Espionage proves popular theme in ROK movies

They are handsome, daring, patriotic and multilingual elite fighters who dodge bullets while remaining loyal to their women and families. Meet the new heroes of Republic of Korea's cinema - Pyongyang's spies.

Portrayed by Hollywood as merciless terrorists in films such as White House Down, ROK films are increasingly depicting agents from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as conflicted action heroes whose personal struggles embody a divided Korean Peninsula.

Such films, unimaginable a few decades ago, have been embraced by young ROK citizens who have no memory of the horrors of the Korean War (1950-53) and harbor less hostility toward their northern neighbor than older generations.

Both sides remain technically at war after the Korean conflict ended with an armistice six decades ago. Tension along the heavily fortified border erupts sporadically into deadly clashes.

For ROK filmmakers, Pyongyang is a "perfect inspiration" allowing them to mix fantasy with the realities of a neighbor that often threatens to turn Seoul into a "sea of flame".

The death of longtime DPRK leader Kim Jong-il in 2011 further inspired moviemakers, said Jang Cheol-soo, director of the recent hit Secretly, Greatly.

The tragicomic action film, seen by 6.9 million people since its release in June, is the third highest-selling ROK film so far this year.

"No other character can epitomize such turbulent and uncertain times like this than a DPRK spy," Jang said.

The story of an elite spy sent to live in a Seoul shantytown with a mission to kill key figures, Jang's film sees the young assassin pose as a village idiot to mingle with neighbors without drawing suspicion. But he is soon enamored with his caring, good-hearted neighbors - before unexpected tragedy unfolds.

The second-highest grossing ROK film this year is another star-studded spy thriller, The Berlin File, seen by 7.1 million people.

ROK citizens are still urged to report spies for hefty cash rewards, although not as strongly as in the past when children were taught at school how to recognize spies by their behavior or accent.

The last remaining legacy of the Cold War has inspired hordes of DPRK-themed films in the ROK for decades.

One high-profile case saw a group of 30 elite Pyongyang commandos gunned down in downtown Seoul in 1968 after they secretly crossed the border with a mission to kill then-ROK president Park Chung-hee.

Cross-border reconciliation in the late 1990s under the engagement policy of the late ROK ex-presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun encouraged filmmakers to put a human face on people from the DPRK.

Director Jang said that top young actors are now vying for DPRK spy roles, as opposed to fearing the impact such parts might have on their image.

Since 2010, five high-profile spy films have been released and three more are in production, including Red Family by acclaimed director Kim Ki-duk.

The popularity of such spy films marks a sea change from the past, when casting DPRK characters in any positive light was a grave offence against state censors and the notorious ROK National Security Law.

Late legendary director Lee Man-hee was arrested and charged in 1965 with portraying DPRK soldiers as "humane and merciful human beings" in a film he was making.

Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 07/25/2013 page11)