Synopsis

Isak Borg, first secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang. Even though he's a diplomat, he is secretly dating Bok-joo, a local traffic officer. One day, after a shady man is seen at their secret meeting spot, Bok-joo goes missing. With his departure date approaching, Borg searches for Bok-joo and begins to get suspicious of his interpreter, LEE Myeong-jun.

Director's Comment

Making a thin crack in a thick wall.

Staff

Program Note

South Koreans have a passport that allows visa-free entry into 192 countries, but how many of us can visit North Korea during our lifetime? We can only imagine it through the testimony of defectors appearing on TV. It’s a place that people want to leave rather than to live in. In any other country, secretly being in love might be just another romantic notion, but in North Korea it poses an existential risk. In their everyday reality, one can’t share love or friendship with a stranger, whereas we can date anyone if we fancy one another. It reminds us of the preciousness of the other person which we may have forgotten. It makes us want to warm the cold hands and faces of the people standing around on chilly streets.

LEE Kyunghwa