North Korean defection documentary ‘Beyond Utopia’ Pastor Seong Kim “May you know the value of freedom”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Youngjae Lee = “I hope the people of Korea will know how precious freedom is through this film. Please sympathize with the pain of North Korean defectors.”

Pastor Kim Seong-eun, who appeared in the documentary film ‘Beyond Utopia’, which depicts the life-and-death defection process of North Korean residents, said this at a preview screening held at a movie theater in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 19th.

‘Beyond Utopia’, which will be released on the 31st, is an American film directed by Madeline Gavin, who is attracting attention in the American independent film industry.

This film realistically depicts the process of Pastor Kim supporting North Korean residents to defect from North Korea. It consists of videos filmed by the production team that accompanied the defection process and videos filmed by North Korean defectors themselves.

Pastor Kim, a member of Caleb Mission, has helped more than 1,000 North Koreans escape from North Korea over the past 23 years. In the 1990s, when North Korea was experiencing a famine, he went to China as a missionary and saw the corpse of a North Korean citizen floating in the Yalu River. He decided to dedicate himself to supporting North Korean defectors. He is said to have experienced numerous hardships, including falling on the ice of the Duman River, injuring his neck, and getting an iron core embedded in it.

The film revolves around two North Korean defections commissioned by Pastor Kim. The story of Woo Young-bok, a North Korean woman, coming to South Korea with her husband, two daughters, and an elderly mother in her 80s via China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, and the story of Lee So-yeon, a North Korean defector living in South Korea, trying to escape North Korea for her son, whom she left behind in North Korea. The stories intersect.

‘Heaven’s Border’ Pastor Kim, who has appeared in other documentaries on the topic of North Korean defection, said, “What I want to confess is that I hope to never make a movie like this again. “That is my honest feeling,” he said, “because I do not want North Korean residents to risk their lives by crossing the border.”

In ‘Beyond Utopia’, Pastor Kim meets with Yang’s family in Qingdao, China, and joins them on a 12,000km journey to Thailand, a ‘safe zone.’ He, who will turn 60 next year, wades through the jungle with Yang’s family in the middle of the night to smuggle himself into Laos from Vietnam. When entering Thailand, he crosses the Mekong River in a small, long boat that flips over if the center of gravity is slightly wrong.

Pastor Kim said, “My first wish is for the Chinese government to recognize North Korean defectors as refugees rather than repatriate them to North Korea,” and added, “I hope the South Korean government will also make efforts to ensure that North Korean defectors can come to Korea safely.” “There are limits to the power of the church,” he said.

In ‘Beyond Utopia’, Pastor Kim’s cell phone is constantly receiving requests for defection from North Korea. It is said that there are still about 200 North Korean residents waiting for help from Caleb Mission. Pastor Kim confessed, “If there are ten people (people who request defection from North Korea), we can only save two or three people.”

In this film, Soyeon Lee’s story evokes sadness. He expected that his son, whom he left behind in North Korea, would study art if he came to Korea because he has a talent for drawing. He bought a closet full of clothes for his son to wear in Korea. However, news spread through brokers that his son was forcibly repatriated to North Korea and received harsh punishment.

Mr. Lee said, “I think I will definitely be able to see my son again.” He prays just to stay alive. “My wish is to meet my son and have a meal together,” she said, shedding tears.

Producer Choi Dae-won, who participated in the production of this film, said about the difference between this work and existing documentaries dealing with North Korean defection, “Videos related to North Korean defection are often consumed for political purposes and disappear,”and “This film focuses on the characters from the beginning. “I think we can get more sympathy because we focused on it,” he said.

There is room for political interpretation in that “Beyond Utopia” directly criticizes the North Korean system. This film shows photos of the 2013 execution of Jang Song-taek, a powerful figure in North Korea, and exposes the oppressive nature of the Kim Jong-un regime. It also sheds new light on modern Korean history, including the Korean War.

A TED lecture and memoir that exposes the reality of North Korea, ‘The Girl with Seven Names’ An interview with Lee Hyun-seo, a North Korean defector who became a celebrity in the United States after being published, is also shown intermittently.

Ms. Lee is also the person who played the role of midwife in this film. He met famous actor Robert De Niro at a memoir signing event held in the United States in 2016 and said, “I hope the story of North Korean defectors will be made into a movie,” and as these words were delivered to the production company along with the memoir, “Beyond Utopia” was produced. was born.

Mr. Woo Young-bok, who came to Korea after going through many hardships, said, “When I came here, I really liked the fact that I can live with the money I earned,”but also laughed, saying, “Because I have children, the tuition for the academy is not that easy.”.

The eldest daughter, Jinhye, who is in middle school, said, “I settled in Korea quickly and get along well with my school friends,” and the second daughter, Jinpyeong, did not hesitate when asked what her dream was, and responded, “Idol,” making people laugh.

Pastor Kim said, “North Korean defectors have significant difficulties settling in South Korea,” and urged, “This issue also needs a lot of attention.”

‘Beyond Utopia’ won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival last year and the Audience Award for Best International Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival. It was also selected as a preliminary candidate for a feature-length documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.

ljglory@yna.co.kr

▶ Report via KakaoTalk okjebo