Two little-known rappers from the D.C. area have certainly made their mark on the map by releasing what may be the first music video ever filmed in North Korea. The music video titled "Escape to North Korea" was officially released Wednesday, also North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's 31st birthday.
The rap duo, consisting of Pacman, 19, and Peso, 20, covertly filmed the footage in Pyongyang during a recent five-day trip to the most isolated country in the world, the Guardian reports. They captured landmarks such as Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the Demilitarized Zone bordering South Korea, a rice farm and the city’s metro system, according to the news outlet.
In light of an 85-year-old U.S. Korean War veteran's recent detainment in North Korea, the U.S. government issued a warning on November 19 against all travel by U.S. citizens to the country. However, Pacman and Peso saw their visit as apolitical and felt safe to move forward with their trip.
"I mean we did not go there to be political. We just go down there to shoot our video and that about the reason why we went, not political," said Pacman, according to Billboard.
The rappers traveled across 12 time zones to visit several countries in Asia before arriving in North Korea and returned largely unscathed, save a motorcycle incident in Beijing, according to the Guardian. Prior to their overseas adventure neither of them had been on a plane before according to The Washington Post.
"If someone had told me a year ago this would happen, I would have thought, that guy is crazy," Pacman said before a farewell event in D.C. back in November, according to The Post.
Despite reports of North Korea's egregious human rights violations, the duo said they had no issues during their visit or leaving the country.
"We learned about their leaders and why they have problems with America," Peso told Yahoo! "All the Koreans we met were cool... It was all love over there. It wasn't how what people was saying it would be."
Check out "Escape to North Korea" above and let us know what you think in the comments.
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