“Kim Jong Il invented the hamburger!”

North Korea’s number one export to the world is unintentionally hilarious propaganda, but when you’re living there, those bombastic pro-Kim messages are the background noise of your entire life, and it’s a whole lot less funny. For Mr. Lee (the refugee we spoke to), each morning of his childhood started the same way: A loudspeaker blared the accomplishments of the Kim family and their regime. Sun up? “Kim Jong Il invented the hamburger!” Sun down? “Kim Jong Il is the world’s greatest golfer!” Combine that with radios that don’t turn off, and you’ve got a whole nation’s worth of captive audience.