What do we really know about North Korea? -UpFront

From stories about Kim Jong-un's uncle being fed to dogs to the more recent Sony hack, it is safe to say the media are quick to sensationalise news about North Korea and its totalitarian leader.

But what, if any, of these stories are actually true? And does the focus on the often bizarre stories take away from the true horrific crimes being committed by the government?

In this week's Reality Check, Mehdi Hasan debunks some of the most viral stories about North Korea and its leader.

[TheSheiban]

The Kim Jong Il golf story was also a fabrication. There is a cult of personality around the North Korean leaders, but the propaganda isn't as outrageous - mainly stuff like how the dear leader (or great marshal) is the hardest working man in the country, how he's the protector of the true 'socialist' society, etc.

[misscimahi]

What AJ is trying to clear here, is yes, this country might be cruel and weird by our standard. But mainstream American medias need to be truthful, no biasness, and no stupid news come out of them to antagonize what americans consider as enemy.

[johnnybates]

I hope starving its citizens to maintain its nuclear arsenal isn't an issue. we've been doing it twice as long as they have.

[sevrinbrown]

I’m kinda disappointed in Medhi for some of this, as I do think he’s intelligent but his comments here are eerily similar to those of Israelis saying “well Gaza is poor because they used all the money to build tunnels”

[zippyzipster]

kooky ? you believe in a silly unicorn flying up to the stars! kooky?