A Kim Jong-Il Production
The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power| By: | Paul Fischer |
| Publisher: | Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. |
| Print ISBN: | 9781250054265 |
| eText ISBN: | 9781250054289 |
| Edition: | 0 |
| Format: | Reflowable |
eBook Features
Instant Access
Purchase and read your book immediately
Read Offline
Access your eTextbook anytime and anywhere
Study Tools
Built-in study tools like highlights and more
Read Aloud
Listen and follow along as Bookshelf reads to you
"The absurd, harrowing, and true story" of South Korean cinema stars kidnapped by Kim Jong-Il and forced to make movies before their daring escape (Esquire.com). Before becoming the world's most notorious dictator, Kim Jong-Il ran North Korea's Ministry for Propaganda and its film studios. Underwhelmed by the talent pool available to him, he took drastic steps, ordering the kidnapping of Choi Eun-Hee (Madam Choi)—South Korea's most famous actress—and her ex-husband Shin Sang-Ok, the country's most famous filmmaker. When Madam Choi vanished, Shin went to Hong Kong to investigate—where he, too, was abducted. While Choi lived in isolated luxury, Choi was sent to a prison camp and "re-educated." When the couple was reunited, it was announced that they would remarry and act as the Dear Leader's film advisors. Together they made seven films, gaining Kim Jong-Il's trust in the process. While pretending to research a film in Vienna, they flee to the US embassy and are swept to safety. A nonfiction thriller packed with tension, passion, and politics, A Kim Jong-Il Production offers a rare glimpse into a secretive world, illuminating a fascinating chapter of North Korea's history that helps explain how it became the hermetically sealed, intensely stage-managed country it is today.