'Red scare' overblown in box-office hit

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Director Yoon Jong-bin's film “The Spy Gone North” defies common knowledge that the North Korea factor no longer exerts influence in real world politics.

The box-office hit over-blows the “red scare” impact on elections in the late 1990s.

Yoon acknowledged in a media interview July 31 that he was intrigued by the South Korean spy he delved into in his latest film.

He said he was shocked when he accidentally learned about Park Chae-seo, a South Korean spy who infiltrated the North in the guise of a businessman with the mission of detecting nuclear sites there. It sent him researching stories about the spy agency for his film project.

Through his new film, the award-winning filmmaker said he tried to raise some key questions about the tragedy of a divided Korea. “Why were the two Koreas divided and what made them confront each other for such a long time? Why do the two sides keep fighting? These are the questions I wanted to ask,” he said.

His film answers that self-serving South Korean politicians, particularly from the conservative camp, have taken advantage of the tragic history to fulfill their political ambitions. The filmmaker also blames the North Korean elite for the miserable economic circumstances their citizens face.

The spy action film has been a big hit since it opened on August 8. It has attracted over 4.2 million viewers so far and become a box-office hit.

The film, however, has revealed the filmmaker's limited understanding of contemporary Korean history.

“The Spy Gone North” revolves around the secret meetings between some conservative South Korean politicians in 1996 and 1997 and North Korean officials to discuss the North's role to turn the tide in favor of the conservative party ahead of the elections.

The South Korean politicians requested the North Korean military to launch an armed conflict near the border area in return for cash, in order to create a sense of urgency among southerners so they would vote for the ruling party and their candidates in the 1996 National Assembly elections.

Cash-strapped North Korea went along with the South Korean politicians' request, which the film said was a key reason behind the conservative party's sweeping wins in the general election.

The film revealed another clandestine offer from the conservative politicians who fretted over their candidate's falling approval ratings ahead of the 1997 presidential election.

The southerners requested the North Korean army carry out another military provocation― a more lethal one ― on islands in the West Sea to fan the red scare before the crucial election, which this time North Korea snubbed.

“The Spy Gone North” concludes that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's last-minute rejection of launching an armed conflict near the maritime border in 1997 was the key reason behind conservative candidate Lee Hoi-chang's defeat in the presidential election that year.

Director Yoon described the “North Korea card” as a panacea that could make or break elections. However, he may be overstating the North Korea factor. There has been a shared belief among political analysts that the North Korea card is an outdated tactic and no longer exerts influence on voters.

While blaming conservative politicians, the filmmaker turned a blind eye to liberal politicians' use of the North Korea card for the sake of their own political gains.

Not only have conservative politicians, but also liberals played this game in crucial elections, albeit their versions were different.

Conservative politicians preferred military tactics that used fear mongering to prod undecided voters to cast their ballots for them.

Meanwhile, liberals prefer the image of peacemakers when playing the North Korea card ahead of elections. Their favorite was holding inter-Korean summits. The 2007 inter-Korean summit took place in October, two months before a presidential election and the latest one was also held before the local elections in June.

Going back to 1997, what really affected the higher-than-anticipated turnout in the presidential election was the economy, not North Korea.

South Korea was hit hard by the Asian Financial Crisis that year and the presidential election took place in December amid the economic malaise, which began in Thailand in the summer with the collapse of the local currency, the Baht, then spread fast to Korea later in the year. In the face of the unprecedented crisis that engulfed the nation, frustrated voters turned out to polling stations and voted against the ruling party candidate.

“The Spy Gone North” is based on the real story of Park and the director added some fictional elements to entertain the audience. Unlike the film, the South Korean spy didn't meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in person.

In the film, before he meets Kim, Park is given a drug that lowers his state of consciousness as the North Korean military officials try to figure out whether he is a spy or a businessman seeking a partnership with the North Korean authorities. Park successfully lies about his identity, albeit he being in this state. This opens a debate whether people can really control themselves after being given a “truth serum.”