Surfing North Korea, and other stories from inside the DPRK

Tonight’s guest, Gabe Segoine, was born in Maui and grew up in California.  At age 19, he moved back to Maui to live what he calls the dream surfer life, but he realized after six years that he was miserable.  Following a series of life-changing events, Gabe found himself in North Korea where he was working to bring clean water, heating coal, medicine, and other necessities to its people.  When he saw some waves he asked about surfing and the rest, as they say, is history.  Gabe has been to North Korea 18 times since that original trip and founded Love North Korea Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to helping the people of North Korea improve their lives – and surf!  He recently published a book about his experiences entitled, Surfing North Korea: And Other Stories from Inside.  Gabe joins us to talk about the love he’s developed for the people of North Korea, the challenges Westerners face working in their country, and misconceptions about North Koreans, their government, and its relationship with the West.