iShowSpeed restrained by military personnel after attempting to enter North Korea

iShowSpeed has revealed he was restrained by military personnel after trying to enter North Korea on Tuesday (May 14).

The streamer, real name Darren Jason Watkins Jr., attempted to stream while inside the Unification Village, which is the area outside of the demilitarised zone, collectively acting as a buffer zone between South and North Korea.

However, iShowSpeed revealed that while he was setting up the camera to begin the stream he was approached by members of the military.

According to the 19-year-old streamer, who recently surpassed 24 million subscribers on YouTube, they took his backpack which was key to setting up the stream.

He also stated that he was briefly restrained by an officer, having tried to stream on his phone before being seen.

Speed said: “I went to go to North Korea, right? I tried to bring my LiveU and stream and stuff. They took my LiveU, they took my stream.”

Speed previously streamed live from the streets of South Korea on Monday (May 13) and announced that he would be heading to North Korea to stream for his followers.

The 19-year-old walked through a street in South Korea and spoke to the camera, confirming the news.

"Tomorrow, join my stream. I'm going to North Korea,” he said.

However, things clearly didn’t quite work out as planned – and it’s not all that surprising given the nature of tourism to North Korea over recent years.

North Korea opened its doors to tourists for the first time in four years in 2024, but people wishing to visit can normally only do so as part of a tour organised by North Korean officials or approved agencies.

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