20 episodes
The Last Voyage of the Pong Su SMH & The Age
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- True Crime
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4.8 • 201 Ratings
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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.
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"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. -
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. -
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. -
"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. -
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. -
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.
Customer Reviews
Terrific reporting, engaging story and characters
Only a few episodes in and I'm hooked. A podcast about North Korean drug trafficking wouldn't typically catch my attention. But this came highly recommended, and after just a few episodes, I understand why. This compelling tale provides an unusual view into the hermit kingdom via the crew/smugglers of the Pong Su — as they face heavy seas, Australian investigators, and likely worse fates back in NOKO if they fail.
Really Good
Very interesting story and engaging storyteller
Disappointing
If you like hearing old Aussie blokes in bars talk about the time they “almost died” surfing, and you enjoy hearing stereotypical Asian accents voiced by actors when original recordings with traditional translation voiceover would do just fine, then this is the podcast for you.