Kim Jong-il kidnapped a famous South Korean actress and director to make a North Korean Godzilla movie.
The episode begins with casual banter between the hosts about their living situations before transitioning to the main topic: the North Korean film 'Pulgasari'. They frame the film's production history as more fascinating than the movie itself. The hosts explain that Kim Jong-il, son of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung, was a passionate cinephile with a vast collection of Western films. His dream was to transform North Korea into a cinematic powerhouse. To achieve this, he orchestrated the kidnappings of prominent South Korean film figures. Actress Choi Eun-hee was abducted in Hong Kong in 1978, sedated, and taken by boat to North Korea. Director Shin Sang-ok, her ex-husband, was kidnapped six months later under similar circumstances while searching for her. Shin was imprisoned for three years in a North Korean camp after attempting escape. The hosts describe their forced reunion at a party orchestrated by Kim Jong-il. Under duress, the pair agreed to make films for the regime, producing several works between 1983 and 1986. 'Pulgasari' was their final project before escaping. The hosts detail their daring escape in Vienna in 1986, where they tricked their guards and sought asylum at the U.S. embassy. They discuss the film 'Pulgasari' itself, a kaiju movie about a small, rice-made monster that grows by eating metal and helps peasants overthrow a feudal lord. They note the involvement of special effects artists from Japan's Toho studio, who were reportedly tricked into coming to North Korea. The hosts analyze potential subversive messages Shin may have embedded in the film's ending. The conversation concludes with recommendations for further viewing, including the documentary 'The Lovers and the Despot', and reflections on the surreal nature of North Korea.
