The Last Voyage of the Pong Su

4.7 (1.6K)
TRUE CRIME
SERIES

A North Korean dictator, bags of heroin, drug lords, spooks, sailors, Australian cops and a web of lies: Come aboard The Last Voyage of The Pong Su.

EPISODE 1

"This f---ing boat"

Episode one. North Korean cargo ship the Pong Su comes dangerously close to Australia’s Great Ocean Road shoreline as part of a high-risk, high-reward operation to import a record amount of heroin. Coastal locals have never seen anything like it. The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional Audio from: Largo International N.V, World Surf League and Sky NewsThe poem you heard at the start of this episode is titled ‘Waves’ by South Korean poet Cho Oh-hyun, read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 min
EPISODE 2

Master Sun's big gamble

Episode two. Pong Su skipper Song Man Sun embarks on his final journey before retirement, while Australian police get a big break as they covertly track suspected Asian crime syndicate foot soldiers around Melbourne’s casino and the nearby Great Ocean Road coast. The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional film audio from: Narcos Productions LLC and MMDP Munich Movie Development & Production The reading you heard at the start of this episode was an excerpt from 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

37 min
EPISODE 3

Going fishing

Episode three. Secretly bugged conversations give Australian police clues about the immense scale of the heroin import. On board the Pong Su, two men prepare to risk everything to make it happen. The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional audio from: Reuters, Associated Press and the Australian Liberal Party. The reading you heard at the start of this episode was an excerpt from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

24 min
EPISODE 4

"Do you believe in luck?"

Episode four. Tension among the Asian crime syndicate members is at breaking point, while Australian police keep finding their best laid plans are going astray.A dead body on the beach throws everyone off their game. The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangExtra production - Tim MummeryHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting The reading you heard at the start of this episode was an excerpt from The Wasteland by T.S Eliot, read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

43 min
EPISODE 5

Hot pursuit

Episode 5. A dramatic chase at sea unfolds to stop a fleeing Pong Su. The North Korean crew fears the worst for their Master after they are told by their superiors in Pyongyang to stop and fight.Age & SMH subscribers can listen to an extended interview with former SAS soldiers Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis here: https://bit.ly/36s4szb The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangExtra production - Tim MummeryHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional audio from: Channel Seven The reading you heard at the start of this episode was an excerpt from The Old man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway- read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

42 min
EPISODE 6

Hidden forces

Episode 6. Was Kim Jong Il’’s secretive money-making agency behind the Pong Su heroin importation? A high-profile North Korean defector speaks out. Age & SMH subscribers can listen to an extended interview with former clearance diver Nicholas Martin here: https://bit.ly/2Kackvx The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangAssistant Producer - Margaret GordonHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional audio from: Time Magazine, C-SPAN, Alux.com, Vidello Productions, NBC, Associated Press, Sky News UK, Journeyman pictures, Channel 10, Channel 9, ABC, ABC America and CNN The reading you heard at the start of this episode was an excerpt from the poem Midnight Sun by Kim Hyesoon - read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

41 min
EPISODE 7

You need a lawyer

Episode 7. The legal battle begins to save the Pong Su crew and a special relationship builds between a suburban Melbourne solicitor and a mysterious North Korean man who has everyone guessing. The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangAssistant Producer - Margaret GordonHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional audio from: Channel Nine, NBC and Asia Brief. The reading you heard at the start of this episode was an excerpt from Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich - read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

45 min
EPISODE 8

The defector's choice

Episode 8. Australian prosecutors travel to Seoul to meet North Korean defectors as they try to understand the power structure on board the Pong Su. While laboratory results tell police there is something different about the Pong Su’s heroin. The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangAssistant Producer - Margaret GordonHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional audio from: Associated Press, ABC news America and Richard Rogers. The poem you heard at the start of this episode is called I go down to the shore by Mary Oliver - read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 min
EPISODE 9

The most free they’d ever be

Episode 9. Nerves are frayed on all sides as a marathon courtroom case concludes. The Australian government plans for a spectacular end to the Pong Su. The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. A new episode of this 10-part series drops on Tuesdays. If you’re enjoying this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangAssistant Producer - Margaret GordonHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional audio from: Channel Nine and the AFL. The reading you heard at the start of this episode was from Law of the Jungle by Rudyard Kipling - read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

32 min
EPISODE 10

Reckoning

Episode 10. After 16 years, the truth finally emerges about the tight bond between three of the key players in the heroin import and their ties to North Korea. The Last Voyage of the Pong Su is a 10-part series brought to you by the newsrooms of The Age & Sydney Morning Herald. If you enjoyed this series, leave a review on iTunes and recommend us to a friend. To read more, and to watch the videos referenced in this episode, head to our websites. Our supporters power our newsrooms and are critical for the sustainability of news coverage. Click on the links to subscribe to The Age or The Sydney Morning Herald. Reporter - Richard Baker (Get in touch: rbaker@theage.com.au )Executive Producer - Rachael DexterNarrative Consultant - Kate Cole-AdamsConsulting Producer - Siobhan McHughMusic & Composition - Vicki HansenSound design & mixing - John GreenfieldScript translations - Yan ZhuangAssistant Producer - Margaret GordonHead of Audio - Tom McKendrickActors:Chin Kwang Lee is played by Andy SongKiam Fah Teng is played by Anthony TingYau Kim Lam is played by Jason ChongCasting - Catapult Casting Additional audio from: CNNThe reading you heard at the start of this episode was an excerpt from The Truth the Dead Know by Anne Sexton - read by Jason Chong. Support the show. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

44 min
SEASON 1 TRAILER

Introducing: Diagnosing Murder

For decades, families in Australia and overseas, have been accused of one of the worst crimes imaginable. Diagnosing Murder is an investigative podcast about parents who've had their children taken away, sat in the dock and even done time in prison. All for something they insist they didn't do – shake their baby. Can we trust the science behind shaken baby syndrome? Or are innocent people being locked up for a crime they never committed? Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/diagnosing-murder/id1843555473Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3LqYqSCZHW4vtA0yhiaJKB?si=f8c56f4b638b4a24Listen on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLulycax358g-04ndbBaBg3ED4Dnyv0S&si=CVXIqoUI6AJ6DD5x See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 min

See All Season 1 (11)

Richard Baker

Host

4.7

out of 5

1,610 Ratings

Totally enthralled

15 Feb

K6d

Having just arrived for a 10-day holiday, and with an ocean view to die for, we googled ‘do ships pass Lorne’ and came across this podcast. Wow! We were instantly and totally enthralled and listened to the 10 episodes all the way through. Richard Baker has done a brilliant job in putting the story together, narrating with his warm and approachable voice, helpfully reminding us of who is who as the story unfolds and bringing humanity to what could otherwise have been portrayed as an ‘us and them’ situation. Thoroughly researched, thoughtfully compiled and a gripping story. Highly recommend.
Fascinating account of true crime.

7 Jan

Mishakb

Very informative. Well narrated. Very much enjoyed this podcast. You can actually picture the ship people and tension. Well done.
Fascinating and superbly told.

07/02/2024

Many interest but little time

A wonderful true crime tale with original audio interviews with the great cast of characters involved in the whole saga. Well worth the listen!
Great story telling

23/06/2023

Karolyng

Really enjoying this podcast - a true crime told incredibly well, I can visualise the scenes and feel the tension too. Highly recommend.