Former elite North Korean bodyguard for Kim Jong Un tries a self-driving Tesla for the first time and is left 'terrified'

For a former bodyguard of Kim Jong Un, trying out a self-driving Tesla for the first time was a captivating – and terrifying – experience.

In his former life, Kang Jin served under his country’s ruler, before he fled into China after 13 years of service for the ruling family.

He’s now experiencing things in the wider world for the first time, and that includes Tesla cars.

When he got behind the wheel of one and got to experience a self-driving car for the first time, his face was quite the picture.

North Korea is a country shrouded in mystery and intrigue

To the outside world, North Korea is a country that generates a lot of curiosity.

Because it’s so self-contained, interest abounds in what life looks like for the people living there.

Over the years, we’ve seen more details come out into the open.

Whether it’s the ‘bridge to nowhere’ between it and China or the country’s unusual airline, there’s no shortage of topics to analyze and scrutinize.

And the interest has grown tenfold as more people escape the country and share their stories, whether that be Yeonmi Park or Hyeonseo Lee.

Counted among these defectors is Kang Jin, who served as a bodyguard for the Kim family for 13 years.

In an interview with The New Zealand Herald, Jin opened up about his life in the secretive East Asian country – and his escape.

“It was winter. I thought I would die,” he told the paper of his crossing of the Amnok River into China.

“But I chose to risk death rather than keep living like that. I carried only a tiny bit of hope – and all my anger.”

Since leaving, he has been experiencing all that the outside world has to offer.

Through the YouTube channel The NK Guys, Jin and his fellow North Korean defector, Kang Yoon-chul try a whole host of things.

That covers practically everything from smash burgers to flying on a Boeing 737.

And it also includes cars.

After all, not many cars make it into North Korea, so a lot of the automotive developments we’ve taken for advantage will be whole new experiences for Jin.

What happened when this North Korean defector got to experience a self-driving Tesla

From the get-go, Jin was mesmerized by what he saw with the Tesla.

He couldn’t believe it was even on, as he couldn’t hear any noise coming from it.

“This was like an alien ship!” he commented.

“So different from the cars I knew.”

But his shock in the car park was nothing compared to what would follow out on the roads.

He likened the driving experience to ‘driving an alien ship’, and then he was told the car had full-self driving.

“I couldn’t get myself to press autopilot,” Jin admitted, appearing visibly nervous.

But he finally took the plunge and pressed the button.

He was still on the edge though, and panicked when the car began changing lanes.

“I was speechless, I had to adapt to this new world,” he said.

Self-parking was another big shock for him, and he got to admire the finished job.

“This is better parking than a human!” he said.

“How do you compete?”

Timeline of Tesla Full Self-Driving