Alessandro's story will reveal much more to the world about the mysterious "hermit kingdom" that is North Korea. Relive the experiences and stories of the first western student in North Korea.*

Born in Brussels, Belgium, as the son of an English politician and Italian interpreter, Alessandro Ford travelled to North Korea in 2014 for a one-of-a-kind study abroad at the Kim Il-Sung University in Pyongyang. An accomplishment which caught attention all around the globe, being featured in The Guardian, Deutsche Welle, NK news, among many others.

During his extraordinary stay, he learnt the Korean martial art of Taekwondo from a grandmaster, studied the language in the country’s most prestigious university, and also studied, worked, and lived side-by-side with the students and future leaders of North Korea.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx