NBC’s top anchor goes to North Korea and says he’s been ‘treated with respect’

TODAY/YouTube

• NBC News’ Lester Holt is reporting from North Korea.
• He broadcast a few recent reports from a ski resort.
• While there, Holt said he had been “treated with respect” in the country.

NBC News’ Lester Holt arrived in North Korea over the weekend, broadcasting a segment from a ski resort that will soon host athletes from both North and South Korea training for the upcoming winter Olympics.

Holt is catching some flack for a statement he made during one report that aired on Monday. “We have been treated with respect here,” Holt said.

The statement has been used in promos for the clip.

North Korea notoriously keeps a strict lid on press inside the country, and it’s likely Holt’s broadcast was subject to tight rules and restrictions. Previous reports, like this one from VICE, have noted how certain elements of their trip seemed choreographed.

Holt even says during his broadcast that the ski resort “certainly a part [North Korea] would like us to see.”

The NBC team flew into the country from Beijing, China on North Korea’s state airline, Holt said. The security check at the airport in North Korea was so stringent that they checked novels people brought along to read, and even one crew member’s toothbrush.