Mick Hartley

Another sign of the shift in South Korean attitudes to the North, along with the election of a more conservative government pledged to put an end to the Sunshine Policy, is a new willingness to explore the reality of life under the Dear Leader through film. Just released is “Crossing”, about defectors escaping to China:

In the film, Yong-su (played by Cha In-pyo), a North Korean living in a mining village in Hamgyeong Province, crosses the northern border with China to get food and medicine for his ailing wife, only to find himself on the run. His 11-year-old son (Shin Myeong-cheol) also risks his life to trace his father in China.

Shot in Korea, Mongolia and China between July and September last year, “Crossing” portrays the plight of North Koreans who are desperate to survive. It does so in a realistic manner aiming to raise awareness of the issue.

“This movie is about a man who faces poverty, violence and extreme control just because he happens to be born in North Korea,” Cha said. “In the movie, my son is 11 years old, and I have a real son who is now 11 years old. When I was playing the role for the movie, I thought about the possibility that what I would do if my own child were sick and starving?”

…Kim said the production staff members had so far met more than 100 North Korean defectors, and that careful preparations have been made to reflect the reality concerning defectors without provoking unnecessary controversy.

Director Kim said North Korean defectors’ organizations helped the project in many ways, offering detailed views about the situation in North Korea and lending photographs that were later used as references for the film.

First indications suggest it’s a powerful piece of work. Trailer (in Korean) here.

And now they’re planning to film “The Aquariums of Pyongyang“, Kang Chol-Hwan’s extraordinary account of his life in a North Korean prison camp:

With the title, “The Aquariums of Pyongyang”, taken from the book of the same name, written by Kang Choel Hwan and Pierre Rigoulot, the movie will be co-produced by South Korea and the U.S. and is slated for release next July.

The movie will feature human rights abuses, love of family, friendship, the division of Korea, and others according to the first-hand experience of Kang Cheol Hwan in the Yoduk Camp.

Kang said in a telephone interview with Daily NK that “Although my stories do not show what is happening in the completely-controlled zone of the North Korean political prison camps, I believe it is a significant opportunity to unveil the true nature of North Korean prison camps.”

He added, “I hope that the movie producers put the testimonies of other former prisoners into the movie, so the unimaginable stories that happen in North Korea’s political prison camps can be seen throughout the world.”

The effect of these films could be considerable – in South Korea especially.