British Olympian Aimee Fuller speaks about her experiences traveling to North Korea in new documentary

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SHOWS: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 3, 2019) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

1. TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN AND BRITISH SNOWBOARDER, AIMEE FULLER, SITTING FOR INTERVIEW

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN AND BRITISH SNOWBOARDER, AIMEE FULLER, SAYING:

"When I landed in the country, the thing that really stood out to me was the lack of transportation. I got in a car and we drove for around 12 miles and I was looking out the windows at the farmland and it was quite cold. It was evening. And there were people walking like, I was like, 'Oh there's lots of people walking at the side of the motorway.' I was like, 'Wow they're walking really fast.' They were walking miles and miles and miles. So I asked our guide and I said, 'Why is everyone walking? Where are they going? You know, it's five o'clock at night.' And he said, 'They're walking into the city.' I was like, 'That's like 12 miles.' I said, 'Why are they walking?' And he told me it was because they want to keep their city car free and keep the air clean. What I learned of course when I was there was, it was more a case of 'the elite' have cars. So only those that are diplomatic or of the top tier of athlete have access to vehicles and everyone else walks or cycles miles and miles and miles."

3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TWO-TIME OLYMPIAN AND BRITISH SNOWBOARDER, AIMEE FULLER, SAYING:

"I really hope that this project showcases how sport really can be unifying. For me, it was so evident when we were there that that was the means to our communication with the North Korean athletes and being able to relate to something. And sport is a powerful tool and I really hope that comes across in the message of the documentary. It truly was a magic experience. I've been to two Olympic Games and I can safely say being in North Korea for eight days, completely cut off from the outside world, was up there with one of the most empowering things I've ever done."

STORY: Demonstrating the unifying power of sport, the Olympic Channel documentary Running in North Korea captured the journey of Olympians Aimee Fuller and Mirjam "Mimi" Jaeger as they travelled to Pyongyang in North Korea to participate in the 2019 Mangyongdae Prize International Marathon.

During their week-long visit to the intriguing country, Olympians Fuller, from Great Britain, (snowboarding - Sochi 2014 and Pyeongchang 2018) and Mimi, from Switzerland, (freestyle skiing - Sochi 2014) experience the local sports culture and meet fellow Olympians from the reclusive state.

(Production: Peter Bullock and David Grip)