latrache]

Moon in the sky I'm looking at the moon in the sky it shouldn't come as a surprise but I can't sleep War in my mind I'm trying to fight a war in my mind I don't know who's the winner tonight but it ain't me.

[Narrator]

Chapter three becoming Mr. James so Jim was serving his first sentence in the Denmark prison system. And he was nearing the end of that sentence and was allowed to return home for weekend visits. And it would be while he's out on one of these visits that he would meet his soon to be wife.

[Jim Latrache]

First of all, it's a little bit hard to say to a girl, well, I'm in prison for dealing drugs. But to say to her, and you know, the funny part is I'm still a criminal. So I said to her, I'm in prison, I'm serving from, for dealing drugs, but I helped a friend. I know it's bad, but right now I'm taking education, I'm a key account manager, which is not entirely a lie. And we started dating and when I was released from prison, we went to India and we got married, we came home, she became pregnant, and in the summertime her parents had a big Wedding for us. And two weeks later, I was sent to prison again.

[Narrator]

Jesus, Jim.

[Jim Latrache]

Yep.

[Narrator]

So up until this point, Jim's new wife and the mother of his child has had no idea that her husband is still a cocaine dealer. He's been living a double life. He said there was never any large amounts of cash around that needed explaining. No nefarious characters turning up to his house. And each day he would leave the house to go to work. Until, of course, the day he was arrested for the second time. Jim talks me through the moment of his arrest.

[Jim Latrache]

I had just met with the guy from another country and he had given me 800 gram of pure cocaine. And I went by a flat. I never had it at my own place, so I had a flat I, I use for that. I went back, dropped that, came back to a cafe where my wife was with my dad and with my son. I drove my dad home, shoot to his town, and on my way back, I needed some products. So I put my wife off at a cafe and I went up, got the things I needed and went back to the cafe. I sat down, I started drinking my soda, and out of the blue, two big figures came and jumped me for the bag. And that was the cop. And at that point, I really thought I was fucked up because I knew, of course, what was up in that apartment. But it was more that I really thought she was going to leave me because I normally say if I was a racehorse, I would definitely not have put money on me at that time because I was 37 years old. I had a kid for earlier marriage and I had no education. And I was about to serve my second prison time for cocaine, and they sentenced me eight years to prison.

[Narrator]

Jim is back off to prison, this time for eight years, but his wife doesn't leave him. She decides to stand by her man, but has some conditions attached to.

[Jim Latrache]

You have to promise me not to go to prison again, and you have to promise me to take education. And I said, okay, this is not going to prison again, I can promise you that. Then I can just get a job in a supermarket or whatever. But going back to school, that's not going to happen. But she said, we have to find a way. So I was waiting at that sentence, one and a half years for my sentence.

[Narrator]

Wow.

[Jim Latrache]

And the only way we could communicate was like one hour visit a week where there was a police officer. And by letters, Jim says he was

[Narrator]

writing terrible letters to his wife, full of spelling and grammar mistakes. But being a smart lady, she used this as an opportunity to get the education shy Jim to start learning. She would correct his mistakes and send the letters back with her own and eventually forced him to start reading. And this would all pay off.

[Jim Latrache]

One and a half year later when I started my sentence, he said, now just take your high school diploma. So she helped me to take my whole high school diploma from prison. And I came out with one of the country's highest average grade point averages. And I was accepted to study psychology at Copenhagen University.

[Narrator]

Amazing.

[Jim Latrache]

I think the turning point here was that for the first time in my adult life, there was somebody who believed in me and loved me for who I was.

[Narrator]

Well, it's going back to that gentleman that took you in that you thought you owed him something. And I suppose you probably thought the same with your wife now, that you owed it to her to do the same.

[Jim Latrache]

Oh yeah, yeah, most definitely. And it made me look at something in a whole other way because I mean, she was betting on me and she loved me for who I was. And then I was like, I mean, why do I need a big car? Why do a penthouse apartment? I mean, I have the most beautiful girl in town. And I just started to figure out who I am as a person and I didn't have to pretend I don't have to change to be something I'm not. And that was really, really good. From my own self esteem.

[Narrator]

Ironically, after Jim finally discovers who he really is and can be himself, he then gets approached to do the complete opposite, to become someone else, to play a character and to infiltrate the world's most secretive dictatorship in the world. North Kore. North Korea. Wasting no time in retaliating, official state media saying the north launched two cruise missiles on the eve of the drills from a submarine off North Korea's coast. Breaking news. Overnight, North Korea test fired an intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile, which fell into the sea off Japan, is thought to be capable of reaching the continental US this is one one of the most powerful missiles

[Advertiser/Commercial Voice]

we've seen North Korea test.

[Narrator]

Now after Jim comes out of prison, he's of course got a high profile case, which means journalists are contacting him, wanting to do interviews. However, he says he just wasn't interested as all they cared about was creating a sensationalised story.

[Jim Latrache]

So how much money have you made, which famous customers that you had and stuff like that. And I was of course not interested in that because that would not make the world a better place.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

Then a guy I started psychology with, he said, my wife, she worked at Danish national radio and she want you to tell the story as you want. I say if I have a saying, I want to make a love story. And I think it's more interested in explaining why do people become criminal? And what's more important, what does it take for them not to become criminal? And we did this radio show called 1.6 kilo of coke. And. And the 18th of September 2015, we were nominated for best feature of the year and we won. And at that award show, I met Mads Bruga. At that time, Mads Bruga had a radio station, and while I was in prison, I had watched some of his documentary. So I was a big fan of what he did. So we had a chat and he invited me to the radio and we became friends.

[Narrator]

So a quick backstory on Mads Bruga, a name you may not be familiar with. He's a documentary filmmaker from Denmark who's made a couple of satirical documentaries, including one made in North Korea called the Red Chapel. It chronicles the visits of Bruger and two Danish comedians who were adopted from South Korea to North Korea under the pretense of a small theater troupe on a cultural exchange. Of course, the entire trip is a ruse and the trio are actually trying to get a chance to portray the absurdity of. Of the pantomime life they are forced to lead in the dprk.

[Jim Latrache]

I think six months later, I had a phone call and he called me up and say, hey, Jim, how you doing? I said, I'm good. Have you ever heard about the North Korean Friendship Association? Is it? What? Come on. Because in my mind it sounded so crazy that anybody in Denmark in their right mind could think that North Korea was great. And he said, but this is the truth. And then it just quick explained me about Ulrich, that this former chef, now retired, had gone undercover in this Friendship association and he had been there for seven years.

[Narrator]

You heard that right? A man named Ulrich Larsson, a former chef living on benefits, would, by the time the entire documentary was filmed, have spent 10 years of his life infiltrating North Korea and the Korean Friendship Association. Yes, the KFA exists and has multiple factions across the globe where people can become members and supporters of North Korea. And of course, the Supreme Leader, not only would he make his way up the ranks of the kfa, but with the help of Jim, would have high level meetings with North Korean officials.

[Jim Latrache]

Three years prior, the president of the the whole Friendship association all around the world has started asking him if he knew anybody who could be interested in investing in North Korea. And that was why he thought about me. Because when that had happened. First he tried to look at actors, but it's a little difficult that if the North Korean looked him up, that

[Narrator]

one day he's an investor, he's an imbd.

[Jim Latrache]

Yeah, yeah. And. And then he tried to find businessme but you couldn't find any businessman in the right mind who want to do that task. And that was why he thought I could be up for the task.

[Narrator]

But I mean, it is truly when you think about it. I mean, I'm watching it. It's just. It's absolutely mind blowing to think number one, you've got Ulrich, who's this former chef who's now infiltrating North Korea. And then you're coming in pretending to be this billionaire and you end up doing an arms deal with the North Korean government or are part of the North Korean government. I mean, it's not. This is not child's play. This is dangerous stuff.

[Jim Latrache]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I just think that I just used the things I have been through life that I think that was got me through it and I must say I had fun with was exciting. You have to think about. It started out slow because in the beginning it was not, say 100% safe, but it was safer because we were starting up in Oslo. North Norway is basically our neighbor country in Denmark. So you are back. You're back only in your own backyard. In the beginning, we didn't know what he was looking for money to. It could have been everything. It was first that when he rolls out and say, oh, we can help you make weapons and by the way, we can sort out make methamphetamine. It was just like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And then you kind of also get obsessed with it because in the end it's just like, I mean, if this plays out, you're actually doing something nobody else have done before. And that's actually like the drive for me making me do taking some higher risk. Later in the film now when Jim

[Narrator]

says higher risks, he's not kidding. Jim and Ulrich would be secretly recording a lot of their meetings with the North Korean officials, but also a lot of open recording, as Ulrich would say he was filming for propaganda videos for the NFA. Eventually, Ulrich and Mr. James, as he's known to the North Koreans, would hop on a plane and head over to the DPRK to continue their discussions. Lets not understate the danger these men were putting themselves in. As we all are aware, North Korea is one of the world's most, if not the most secretive and brutal dictatorships. A notoriously private country that does not allow any filming or photography in areas that are not already pre approved by the government. Those who have traveled to North Korea for tourism purposes all say the same. You are treated very well, but you are under no illusions that you are not to stray from your hotel when unaccompanied by guides. And if you dare do anything that is perceived as breaking the rules of its dictatorship, well, the consequences can be extremely severe.

[Jim Latrache]

This morning, 21 year old Otto Warmbier is behind bars in North Korea. Sentenced to 15 years in the North Korean prison with hard labor. A visibly shaken Warmbier paraded before cameras speaking at his trial Wednesday, which only lasted one hour.

[News Reporter]

I was used and manipulated.

[Jim Latrache]

Please.

[Narrator]

Save my life. Otto was an American college student who was imprisoned in North Korea in 2016 on a charge of subversion. He entered North Korea as part of a guided Tour group on December 29, 2015. On January 2, 2016, he was arrested at Pyongyang International Airport while awaiting departure from the country. He was later convicted of attempting to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel, for which he was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment with hard labor. Shortly after his sentencing In March of 2016, Otto suffered a severe neurological injury from an unconfirmed cause and fell into a coma. In June of 2017, he was released by North Korea, still in a coma which would last until he died.

[News Reporter]

We begin with late developments today, the worsening horror for a mother and father from Ohio. Their son, who was just returned from North Korea with severe brain damage, has now died. This was the moment Otto Warmbier was returned, unable to talk or recognize anyone after more than a year in captivity. His parents reacting just a short time ago, pointing to the quote, awful, torturous mistreatment at the hands of the North Koreans that did this.

[Jim Latrache]

Foreign.

[Narrator]

Powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.

[Brooke Devard]

Hello? Hello, it's Brooke Devard from Naked Beauty. Join me each week for unfiltered discussion about beauty trends, self care journeys, wellness tips and the products we absolutely love and cannot get enough of. If you are a skincare obsession, excessive and you spend 20 plus minutes on your skincare routine, this podcast is for you. Or if you're a newbie at the beginning of your skincare journey, you'll love this podcast as well. Because we go so much deeper than beauty. I talk to incredible and inspiring people from across industries about their relationship with beauty. You'll also hear from skincare experts. We break down lots of myths in the beauty industry. If this sounds like your thing, search for naked beauty on your podcast app and listen along. I hope you'll join us.

[News Reporter]

Most people don't realize how much of their personal information is being bought and sold every day. Data brokers are making billions, pulling details about you from public records and the Internet, then packaging and selling it, usually without your consent. That's how your information lands in the hands of scammers, spammers, even stalkers. It's why you get endless robocalls and why ads seem to follow you everywhere. That's where Aura comes in. Aura actively removes your data from broker sites and keeps it off. They also instantly alert you if your information shows up in a breach or on the dark web. But Aura goes beyond data protection. With one app, you get a vpn, antivirus, password manager, spam, call protection, dark web monitoring, and even up to $5 million in identity theft insurance. All backed by 24, 7 US based fraud support. Other companies might sell just credit monitoring or just a vpn. Aura gives you all of it together at the same price competitors charge for just one service. Start your free trial today at aura.com safety. Protect yourself now at aura.com safety.

[Narrator]

Chapter 4 caught in someone else's Lie if that's what happens to someone for stealing a poster, you can only imagine what might happen to Ulrich and Jim. The North Koreans were to discover they were in fact working undercover for a documentary, trying to expose the lengths that the country would go to to avoid global sanctions. Nonetheless, Mr. James and Ulrich head off for North Korea.

[Jim Latrache]

We were there for five days and we knew we should only be there for five days. And they took me to crazy spots. I mean, I, I, I would say I had an amazing time. Like one day, my youngest son, he had done taekwondo since he was 4 years old. So one day as a surprise, it took me to a big training place, put me in a copy of a Chesterfield chair, pulls up some cognac, and had gathered the whole national team in taekwondo and made a big show for me I could film. And another point, they showed me the great leader had made a water park for $100 million. I'm a big fan of water parks. I, I am. I, I really love water parks. I've actually went to Dubai just because they have amazing water parks. When I saw that, I was like, holy, I want to try it. He said, no, no, no, we will show it to you. I said, what do you mean? If I can't try it, I don't want to go. So they had to call around and I mean, what is more funny than going into a water park? So I thought that's going to be crazy. So yeah, I went to a water park in North Korea. But we did all those activities while we were there, but we were not getting close.

[Narrator]

So Mr. James decided he needs to get things moving and try and get closer to finding out just what the North Koreans had to offer them. And in doing so, it would put himself and Ulrich in a situation where that they thought may be their last.

[Jim Latrache]

And see, this is the thing North Korean like to know people. But I knew like to convince the production company to send us back. It's already a high risk to send us in the first place. To send us back later on would be an even higher risk. So I knew if we should have anything to come home with, we. We had to push it a little forward. So. So one day I'm talking to Kang, that is one of the agents following us around. And before this conversation is important that people understand when, when you fly into North Korea, you fly into a black hole because your mobile phone stopped working. Yeah, the Internet. You have no contact on the Internet. You have, you have lost all contact to the outside world. But with that information, I thought I could use it. So I say to Kang, I say, you know what? I really love everything you have shown me. I have had the best vacation in my life. It's so amazing because they really, really did an effort to make me happy. But I have to tell you, I'm not coming back. This trip have costed me €200,000. Of course this is a number I pull out of my ass. But it makes sense because if I had been Mr. James and if I had been fired, Mr. James had been five days in North Korea, he would have been on his computer talking to clients. Yeah, answer phones, answer SMS and stuff like that. And that costs money not to be able to do that. So I say, I mean just for the record, if we don't find out of anything now, nothing will happen. I'm not coming back. And that was why the next day, while breakfast, he said, okay, we drive and then we start driving towards the streets in Pyongyang. And suddenly outside Pyongyang, and in the end we just ended up in an area that did look like a place you wanted to go. And they parked the car in front of a building that looks like something that should have been torn down 10 years ago. And they asked us to go down in the basement. I don't know if you have seen the movie Hostel.

[Narrator]

They have yes.

[Jim Latrache]

Yeah. In my mind there was in. Behind that door, there was like a guy with a leather jacket and an axe and the hooks in this, in the ceiling. I was like, holy. And I was like. I mean, because you cannot run anywhere. And I was like, what would be the most reasonable if I was Mr. James? How would I react if that is what I see? I was like, you would be angry. You will be defended. You will. So I started to think about all the time my wife had pissed me off just to find that anger. And when I open the door, it's like, okay, 1, 2, 3, open. And then suddenly I was standing in this amazing restaurant. It turned out later that all my paranoia and Ulrich's paranoia came from myself. Because it had nothing to do about them. Frighten us. It turns out that North Korean as paranoid they are for strangers. They're also paranoid internally.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

So the why they took us there was because those guys we were dealing with wanted to make sure nobody else was listening. I mean, and when we say no one else, no other North Korean. So this was their turf, that was their secret base. And the contract we were making down there, some of the most important stuff they were interested in. What would be that when we finalize the contract, all the people in that room will be involved. And this is because in North Korea you don't decide yourself where you live. It's given to you. Because in Punyang, to live in Punyang, it's given. I mean, everybody that lives in Punyang is very close to the leader. So you can imagine if you come up with a guy throwing down minimum 50 million euro, it could be a good pension for your life. Your life was out to look better. And that was what they were interested in.

[Narrator]

While in this basement restaurant, the men are entertained by karaoke singing, ladies food and a lot of alcohol. All while they peruse catalogues given to them of weapons that they can purchase. Guns, tanks, even surface to air missiles are all on offer for the right price. A deal is struck and believe it or not, a contract is signed. The men left without blowing their cover and in fact with their weapons brochures under their arms. But this wouldn't be the last time they would hang out with the North Korean dignitaries as the next port of call for the business transaction. Sounds like it's straight out of a Bond movie. They needed to purchase an island in which to build an underground factory to take delivery of weapons and parts in which to make more weapons. So it was off to Uganda where Mr. James would look to purchase this island the only issue, well, it was inhabited by thousands of people. However, this just didn't seem to be a concern for local authorities.

[Jim Latrache]

To get weapon out of North Korea is quite complicated. I think it's easier to get cocaine out of Colombia than it is to get weapons out of North Korea. They suggested it would make more sense that we will build a weapon factory in another country. So first we were looking at Namibia and I started to look at different pieces of land, but that was taken off the table because of the sanctions. And then they came out with Uganda. And on Google I found this amazing real estate agency that sold islands. And I remember I called Mads and said, I mean, this is amazing. I mean, you cannot find anything that's more Dr. Evil than have a private island in the Victoria Lake. I mean, with a weapon factory. So I started negotiating and, and, and that was on Google. It was not even on. On any secret cryptozz platform. No, we were doing at Google. And I said to them, I cannot tell you what I want to use the island for, but I want 100% privacy. And for my time while I was in the Legion in Djibouti, I knew if you should have any kind of land deals and don't want it to be over, it will always be nice to have a collaboration partner for the government. And I said that to them, I need a collaboration partner for the government. And they say it would be no problem. So we went to see the island. It was first, I mean, we had rented a boat. The producer, Peter Whitney, he's a. He's a journalist. And it was quite important because it was important that we did everything by the book. So he came with me as an advisor. Officially he was my accountant, but on the sets it was just like, I mean, what should I say in a situation like that? Because it was important that we didn't make a honey pot. It was important that all the ideas came from them. We shouldn't create anything, it should come from them. So it was really nice for me to have him with me. So if I had a question, I could ask him how, how should we angle this situation? But when we stand there waiting to go on the island, I've been talking to the captain of the boat and Peter here talking to the representative of the landowner. And suddenly Peter came to me and said, the representative of the landowner just told me that he had told the people because they apparently lived people on the island that we are. That you're there to build a hospital. So suddenly we were caught in somebody else's lie. It was so important for me to figure out a way that we got inside the movie on film that this was not an idea created by us.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

So after we have been on this island and it was, it was so crazy. I mean, we went into a church and the representative of the land owner who came up with this crazy idea had a whole preacher for. For the people there that together with God that should praise me for building a hospital. I mean, it was shocking. It was so crazy on a whole other level. So I need your cooperation.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

Okay. Now let us pray. I bless these people in Jesus's name. Before we left the island, I talked to the captain, I said, do you know a five star hotel up the river or something like that? Because then we will have a meeting afterwards. So I say to the representative of the landowner and the real estate broker, I really love everything about it, let's have a meeting to summit, everything. And then afterwards I give dinner. And at that meeting I just said, by the way, why did you tell the people on the island I was there to. To build a hospital? Because it's quite important to have that bit in the film because otherwise you will watch the film and say, what a horrible crew. They have manipulated all those people. So it was quite important for us that that idea didn't come from us. What I was saying to introduce you as a friendly party to the people on the island because we don't want them to know that there is a transaction that is going on between the landlord and us. And this is why you told them that our style should build a hospital. Those. Okay. And then he said that it's because then we will have no problem with them. Because it turned out that there's a law in Uganda that if. If you build your houses in a certain way because they live there illegally, I mean, they live there because they have nowhere else to live.

[Narrator]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

But if they built up their houses in a certain way, then you cannot remove them.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

And if they were told that I bought the island and I wanted to have them off, then they will start to build the houses in that way, right?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

Kick them off the island. So the reason why he said that was for them just to be happy that a hospital would come and then in four months we could throw. And he said, I'd say, how many people live there? And he said, a few hundred. But when we had a helicopter later when I showed the island to the North Korean, I realized there were thousands of people.

[Narrator]

Yeah, no, I thought the same thing. When I was watching the actual documentary, because I remember the guy saying there was a couple of hundred there. And I was thinking, looking at that vision, I'm like, there's far more than a couple of hundred people on that island. There's more than that.

[Jim Latrache]

Oh, yeah, yeah. There's thousands. And they were willing to throw them off the island within four months. My duty is to remove those people on the land without causing friction. Okay. Yes. And how fast can we have them move? Maximum is four months. That is included in the price, right? Yeah, it's new. Now, I think also important that. To understand that the openness they had about it, because, I mean, in our part of the world, if. If you and I had a meeting and I would say to you, okay, okay, I will throw them out. First of all, I would not have a microphone.

[Narrator]

No.

[Jim Latrache]

I mean, I would never be sure that anybody heard me saying this. And that's just telling me this is something happens every day.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

Even when we had the meeting with the guy from the government, that was not even done with hidden cameras.

[Narrator]

No, I know.

[Jim Latrache]

I said. I said to him, you know what? I really love what you're saying, you guys. I have to. I have to present everything to my board. I think it would be easier we film it because then we won't miss out on anything. And he said, yes. I mean, what I said was so incriminated. So if I had been able. Oh, by the way. Oh, no, no, no, no. We cannot film that. Because what I say is like, I cannot tell you what I want to use the island for. That would be the first red lamp. The next is that. And by the way, I want a permission that I can land a Boeing 747 without any questions. It's like you don't see any red flag in that sentence.

[Narrator]

All they see is the cash. They don't care about anything else. That's all they worry about, the money. I mean, it's fun. You mentioned the whole island, the Dr. Evil thing. There is a part in the documentary that I made me laugh a lot. There's a moment where you are sitting in like this plush chair, looking like you do your billionaire, and you're holding a cat and stroking a cat. And I'm just laughing, going, you would just look like the ultimate bad guy from a Bond movie right now.

[Jim Latrache]

Yeah, yeah.

[Narrator]

It was very, very funny. But I mean, look, eventually, obviously, you know, the gig is sort of gigs up, it gets to a point where you can go no further. And Mr. Jim, as you're called, Goes in, goes sort of disappears. And it all sort of wraps up with Ulrich and the director obviously revealing who they are to this other gentleman who's sort of heavily involved in North Korea. He's not a North Korean, but he's heavily involved. He's from Spain, I believe. The director's asked by Annie, who I've spoken to before, who's in the show as well. She talks to you guys, you know, what about Jim? You know, have you sorted out any protection for Jim? Obviously, because you've just infiltrated North Korea. You've made them look like fools essentially, and sort of shown the world what they're doing, you know, with all these sanctions and sell it. Willing to make drugs for people and sell weapons. You know, the old great leader himself has killed family members for less than what you've done. But you apparently turned down that, that any help and said, no, no, I'll be fine. So there was no ounce of you that went, yeah, this could be dodgy for a while.

[Jim Latrache]

I, I, I think like this, if a government wants you killed, if you're not living like Salman Rusty, I mean,

[Narrator]

yeah, they're going to get you.

[Jim Latrache]

Yeah, so what, what, why get stressed about having security and stuff like that? That's just what I think. That said, I think the reason why they're not doing anything is because if they react on this movie, that's the same as saying, we have a point.

[Narrator]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jim Latrache]

Saying we have a point is to admit that a former chef and a former cocaine pusher have off the most paranoid country in the world. That makes them look stupid, right?

[Narrator]

Yeah, totally.

[Jim Latrache]

So I think they've just stayed to that strategy, saying, no, it's all fabricated. It's propaganda. It's a smear campaign to make our beautiful country not look like it is, I think.

[Narrator]

So if you know you've never had anyone because obviously you're on Instagram and you're all across that, so things. You've never had anyone contact you with any particular threats or anything like that. It's basically you've not heard anything more since?

[Jim Latrache]

No, not so far. I think the only thing I'm a little sad about is I don't get Christmas cards from Kim anymore.

[Narrator]

You can watch this incredible documentary online. Just search for the mole undercover in North Korea to find out where you can see it in your region. And Jim also has a book out about his life, which I will place the link to in the show notes of this episode. When Jim and Ulrich made their trip to North Korea they may not have known exactly what was in store for them, but however, of course, they knew the risks as they entered the country. But what happens when you head off to another country overseas for a relaxing holiday, only to find yourself caught up in a terror attack?

[Jim Latrache]

So we were in the bathroom. The door opens that way. We were behind the door. My girlfriend's crouched down, I'm holding a fork. We've, we've pulled the curtain across the bath so it looks like we're in the bathroom hiding. And they were going to come in, think we're in the bath, lean forward or to go there. And I was going to come in from behind door and stab them in the neck with the fork.

[Narrator]

In 2008 in Mumbai, a series of 12 coordinated Islamic terrorist attacks were carried out at various locations. At the end of it all, after four days, 175 people would be dead and more than 300 were injured. One of those was Will pike, whose life will be changed forever.

[Jim Latrache]

My brother overheard doctors saying how I'm

[Narrator]

never going to walk again.

[Jim Latrache]

I didn't even know that at this point, but he's overhearing shit in the hallway. It was an absolute shit show.

[Narrator]

Next time on what I Survived.

[Jim Latrache]

Moon in the sky. I'm looking at the moon in the sky. This shouldn't come as a surprise, but I can't sleep. War in my mind I'm trying to fight a war in my mind I don't know who's the winner tonight, but it ain't me. What makes a leader worth following?

[News Reporter]

What should you really care about in your job?

[Jim Latrache]

As technology is changing so quickly, is it just gonna be about machines talking to other machines? I mean, should you quit your job and start something on your own, what would that take?

[News Reporter]

What does success and risk look like when we're all at the starting gate together?

[Jim Latrache]

These are the questions we answer each week on Lead Human with Jack Myers and Tim Spengler. Join us each week and subscribe at your favorite podcast platform and YouTube. We'll tell stories, we'll hear from some of the best, and we'll try to figure this out together.

[Advertiser/Commercial Voice]

Now more people than ever can bring in their bill for a better deal at Verizon. Got AT&T or T Mobile. We got you Xfinity or Spectrum.

[Narrator]

You too.

[Advertiser/Commercial Voice]

So tell your friends, your family, your quirky neighbor. Jeff, grab your megaphone and yell it from the rooftop. Get a better deal at Verizon, because chances are anyone in shouting distance is included. Bring in your at&t. T Mobile, Xfinity or Spectrum Bill and we'll give you a better deal on the best network Come by Verizon today. Best Network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd/2025 all rights reserved. Must provide recent Consumer Mobile Bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.

[Brooke Devard]

Feel your best and amplify your everyday look with Thrive cosmetics. Go to thrivecosmetics.com shine26 for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order. That's Thrive Cosmetics. C A U S E M E T I c s com shine 26.