[imText1]In 2012, North Korean human rights issues surfaced as a national concern in the South, as actor Cha In Pyo and others came forward to forcefully oppose the repatriation of defectors by the Chinese government and NKnet researcher and human rights activist Kim Young Hwan was detained for four months by the Chinese security forces.
Yet it remains the case that, especially when compared with the urgency of the problem itself, there is not much South Korean interest in North Korean human rights, even among the younger generation. North Korean human rights NGOs have produced a string of documentary films and hosted exhibitions to attract the attention of the public, but to limited effect. Even the NKnet-sponsored ‘North Korean Human Rights International Film Festival’ has yet to capture hearts and minds.
Director Kwak Moon Wan met Daily NK on the 30th of last month to give his unique perspective on the problem. In his view, it is simple; “appealing” to the South Korean people is not enough. There must be emotion and amusement, too.
It goes without saying, therefore, that Kwak, a former student of Pyongyang University of Cinematic and Dramatic Arts, is striving to put a fun twist into the world of North Korean human rights film.
His most recent script, ‘Haedanghwa,’ reflects traces of these concerns. It is the true story (with embellishments) of a waitress in a North Korean restaurant in Cambodia who was once popular with South Korean netizens for the unlikely reason that she looked like famously attractive actress Kim Tae Hee.
The question is whether the film can finally break this duck, lend North Korean human rights some mass appeal, and in the process score a box office hit.
