By Kim Young-jin
Seoul will “positively consider” allowing two North Koreans involved in a film made in Pyongyang to visit South Korea when it airs at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) next month, an official said Friday.
The Unification Ministry said it has approved the import of the film, co-directed by North Korean, Belgian and British filmmakers, so it can play at the Oct. 4-13 festival, despite tensions that have made even provision of emergency aid to the Stalinist state difficult.
Organizers have expressed a desire to invite Kim Gwang-hun and lead actress Han Jong-sim to the festival. “If an application is made, we will consider it positively,” ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-suk said in a press briefing, adding consultations with the North would be needed.
On Wednesday, Pyongyang rejected an offer of aid made by Seoul that included 10,000 tons of flour and 3 million packs of instant noodles to cope with deadly flooding, calling it a ``negligible quantity” that “seriously insulted us.”
The rebuff came after Seoul earlier this month contacted Pyongyang concerning providing assistance without specifying what it planned to send. The offer came after intense scrutiny over whether the Lee Myung-bak administration would mobilize aid following a deadly typhoon.
A week after the initial proposal, officials said the North wanted “to engage in further discussion including through the exchange of documents.” They later added that Seoul was not ruling out the mobilization of rice, which is valued by the North but which many believe can be diverted for military purposes.
Some observers said Seoul should have learned from a rejection of flour and noodles last year, that the proposal was likely to be refused. Liberal lawmakers said a chance to engage Pyongyang was wasted by “unilaterally” deciding on the items.
Others accused the North of seeking to embarrass the Lee administration by requesting a list of proposed items, forcing Seoul to lay its cards on the table before ultimately declining the deal. Receiving a modest package would weaken Pyongyang’s bargaining stance once a new president takes office next year, they said.
A visit to Busan by the North Koreans would be a rare occurrence given the tension under the hard-line Lee.
The film tells the whimsical story of a female North Korean coalminer who follows her dream of becoming a trapeze artist. It was co-produced by Belgian production company Another Dimension of an Idea, the Korea Film Export & Import Corporation, and British travel company Koryo Group.
It was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and will be seen later this month at the Pyongyang International Film Festival.
It is said to be the first time for a movie directed by a North Korean to be shown at BIFF. Material involving the North is carefully monitored here as proliferation of its propaganda violates the National Security Law.