#a kim jong il production

[studentofetherium]

my local library has Yeonmi Park's book, and when i've recovered from reading A Kim Jong-Il Production, i'm gonna check it out

[a-friend-to-cats]

dispatch from your local anarchist: i saw a report from the arms control association about rising tensions between north and south korea and wanted to write something out in case it hadn't made the tumblr news. when i searched up "north korea" to see if anyone had talked about it, i came up with several posts that seemed like overt support for the country's literal authoritarian dictatorship (screenshot of the post that initiated this response under "read more"). with that in mind, here are some sources. please, stop romanticizing countries that make their own people suffer. this should not need to be said.

to start, learn about the north korean famine in the 1990s. here are some quotes to give you quick facts. "In 1995, the regime "triaged" the entire northeast region of the country—in essence, blocking food shipments to that portion of the population in order to ensure subsistence food supplies for the capital Pyongyang, whose support was critical to the government." "He said that recorded death rates in towns, cities, and regions whose records were accessible show that somewhere between 10 and 19 percent of their populations perished in the famine. Tellingly, only 55 percent of people voted in North Korea's 1998 national elections—in a country in which not voting is a crime." and there were new reports of starvation in 2023, by the way.

ready for your next fact? "In the early 1990s, trade figures leaked to the media revealed that Kim was the largest single consumer of Hennessy cognac, importing more than $650,000 worth of top-of-the-line stock a year for his private collection." please also note when the aforementioned famine took place.

"Kim Jong Il's annual cognac expense was about 500 times the average North Korean's annual income." unsurprisingly, did you know that on a global index of corruption, north korea is tied for 171st, 6th from being the worst?

"Rare footage obtained by BBC Korean shows North Korea publicly sentencing two teenage boys to 12 years of hard labour for watching K-dramas." yes, you did read that right. 12 YEARS.

"In the North, not only is listening to foreign radio or television broadcasts a severely-punished crime, it is illegal even to own or possess a radio or television set capable of being tuned to any station other than the official North Korean media." reporters without borders lists it last in the world press freedom index.

an article from human rights watch on labor camps: "The report, by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, found that North Korea currently engages in torture, wrongful imprisonment, and forced hard labor under exceptionally harsh conditions against anyone held in its short-term detention facilities system and its long-term hard labor prison camps for ordinary crimes, or kyohwaso – widespread and systematic abuses that could amount to crimes against humanity. The UN report documents starvation, severe beatings, the prolonged use of stress positions, and psychological abuse. It also details the denial of medical care, sanitation, and hygiene products, all of which make for severe mental and physical suffering." i don't need to explain why this is awful.

just a few quotes from amnesty international's report. "More than 40% of the population were undernourished and required humanitarian assistance." "Some children were forced by the state to work in coal mines and on farms under dangerous conditions. In addition to their education, children were required to perform state-imposed tasks such as cleaning, farming and working in construction." "Open criticism of the authorities or leadership was not allowed. Extreme anxiety and fear was pervasive among people who were at risk of being detained for political reasons and charged with anti-party or anti-state crimes." "Arrests were made on the grounds of violations of quarantine rules such as smuggling, isolation and cross-border travel attempts, as well as drug use, engagement in religious practices (no alternative belief systems are tolerated by the authorities) and accessing foreign information."

just stop it, please.

this is the one that really got to me. re: "we are barred from witnessing that with our own eyes," media restriction comes from north korea itself, in case you forgot. and while the u.s. and other countries have mountains of issues, a number of which are listed, please note that op has no sources listed to refute the human rights abuses in north korea. the link about western propaganda went to instagram, so even though the page didn't load for me, i'm not counting it as reliable. of course countries will promote journalism that aligns with their own interests (in this case, western countries will promote things that oppose north korea). but you can account for bias the same way as with any other issue: look for varied sources, try to find ones that wouldn't have substantial bias, and think about the sources of their facts.

you can't oppose human rights abuses in one place by supporting them somewhere else, guys. i don't know why i even have to say that.

[punziejack]

♦️ Socialism in North Korea♦️

⭐ Korea's historic context⭐

- used to do business with China ( buy products)

-19th century is threatened by Japan

-1910 - Japan attach Korea ( imperialism, colonization, exploration, prohibite the language Korean and Korean names, "houses of comfort" - prostituition)

-Kim Il-sung - first leader of Korea - run away to Manchuria and takes part on Chinese Communist Party. Starts to combate Japanese imperialism

-1945 -Kim Il- sung, China and "red" army they expel the japanese army that was installed in Korea.

- 1950 - 1953 USA invade Korea and cause a genocide - throw a lot of bombs in Korea . ( kills 3 a 4 million people- the country had 8 million people , in total).

→USA was frightened because they were afraid that socialism would spread through other countries ( that would've happened). So USA divided korea and ocuppied South Korea. (They stayed there until today. Korean army is subimitted by USA army.)

-USA basically wants to restore capitalism throughout the peninsula. (They still didn't do it because of the nuclear bombs in North Korea)

-Korea resists and win ( USA do not reaches its goals)

-In the same context, Vietnam wins the war against USA and becomes socialist.( It's socialist until today)

-Parallel 38 N is restored and Korea is divided.

-Military Force: North korea invest in high and strong technologies to defend themselves ( nuclear technology ensures that korea has its origins and experiences remained.)

-1948 -Korea turns into a socialist country

_________________________________

❌Fake News or not?✅

- Explanations and comparisons.

- "Leader Cult": statues

→The statues are built to honor the past leaders before Kim Jong-un ( so the string "workship"has to do with North Korean history. They see the leader role as a symbol of resistance against Japanese Imperialism and threats of USA)

→ The "Kim" family is a representation of these fight against imperialism ( in this case, it was Japan). So it carries this big importance.

→ it isn't exclusively from socialism. In capitalism we have a lot of examples of statues or doutrines. (the queen if england, for example)

→ it is not an obligation to "workship the leader".

→ Kim Jong-un - it's not the maximum leader because he doesn't have all the power on his hands. ( in North Korea we have power division) - He was elected by the assembly ( he can be removed from his post anytime).

-The post that Kim Jong-un occupies, accumulates less power than Biden in USA. ( THE ASSEMBLY HAS THE SUPREME POWER).

-There isn't bourgeoisie in Korea.

So the leaders do not have much money as if they were richer. ( it's not proved that they are so much rich)

→ The assembly is elected by the population by vote (direct, universal, secret) and is composed by representants of the people.

-The majority of the assembly is elected independently ( they don't take part in any Party)

- KOREA HAS 3 PARTIES. (you can take part in one of them or not). The main idea isn't to represent the Party but your own local interests

→ Korea is not a dinasty. ( it has to do with the importance of Kim Il-sung family's name) - The successor is not compulsorily the next son of Kim's family. There's no documentation. ( to clarify, there is oposition to the Kim's family in North Korea.)

-North Korea can't buy things from exterior because of the blockades.

- FOOD INSECURITY : ✅

North Korea is forced to produce 98 % of its own food (because of the blockades). North territory only has 13% of its territory that is arable because it has a lot of mountains.) They can have a diary "calorie stability" but can't produce some foods that have certain nutrients themselves. ( like the lack of C vitamin, which is an essencial vitamin for the body). So if the population of a country has a déficit of any vital vitamin ( that its lack can cause illnesses) they stay on the map of desnutricion.

-Cars demmand a lot of technology. So how North Korea will produce cars if they can't import things?

→ This explains why Cuba's cars are so old. ( Cuba bought cars from URSS and has no industrial autonomy).

- "The govern decides who'll have a car or not" ✅ true. They have a poor production, because of the blockages. So they do like an "Urban Planning" so that the people can live near their works ( like 1 kilometer from the work).

Socialist countries like Cuba and Korea cannot produce in the same rhythm than capitalist countries.

-When a person gets out from a socialist country and go to a capitalist country,this person is considered dissident (a person who doesn't agree with the country principles).

Why do people run away from North Korea?

North Korea is in war with South. Because of South korean and North Korean laws is difficult to emigrate. ( Koreans can pass with facility at China,so many North Koreans live in China). South Korea hardly receive North Koreans.

1990- A lot of people runned away from North to South.( Before 90s, North Korea there was URSS and East block. So North Korea was even more developed than South Korea, but the situation inverts in 90s.) After the end of URSS and East block countries , North Korea loses about 40% of its trading.

So... End of partnership with URSS and East block countries + blockades = poverty, hunger, lack of fuels. So they had to come back to animal traction.

→ Many North Koreans were separated from their families in the South after the division. So many of them go to China to find people to help so they can visit their families in the South.

[mediamixs]

The Frog: horror from South Korea

*The Frog* is an upcoming South Korean mystery crime thriller series set to premiere on Netflix on **August 23, 2024**. The show is directed by Mo Wan-il and written by Son Ho-young, featuring a notable cast that includes Kim Yoon-seok, Yoon Kye-sang, Go Min-si, and Lee Jung-eun.

Synopsis

The narrative of *The Frog* intertwines two timelines: one in the summer of **2000**, where Gu Sang-jun operates a motel in a rural area, and the other in **2021**, where Jeon Young-ha manages a pension in a secluded forest. Both characters experience a disruption in their lives due to a mysterious visitor, leading to unexpected and suspenseful events.

Cast and Characters

- **Kim Yoon-seok** as Jeon Young-ha: The owner of the pension.

- **Yoon Kye-sang** as Gu Sang-jun: The motel owner.

- **Go Min-si** as Yoo Seong-a: A mysterious woman connected to the unfolding drama.

- **Lee Jung-eun** as Yoon Bo-min: A chief detective investigating the cases related to both Young-ha and Sang-jun.

- **Park Ji-hwan** as Jong-du: A character with a complex past who returns to his hometown.

The series will consist of **eight episodes**, all releasing simultaneously on the premiere date.

 Production Details

Filming for *The Frog* began in **April 2023** and concluded in **September 2023**, with the series currently in post-production. The collaboration between the writer and director is notable, as Mo Wan-il previously directed acclaimed series like *The World of the Married* and *Misty*.

*The Frog* is part of Netflix's broader initiative to expand its library of Korean content, aiming to reach audiences in over **190 countries** upon its release.

[mariacallous]

Putin vows to support North Korea against the United States

SEOUL/MOSCOW, June 18 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Tuesday to deepen trade and security ties with North Korea and to support it against the United States, as he headed to the reclusive nuclear-armed country for the first time in 24 years.

The U.S. and its Asian allies are trying to work out just how far Russia will go in support of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose country is the only one to have conducted nuclear weapon tests in the 21st century.

In a signal that Russia, a veto-wielding member of the United Nations Security Council, is reassessing its entire approach to North Korea, Putin praised Pyongyang for resisting what he said was U.S. economic pressure, blackmail and threats.

In an article published by North Korean state media, Putin praised "Comrade" Kim, and promised to "jointly resist illegitimate unilateral restrictions", to develop trade and strengthen security across Eurasia.

"Washington, refusing to implement previously reached agreements, continuously puts forward new, increasingly stringent and obviously unacceptable demands," Putin said in the article, printed on the front page of North Korea's Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers' Party mouthpiece.

"Russia has always supported and will continue to support the DPRK and the heroic Korean people in their opposition to the insidious, dangerous and aggressive enemy."

Putin noted the Soviet Union was the first to recognise the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) founded by Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, less than two years before the 1950 Korean War.

North Korean state media also published articles praising Russia and supporting its military operations in Ukraine, calling them a "sacred war of all Russian citizens".

Putin's state visit comes amid U.S. accusations that North Korea has supplied "dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 containers of munitions to Russia" for use in Ukraine. South Korea, a staunch U.S. ally, has raised similar concerns.

The White House said on Monday it was troubled by the deepening relationship between Russia and North Korea. The U.S. State Department said it was "quite certain" Putin would be seeking arms to support his war in Ukraine.

Moscow and Pyongyang have denied arms transfers but have vowed to boost military ties, possibly including joint drills.

Russia is due to outproduce the whole NATO military alliance on ammunition production this year, so Putin's trip is likely aimed at underscoring to Washington just how disruptive Moscow can be on a host of global crises.

Russia in March vetoed the annual renewal of a panel of experts monitoring enforcement of longstanding United Nations sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.

PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Russia and North Korea may sign a partnership agreement during the visit that would include security issues.

He said the deal would not be directed against any other country, but would "outline prospects for further cooperation".

The visit will include one-on-one discussions between the two leaders, as well as a gala concert, state reception, honour guards, document signings, and a statement to the media, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Ushakov as saying.

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the ministers for natural resources, health, and transport, the heads of the Russian space agency and its railways, and Putin's point man for energy, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, will be part of the delegation.

Ahead of the visit, North Korea appears to have been making preparations for a possible military parade in downtown Pyongyang, commercial satellite imagery showed.

The summit presents the greatest threat to U.S. national security since the Korean War, said Victor Cha, a former U.S. national security official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"This relationship, deep in history and reinvigorated by the war in Ukraine, undermines the security of Europe, Asia, and the U.S. homeland," he wrote in a report on Monday.

He urged Washington to work with Europe and other partners to increase economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang, engage with China, and launch a major human rights and information campaign to flood the North with outside media.

North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006, and those measures have been strengthened over the years.

The Security Council has been divided over how to deal with Pyongyang.

Russia and China say more sanctions will not help and that joint military drills by the United States and South Korea merely provoke Pyongyang. Two years ago, they vetoed a U.S.-led push to impose more U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches.

Washington and its Asian allies accuse Beijing and Moscow of emboldening North Korea by shielding it from more sanctions.

After North Korea, Putin will visit Vietnam on June 19-20.

[brazilnews]

North Korea's Kim Jong Un dismisses military chief, calls for war preparations

At the meeting, Kim dismissed Chief of the general staff Pak Su Il, replacing him with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, KCNA said without giving further details.

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed his top general and called for stepping up war preparations “in an offensive way”, including boosting weapons production and conducting more drills, state media reported Thursday.

With a cigarette in hand, Kim was shown talking to a room full of uniformed top generals, and pointing at maps, images in state media showed, while he discussed “major military actions” against South Korea at a meeting of the Central Military Commission.

The Korean Central News Agency said the agenda of the meeting, which comes just days after Kim inspected key arms factories, was “the issue of making full war preparations” and ensuring “perfect military readiness for a war”.

The meeting comes as Seoul and Washington prepare for major joint drills later this month, which the North views as rehearsals for invasion and has repeatedly warned could trigger “overwhelming” action in response.

At the meeting, Kim dismissed Chief of the general staff Pak Su Il, replacing him with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, KCNA said without giving further details.

Pak, who was promoted to the post late last year, may have been dismissed “because he did not demonstrate sufficient competence in the field of military operations,” according to Cheong Seong-chang, a researcher at the Sejong Institute.

“Kim Jong Un has shown a tendency to quickly replace officials when they are judged to be lacking in the ability to control and perform their duties,” he said.

Ri may have been the “most suitable person” to replace Pak, as he has previously held the position for a long time, Cheong added.

‘Mass-production’ of weapons

Kim called for “all the munitions industrial establishments to push ahead with the mass-production of various weapons and equipment”, the report said.

“He also called for actively conducting actual war drills to efficiently operate (the) newly deployed latest weapons and equipment,” it added.

Kim reached an “important conclusion on further stepping up the war preparations of the KPA in an offensive way,” KCNA reported, referring to the North’s military.

The latest KCNA report appeared to be North Korea’s “own response to the upcoming joint military training between Seoul and Washington,” an official from Seoul’s unification ministry told reporters.

Referring to photos carried by the North’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper showing Kim pointing to what appeared to be a map of Seoul, he said: “I think he wanted to send a message to the South with a threatening action.”

The meeting also discussed preparations for a massive parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of North Korea on September 9.

Last month, Pyongyang held a major military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, with analysts describing the event as “the largest, most overt North Korean display of nuclear-capable systems”.

North Korea also held a large defence expo to coincide with the parade, with Kim giving the visiting Russian defence minister a tour of the country’s newest and most advanced weaponry, including ballistic missiles and spy drones.

[pdj-france]

Réorganisation de l’Armée Nord-coréenne sous Kim Jong-un : Appels à la Préparation de Guerre et à l’Expansion des Capacités Militaires Le dirigeant nord-coréen, Kim Jong-un, a pris des mesures audacieuses en réorganisant le leadership de l’armée et en lançant des appels à une préparation accrue en vue d’une possible guerre. Cette initiative a été annoncée pendant la 7e réunion élargie de la 8e Commission militaire centrale du Parti des salariés de Corée (WPK), marquant un changement significatif dans la direction militaire du pays. Nouveau Leadership Militaire : Départ et Nomination Pendant cette réunion, Kim Jong-un a annoncé le limogeage du général en chef de l’armée, Pak Su-il, sans fournir de détails supplémentaires sur cette décision. À sa place, le général Ri Yong-gil a été nommé pour occuper le poste vacant. Cela dit, la question de savoir si Ri Yong-gil conservera aussi son rôle de ministre de la Défense reste en suspens. Appels à l’Expansion des Capacités Militaires Lors d’une visite récente dans des usines d’armement, Kim Jong-un a lancé un appel en faveur d’une augmentation de la production d’armes. Il a spécifiquement mentionné l'obligation de fabriquer davantage de missiles, d’artillerie et d’autres équipements de bataille. De plus, il a souligné l’importance de fonder plus de moteurs pour soutenir ces nouvelles armes. Renforcement de la Préparation au Bataille Pour garantir la pleine performance de ses dernières armes et équipements, la Corée du Nord prévoit d’organiser des exercices de guerre. Kim Jong-un insiste sur l'obligation de maintenir constamment les forces armées du pays en état de mobilisation pour le bataille. Ceci intervient bien que le pays se prépare à célébrer le 75e anniversaire de la Journée de la fondation de la République par le biais d’un défilé militaire prévu le 9 septembre. Conclusion : Évolution de la Stratégie Militaire Nord-coréenne Le remodelage de la haute direction de l’armée nord-coréenne sous la direction de Kim Jong-un témoigne d’une stratégie en évolution dans le pays. Les appels à une préparation de guerre renforcée, à l’augmentation de la production d’armes et à l’expansion des exercices militaires suggèrent un changement de priorités et une volonté accrue de maintenir les capacités militaires à leur apogée. Ce post Réorganisation Militaire et Appels à la Préparation de Guerre en Corée du Nord est apparu en premier sur VoxTrotteur. En savoir plus via VoxTrotteur

[voxtrotteur]

Réorganisation de l'Armée Nord-coréenne sous Kim Jong-un : Appels à la Préparation de Guerre et à l'Expansion des Capacités Militaires Le dirigeant nord-coréen, Kim Jong-un, a pris des mesures audacieuses en réorganisant le leadership de l'armée et en lançant des appels à une préparation accrue en vue d'une possible guerre. Cette initiative a été annoncée lors de la 7e réunion élargie de la 8e Commission militaire centrale du Parti des travailleurs de Corée (WPK), marquant un changement significatif dans la direction militaire du pays. Nouveau Leadership Militaire : Départ et Nomination Pendant cette réunion, Kim Jong-un a annoncé le limogeage du général en chef de l'armée, Pak Su-il, sans fournir de détails supplémentaires sur cette décision. À sa place, le général Ri Yong-gil a été nommé pour occuper le poste vacant. Cependant, la question de savoir si Ri Yong-gil conservera également son rôle de ministre de la Défense reste en suspens. Appels à l'Expansion des Capacités Militaires Lors d'une visite récente dans des usines d'armement, Kim Jong-un a lancé un appel en faveur d'une augmentation de la production d'armes. Il a spécifiquement mentionné la nécessité de fabriquer davantage de missiles, d'artillerie et d'autres équipements de combat. De plus, il a souligné l'importance de construire plus de moteurs pour soutenir ces nouvelles armes. Renforcement de la Préparation au Combat Pour garantir la pleine efficacité de ses dernières armes et équipements, la Corée du Nord prévoit d'organiser des exercices de guerre. Kim Jong-un insiste sur la nécessité de maintenir constamment les forces armées du pays en état de mobilisation pour le combat. Ceci intervient alors que le pays se prépare à célébrer le 75e anniversaire de la Journée de la fondation de la République par le biais d'un défilé militaire prévu le 9 septembre. Conclusion : Évolution de la Stratégie Militaire Nord-coréenne Le remodelage de la haute direction de l'armée nord-coréenne sous la direction de Kim Jong-un témoigne d'une stratégie en évolution dans le pays. Les appels à une préparation de guerre renforcée, à l'augmentation de la production d'armes et à l'expansion des exercices militaires suggèrent un changement de priorités et une volonté accrue de maintenir les capacités militaires à leur apogée.

[the-firebird69]

They had them in this building and it's part of the complex and the Holocaust but it was not for prisoners and it was for people who are office workers and sometimes there are different races. Sometimes they get pulled out and they were saying it about my husband and the train was going by to get very upset and they couldn't take it anymore it's true. Did they going to put him back in there as a person doing business and we're saying no and he says I don't think so unless you never want to see that building again and they starting to get it he'll just blow it up and he will he says doesn't want to sit in a trinity house but it's not the same it's not people who are being executed it's not but it was familiar since they work for the Nazis and they get hit and she's not very happy with that either but these people are paying and they do it wrong and the more like for influencing it and it's going to change pretty soon. There's other things happening there's a bunch of movies in Vegas and they're triggered by the money and it's going to happen very soon and when would think the casino was the first and we don't think that's true it could be though because they tried going there to rob it many many times and it fails and it's misery and the clobbered and eventually they take it out after immuno runs through they do get some of it out of there though and creates and the military moves in and starts grabbing tons of people it is a class A maneuver and Olympus and us we're involved it's just really intense and it's starting with Lily who is trying to seduce my husband and that's what she's doing there it is an intense scenario

Hera Zues

I think we all know which movie was first and it's movies that are kind of tacit a little soft about Vegas and it might not be mine but it's one of the first in the lineup I'm interested in it because it seems that I get some money and it's in my house

Kim jong-il

That's fantastic use your real name well it's a character not really agent but my movies in there too I think it's the second one but it's not the second and sequence

Kim jong-un

Let's hope they didn't get it backwards again

We Chan Lynn

Very close guys very close keep it up and I said tons and tons and tons of motorcycles it's like 200,000 octillion and I heard the number of Harleys now I'm doubling production and we're going to increase it more and more and we're going to get in there and go after them and it's working the more bikes the more workers want to go on assignment and I mean it we're tearing up these idiots too and practically everybody declared war on the warlock it's all tired of all these killings everywhere it's making it too weird

[byneddiedingo]

Ha-kyun Shin and Doona Bae in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Park Chan-wook, 2002) Cast: Ha-kyun Shin, Hang-ko Song, Doona Bae, Ji-eun Lim, Bo-bae Han. Screenplay: Park Chan-wook, Jae-sun Lee, Jong-yong Lee, Mu-yeong Lee. Cinematography: Byeong-il Kim. Production design: Jung-hwa Choe. In his "vengeance trilogy," Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy (2003), and Lady Vengeance (2005), Park Chan-wook has given us not only, as some have suggested, an updated version of the Elizabethan and Jacobean revenge tragedies like Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy, Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, and Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, but also a vision of hell, especially if you adhere to Sartre's idea  that hell is other people. Park has a way of populating his stories with nightmare figures that play no essential role in the plot, like the dudes in the next room who masturbate to the sound of Ryu's (Ha-kyun Shin) sister (Ji-eun Lim) groaning in pain (which Ryu himself, being a deaf-mute, cannot hear), or the mysterious mentally and physically afflicted man who appears as Ryu is trying to cover his sister's body with stones and persists in trying to remove them until he's driven away, meanwhile distracting Ryu from the drowning Yu-sun (Bo-bae Han). There's also the fired employee who stops Dong-jin Park's ( Hang-ko Song) car and proceeds with a failed attempt at seppuku, heightening Dong-jin's feelings of guilt, perhaps, but not providing an essential element in the narrative. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance is, I think, the least successful of the three films: It doesn't succeed in transcending the revenge motif the way Oldboy does with its echoes of Dostoevsky and Kafka, and it doesn't have the technical finesse of Lady Vengeance. Its chief virtue is, especially in comparison with Lady Vengeance, the relative straightforwardness of its narrative, with the added ambiguity of its title: Is Ryu or Dong-jin "Mr. Vengeance"? In fact, the film is less about vengeance than about guilt: Ryu's sister commits suicide because she feels guilty for the kidnapping of Yu-sun, and passes along the burden of guilt to her brother when Yu-sun dies, while Dong-jin is filled with remorse over the consequences of his business failure. Park Chan-wook's characters exist in a world where there's no escape from guilt and no hope for redemption. Hell is empty and all the devils are here.

[studentofetherium]

A Kim Jong-Il Production by Paul Fischer is one of the most racist and infuriating books i have ever read

[romance-of-three-memes]

I think out of everything mentioned I'm going to see the comedy movie about the old guy who essentially turns his comically large family into a basketball cult that was made during the Arduous March in the 90s first, because apparently they started really kicking up the production of comedies because. You know. In the span of four or five years, anywhere from hundreds of thousands to several million people starved to death despite a massive outpouring of aid from the global community thanks to the utter uselessness of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il as leaders, and people were resorting to boiling rice paper down into very very light mush and eating unripened corn cobs and uhhhh there were rumors of the occasional bit of survival cannibalism because you know, everyone was starving. (I really wanna emphasize the word 'rumors' here, because it's incredibly difficult to prove or disprove wholesale but if nothing else, people sure were scared of the possibility of it being real, and that says something in and of itself).

But hey, basketball cult comedy!!!!

Currently watching a five-and-a-half hour long video about the history of North Korean entertainment, I'll share it if I like it but unfortunately A) sitting through a video that long in one sitting is extremely difficult so yeah I'm not doing that and B) I have work today so you know. Gotta do that.

[andrewreadsandwrites]

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

            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 tells the story of the North Korean regime’s abduction of a South Korean director and his actress wife in the late 1970s. Director Shin Sang-Ok and his wife Chio Eun-Hee were abducted on the orders of Kim Jon-Il himself, the rising power and future dictator of the totalitarian Stalinist state that is North Korea.

            Shin and Chio were already established and successful names in the South Korean movie industry. Chio had stared in a number of her husband’s films by 1978 when she was kidnaped after being lured by North Korean agents to Hong Kong. Shin was abducted when he went to Hong Kong in search of Chio.

            While Shin and Chio’s careers were on the rise, north of the Demilitarized Zone that cuts Korea in two, Kim Jong-Il, son of North Korea’s founding tyrant Kim Il-Sung, was looking to advance his own career in the field of absolute control. Jong-Il was a huge film buff, being the dictator’s son allowed him access to all of the banned foreign movies ordinary North Koreans would be shot for watching, and apparently he wanted to make a few films in a foreign style. For that Jong-Il wanted Shin and Chio.

            This story may sound strange or even absurd on the surface, but Fischer does an excellent job of relating the thoughts and emotions that Chio and Shin went through as they were cut off from their children, starved, imprisoned, monitored every waking and sleeping moment, stuffed with juche dogma, forced to sing the praises of their kidnappers, made to work for the regime, and all the while knowing that the outside world either thought they are dead or willing defectors. Choi’s longing for her children, who she did not even have a chance to say goodbye to is particularly heart wrenching.

            Fischer also does well to set the stage for his characters, so to speak. He provides important background and biographical information on not only Chio and Shin, but on Jong-Il and North Korea too. A state as insane and absurd as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is certainly in need of an introduction. Fischer aptly describes North Korea has one giant stage production put on by Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il both figuratively and literally.

            As is basically a prerequisite when I discuss a book about North Korea there are some pretty dark and disturbing sections. Shin’s imprisonment in a North Korean jail and the description of life for an average North Korean come to mind.

            The text was easy to understand and follow. You do not need to know anything about the history of cinema in either North or South Korea, or anything about movie making as a matter of fact. This book can also serve as a first foray into the subject of North Korea, as Fischer gives ample background information on the Stalinist state.

            A Kim Jong-Il Production is a well written look at a disturbing, fascinating, and often times unbelievable part of history.  

[thedeviljudges]

the devil judge book list

hello everyone! because my curiosity got the better of me, i started a project where i went through the entirety of the devil judge to learn more about what books were used within the show.

while i have found a good chunk of them with the help of @maystea and @thequillandscreen​, there are some that i cannot identify due to shot angles and quality of scenes. however, i wanted to make this post because i think it’s fascinating.

most of the books in these posts belong to yohan, but there are a few haphazard ones here and there. we’ve done our best to not only find the book title and authors but links to these books, as well. i also make note of books that have no author, are a prop book or ones that we were not able to identify.

i’ve done my best to include as much as i can. hopefully i haven’t skipped anything significant. and due to the amount of books in the show, i will not be posting the covers from online book stores. the screen shots will be from the devil judge accompanied by the info we have available, including an external link and timestamps. keep in mind that these timestamps are from episodes that have the intro in each episode.

i hope this helps you discover new content to read, or at the very least, some new material to include in your hcs and fanfic.

prelude, behind the scenes

in ep 6 of bts content of the set tour, jinyoung showed off the book case in yohan’s mansion. these shelves are located to the right on the wall, parallel to yohan’s desk.

time stamp: 5:11

Ms. Hammurabi - Moon Yoo-seok

https://www.qoo10.com/item/KOREAN-BOOK-MS-HAMMURABI-MISS-HAMURABI-BY-MOON-YOO-SEOK-JTBC/620218106

Stress Intensity Factors Handbook - Y. Murakami

https://www.bookfinder.com/book/Stress_Intensity_Factors_Handbook/0080348092/

episode one, star judge

time stamp: 39:58

Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey - Jane Goodall

https://shop.janegoodall.org/product/Reason-For-Hope-A-Spiritual-Journey/JGI103

episode two, prey and hunter

time stamp: 19:36

Legislative Theory & Practice Vo. 1 - Kukhoe. Samuch'ŏ. Pŏpchesil

Legislative Theory & Practice Vo. 2 - Kukhoe. Samuch'ŏ. Pŏpchesil

https://www.worldcat.org/title/ippop-iron-kwa-popche-silmu-legislative-theory-practice/oclc/663772614?referer=di&ht=edition

Unknown

Unknown

Health and Environmental Crime Theory – Judicial Research and Training Institute

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?itemid=21175840

Policy Variation Theory: Theory and Application - Yang Seung-il

mbook.interpark.com/shop/product/detail?product2020=true&prdNo=213844622 

Unknown

Unknown

House Business Related Laws, Editorial Department of the Judicial Administration and Cultural Center

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=640664

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

VAT Practice - Hwang Jong-Dae, Kang In, Shin Jeong-Ki

https://www.samili.com/mall/samilprd/book_view.asp?v_prdcode=1176

General Administrative Law - Lee Dong-Shik, Jeon Hoon, Kim Sung-Bae, Kwon Se-Hoon

mobile.kyobobook.co.kr/showcase/book/KOR/9788993272826

Unknown

Unknown

Practical Preservation Disposition (Provisional Injunction) - Yoon Kwang-Min

https://www.bookprice.co.kr/compare.jsp?isbn=9788991082724#bookPhrase

Unknown

Criminal Law Case Law - Shin Ho-Jin

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=994231

Unknown

Commentary on Civil Enforcement Act. One - Kim Neung-Hwan/ Park Sang-ok, Kim Dae-hwi

mobile.kyobobook.co.kr/showcase/book/KOR/9788981097141

http://www.law-book.co.kr/shop/item.php?it_id=1360 

Constitutional Science - Kim Baek-Yoo, Han Seong

mobile.kyobobook.co.kr/showcase/book/KOR/9791195757015

Administrative Law General Theory Second Edition University Book National Examination Bible - Chen Min

https://shopee.tw/陳敏《行政法總論》第二版-大學用書-國考聖經-i.2056378.58559341

Unknown

Unknown

Modern Administrative Law Lecture - Kim Yoo-Hwan

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=184667916

Unknown

Introduction to Administrative Law (4th Edition) - Jeong Ha-Jung

mobile.kyobobook.co.kr/showcase/book/KOR/9788918013893

Civil Law Lecture - Kim Jun-Ho

mobile.kyobobook.co.kr/showcase/book/KOR/9788918911496

Unknown

Introduction to Criminal Law - Im Woong

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=90024908

Unknown

Unknown

Supreme Court Rulebook - Baek Young-Sa

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=187737

Identical to #34, probably another volume in same series

Unknown

Top 100 News Seen by Reporters - Korea Editors Association

m.yes24.com/Goods/Detail/86968775

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Code of Law - Jo Sang-Won (editor)

https://m.blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?isHttpsRedirect=true&blogId=hyeonamsa&logNo=220305907442

https://m.yes24.com/Goods/Detail/434999 

Housing Lease Protection Act - Kim Hyo-Seo

m.yes24.com/Goods/Detail/366751

Korean Democratic Constitution 1 - Lee Kwan-Hee

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=79508797

time stamp: 56:28

Le Rouge et le Noir (직과 흒) - Stendhal

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/298093/the-red-and-the-black-by-stendhal/

time stamp: 59:51

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/18836/wuthering-heights-by-emily-bronte-introduction-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/

episode three, the secret room

time stamp: 9:22-29

Journal of Finance, Vol. 58 No. 1, 2003

https://www.jstor.org/stable/i355689

Moonlight Chemistry: There is Nothing Better Than You - Possible Propbook

Wandian Book - Propbook

Boundary 2 (1972-1999, Vol. 1-26, No. 3) - Duke University Press

https://www.jstor.org/journal/boundary2?refreqid=excelsior%3Aa2b18ed85dc6bfbcdfa8489fbcd3d381

Varying versions also include: Boundary 2, Vol. 2, No. 1/2, Autumn, 1973 - Winter, 1974 - Charles Olson: Essays, Reminiscences, Reviews: https://www.jstor.org/stable/i213346

Boundary 2, Vol. 2, No. 3, Spring, 1974 - Duke University Press: https://www.jstor.org/stable/i213347

The Journals of John Cheever - John Cheever

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/26647/the-journals-of-john-cheever-by-john-cheever-edited-by-robert-gottlieb/

time stamp: 1:03:08 & 1:03:27

United States Code Annotated - Author Unknown

Wise Guy - Nicholas Pileggi

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Wiseguy/Nicholas-Pileggi/9781982129903

For All Mankind - Harry Hurt III

https://groveatlantic.com/book/for-all-mankind/

The Naked Heart - Jacqueline Briskin

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1959410.The_Naked_Heart

*Unknown Title - Erich Segal

German Yearbook of International Law, Vol. Unknown - Author Unknown

Life Skills Dictionary (삶의 기술 사전) - Andreas Brenner & Jorg Tirpas

http://www.yes24.com/Product/Goods/70893713

http://www.readersnews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=55149

Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil - Hannah Arednt

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/320983/eichmann-in-jerusalem-by-hannah-arendt/

time stamp: 1:07:36-38

Book Unknown

time stamp: 1:08:03

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/42242/crime-and-punishment-by-fyodor-dostoevsky/

The Moon and Sixpence - Somerset Maugham

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/352535/the-moon-and-sixpence-by-w-somerset-maugham/

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Great-Expectations/Charles-Dickens/Enriched-Classics/9780743487610

Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil - Hannah Arednt

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/320983/eichmann-in-jerusalem-by-hannah-arendt/

episode four, yohan’s cross

time stamp: 1:15:23

The God of Small Things - Arundati Roy

http://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/158400/

episode five, scissor hands

time stamp: 4:21 and also seen at 8:54

The Hotel Book - Propbook

The People’s Lawyer - Author Unknown (could possibly reference The People's Lawyer: The Life and Times of Frank J. Kelley, the Nation's Longest-Serving Attorney General - Frank J. Kelly)

https://www.wsupress.wayne.edu/books/detail/peoples-lawyer

time stamp: 4:48

Ethology: Its Nature and Relations with Other Sciences - Robert A. Hinde

https://www.amazon.com/Ethology-Nature-Relations-Other-Sciences/dp/0195203704

time stamp: 55:39-48

Up Country - Nelson Demille

https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/nelson-demille/up-country/9780759526853/

Mafia Wipeout - Donald W. Cox

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/943785.Mafia_wipeout

Strokes of Genius - L. Jon Wertheim or Strokes of Genius by Thomas Boswell (most likely)

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/strokes-of-genius-l-jon-wertheim?variant=39934883135522

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/613292.Strokes_of_Genius

The Age of Electronic Messages - John G. Truxal

https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262701020/the-age-of-electronic-messages/

Clinical Diagnosis of Mental Disorders - Benjamin B. Wolman

https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/Clinical-Diagnosis-of-Mental-Disorders-9780306311413?shipto=US&curcode=USD

The Scions of Shannara - Terry Brooks

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/19038/the-scions-of-shannara-by-terry-brooks/

Encyclopedia Britannica

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Britannica-Book-of-the-Year

time stamp: 1:11:01

The God of Small Things - Arundati Roy

http://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/158400/

episode six, achille’s heel

time stamp: 7:13

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/18836/wuthering-heights-by-emily-bronte-introduction-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/

time stamp: 7:50

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Great-Expectations/Charles-Dickens/Enriched-Classics/9780743487610

episode seven, dreams shall come true

time stamp: 23:41

How to Speak with Your Adolescent Child - Propbook

episode eight, resistance

time stamp: 9:34

Bond Summary 3rd Edition - Cheol-Hong Yoon

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=137103649 

Special Civil Act – Kwak Yong-jin

http://www.kyobobook.co.kr/product/detailViewKor.laf?ejkGb=KOR&mallGb=KOR&barcode=9788991082526 

Introduction to Constitutional Studies – Nak-in Seong

http://nakin.skyd.co.kr/?m=bbs&bid=book&uid=5 

New Civil Procedure Act, 14th Edition – Siyoon Lee

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=235369654 

Commercial Law II – Junseon Choi (Maybe, Not Confirmed)

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=116410126

time stamp: 1:02:53

Criminal Law and Constitutional Philosophy 1 - Park Young-Sa

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=660717

Not found

Not found

Modern Administrative Law Lecture - Kim Yoo-Hwan

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=184667916

Property Law - Park Jong-Doo

http://www.kyobobook.co.kr/product/detailViewKor.laf?ejkGb=KOR&mallGb=KOR&barcode=9788944536762 

Not found

Administrative Law Vol. 1 - Kim Nam-Jin

m.book.interpark.com/shop/product/detail?prdNo=347630170

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=266826961 

Administrative Law Vol. 2 - Kim Nam-Jin

m.book.interpark.com/shop/product/detail?prdNo=347852628

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=267314947

Not found

Top 100 News Seen by Reporters - Korea Editors Association

m.yes24.com/Goods/Detail/86968775

Not found

Criminal Law Studies Vol. 4 & Vol. 8 (Vol. 5 isn’t online but is the one pictured) - Heo Il-Tae

www.kyobobook.co.kr/product/detailViewKor.laf?ejkGb=KOR&mallGb=KOR&barcode=9788944902772

https://m.yes24.com/Goods/Detail/71947802 

Case Study in Practice 8 - Park Young-Sa

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?ItemId=669573

episode nine, batman and robin

None

episode ten, frankenstein

time stamp: 42:00

Blue book on desk - Unknown

The Law and Conscience – Propbook

Criminal Law: Comprehensive Practice, Prediction Questions – Ha Tae-young

https://www.aladin.co.kr/m/mproduct.aspx?itemid=172134372

Local Tax Law 3 Law 3 – Jae-Geun Lim

https://m.yes24.com/Goods/Detail/22791201

time stamp: 42:12

Insurance Precedent Overview – Myung-Soo Kim (Blue book on desk)

http://www.kyobobook.co.kr/product/detailViewKor.laf?ejkGb=KOR&mallGb=KOR&barcode=9788918086286

episode eleven, macbeth

time stamp: 13:38

Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Great-Expectations/Charles-Dickens/Enriched-Classics/9780743487610

time stamp: 25:50

Unknown

episode twelve, i hope you are lonely

time stamp: 16:25

Faust, Part 1 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

http://m.yes24.com/Goods/Detail/7911237 

Faust, Part 2 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

https://m.yes24.com/goods/detail/7911247 

episode thirteen, the hunger games

None

episode fourteen, king of the frogs

time stamp: 12:06

Faust, Part 2 – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

https://m.yes24.com/goods/detail/7911247

time stamp: 46:13

Unknown

time stamp: 15:40

Beyond Good and Evil – Friedrich Nietzsche

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/121932/beyond-good-and-evil-by-friedrich-nietzsche-translated-with-commentary-by-walter-kaufmann/

episode fifteen, medea

time stamp:

Demons – Fyodor Dostoevsky

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/42246/demons-by-fyodor-dostoevsky-translated-by-richard-pevear-and-larissa-volokhonsky-introduction-by-joseph-frank/

episode sixteen, the devil judge?

time stamp: 1:13:11

European Art - Author Unknown, Possible Propbook

[drivingsideways]

k-drama rec list

Prior to 2020 I’d maybe watched 2 k-dramas in my entire life, but this year I got sucked in, thanks to some great recs, and y’know, *gestures * everything.  

I think I’d held off watching kdramas because my impression of them was limited to romances that I didn’t enjoy at all. But this was the year I discovered the equivalent of “gen fic” kdrama- dramas that had wonderful ensemble casts, strong story lines that weren’t entirely romance focused and also a variety in terms of themes and styles. A big plus was that I found so many of these dramas had women leading the writers’ room, and seeing the effect of that in the story telling. (Notable exceptions: a certain “star” writer who should please stop inflicting her badly written, formulaic crap on the world, yes Kim Eun-Sook, I mean you, and whoever wrote that trashfire Flower of Evil)

So here I am with my own rec list! Caveat- these are mostly not the dramas released in 2020, I’m still playing catch up! :)

Under the cut for length

My Mister/ My Ahjussi  (2018, Written by Park Hae-Young, Directed by Kim Won-Seok, starring Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Ji-eun aka IU) 

This was definitely my absolute favourite of the shows I watched this year across western/ asian media. It’s a story about the thread that binds us all and the ineffability of human connection. It’s also a story that deconstructs ideas of masculinity and honour and shame in a non-western context, but with an extremely compassionate touch.  It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from showing the consequences of material and spiritual poverty; and how one can so easily feed into the other. It’s a love story that isn’t a romance, except that it’s a Romance. It’s about finding salvation in one another and in the kindness of strangers.  It’s about choosing life, and picking yourself up off the floor to take that one last step and then the next and then the next. The one quibble I have with the series is that it could have been better paced, it does get extremely slow after the half way mark. But god, do they land the ending. Both Lee Sun-kyun and IU turn in absolutely heartbreaking performances, and fair warning, be prepared to go through an entire box of tissues watching this series. 

Life  (2018,  written by Lee Soo-yeon  and directed by Hong Jong-chan, starring Lee Dong-wook, Cho Seung-woo, Won Jin-ah, Lee Kyu-hyung, Yoo Jae-myung and Moon So-ri.)

Medical dramas are very much not my thing, and I wouldn’t have taken a chance on it except that @michyeosseo said I should, and she was right! It’s a medical drama in the sense that it’s set in a hospital, but rather than a “case-fic” format, this is actually a sharp commentary on the corporatization of health care, and the business of mixing, well, money and what should be a fundamental human right. Writer Lee Soo-yeon was coming off the global success of Stranger/Secret Forest S1 when this aired, so I understand that expectations were probably sky-high, and people were disappointed when this show didn’t give them the adrenaline rush that they wanted. On the other hand, I thought that this outing was really much more nuanced in terms of the politics and also how the ending doesn’t allow you the luxury of easy-fixes. This show has a great ensemble cast, and while it took me a while to get used to Lee Dong-wook’s woodenness (i ended up calling him mr.cadaver after watching this and was surprised to learn that he’s very popular?), in the end I was quite sold on his version of angry angst-bucket elder-sibling Dr.Ye Jin-woo. His best scenes were with Lee Kyu-hyung who turns in a lovely, achy performance as the paraplegic Dr. Ye Seon-woo who just wants to live a normal life. The love story between the two brothers is actually the emotional backbone of the story, and I think they landed that perfectly. 

My one quibble with writer-nim is that she ended up writing in a forgettable and somewhat (for me at least) uncomfortable romance between the characters played by Won Jin-ah and Cho Seung-Woo. I think part of my uncomfortable-feeling was that I got the strong sense that the writer herself didn’t want to write this romance, it was as if she was being made to shoe-horn it in for Studio Reasons, and she basically grit her teeth and did the worst possible job of it.  I do wish we could have absolutely had the OT3 of my dreams: Moon So-ri/Cho Seung-woo/Yoo Jae-myung like, c’mon TV gods MAKE IT HAPPEN, just...look at them!!!! 

Anyway, that apart, I think this was a very engaging series, and by engaging, I also mean thirst-enabling, see below. 

 Stranger (aka Secret Forest  or Forest of Secrets) S1 & 2 : (2017-, Written by Lee Soo-yeon, directed by 

2017′s smash hit aired a much anticipated second season in 2020, and I managed to catch up just in time to watch that live, so that was thrilling :D . Writer Lee Soo-yeon  mixes up thriller/office comedy/political commentary in an ambitious series. I think S1 is more “exciting” than S2 in terms of the mystery and pacing,  but S2 is far more dense and interesting in terms of political commentary because it takes a long hard look at institutional corruption and in true writer-nim fashion doesn’t prescribe any easy solutions. Anyway, please enjoy public prosecutor Cho Seung-woo and police officer Bae Doona as partners/soulmates kicking ass and taking names in pursuit of Truth, Justice and just a goddamn peaceful meal, along with a stunningly competent ensemble cast. Also yes, Han Yeo Jin is a lesbian, sorry, I don’t make the rules. 

Search: WWW  (2019, Written by Kwon Do-Eun, directed by Jung Ji-hyun & Kwon Young-il, starring  Im Soo-jung, Lee Da-hee, Jeon Hye-jin)

GOD. Where do I start? +1000 for writer Kwon Do-Eun saying “fuck the patriarchy” in the most grandiose way possible, i.e. absolutely refusing to acknowledge that it exists. Yes, this is that power fantasy, and it’s also a fun, slice-of-life  tale about three women navigating their way through work, romance, national politics and everything in between. It’s true that I wasn’t entirely sold on the amount of time spent on the romance, and I really wish they’d actually had a textual wlw romance, though the subtext through the entire series is PRACTICALLY TEXT. But still, it maintains that veneer of plausible deniability and I think queer fans who are sick of that kind of treatment in media have a very valid grouse against the show. On the other hand, personally I felt that the queer-platonic vibe of the show is very wonderful and true to real life, and it was only reinforced by the ending. This is a show written by a woman for women (like me), and it shows. 

Hyena  (2020, Written by Kim Roo-Ri, directed by Jang Tae-yoo & Lee Chang Woo, starring  Kim Hye-soo and Ju Ji-hoon )

Those of you who’ve been watching hit zombie epic Kingdom are probably familiar with Ju Ji-hoon’s brand of sexiness already. I had not watched Kingdom and got hit in the face by Mr.Sexy McSexyPants’ turn as a brash, privileged-by-birth, up and coming lawyer who gets completely runover by the smoking hot and incredibly dangerous fellow lawyer/competitor from the other side of the tracks in the person of Kim Hye-Soo. When I say they set the room on fire, I mean it, ok. Every single scene between these two is an actual bonfire of sexual attraction and emotional hand grenades, and they’re both absolutely riveting to watch. “Flower of Evil” wishes they had what this show has- an actual grown up romance as opposed to a thirteen year old twilight fan’s idea of an adult romance. 

The “lawyer” shenanigans and the “cases” are hit or miss, and I think the occasional comedy fell flat for me. But that’s not why I mainlined like 6 episodes of this series overnight like a coke addict, and that’s not why you’re going to do it either. It’s so RARE, even in these enlightened days to find a female character like Jung Geum-ja: hard as nails, unapologetic about it, and not punished by the narrative for it. The best part for me is that she feels like a woman’s woman, not a man’s idea of what a Strong Female Character should be. Anyways, when I grow up I want to have what Kim Hye-soo has ok?

Other dramas that I watched this year, quickly rated:

The King: Eternal Monarch (3/10 and those 3 points are only for the combined goodness of second leads who deserved better- Jung Eun Chae, Woo Do Hwan and Kim Kyung Nam. Please head over to my AO3 and read my attempts to fix this garbage fire and rescue their characters from canon)

Flower of Evil (-10/100, dont @ me)

Tale of the Nine Tailed (5/10, I think it succeeds at what it set out to do, which is a light hearted, sweet fantasy-romance-melodrama, plus “second lead” Kim Beom will make you cry as the hot mess of a half human/ half fox spirit ALL TEARS character. I think if you’re into kdrama romances as a genre, this is probably a good bet?)

Signal  (7/10,  This was the first full kdrama I watched this year and would definitely recommend. It’s a police procedural with time travel shenanigans and has an engaging plot, good pacing, texture and compelling performances. My one disappointment with it was the way they wrote Kim Hye-soo’s character. As literally the only female character to survive in any way, she was given short shrift, and toward the end it really began to grate on me.)

Six Flying Dragons - (7/10, also would recommend if you’re interested in Korean historicals. It definitely already feels a bit dated in terms of styling and production values, and even scripting and acting choices. But it has a good balance of fantasy and history and political commentary. I was not a fan of Yoo In-Ah’s performance in this series, but it’s not anything that would make you want to nope out of the series. It’s GoT , if GoT was thoughtful about politics and characters and not the misogynist, racist trashfire that it became.)

My Country: The New Age - (3.5/10, and that’s 3 points to Jang Hyuk’s fan and 0.5.points to Woo Do Hwan’s heaving bosom. If you like your historical drama/fantasy with very pretty men, very gay subtext -seriously RIP to show makers who thought they could hetero it but didn’t account for Woo Do Hwan’s Tragic Face- lots of blood and tears and very nonsense plot, this is right up your alley. I probably would have enjoyed it more in other circumstances, I think? But this one just annoyed me too much at the time! 

I have a couple of more dramas to watch on my list, that’ll probably carry me over into 2021, so see ya on the other side! :D

[i-see-you-have-good-taste]

V.I.P (2017)

Am I the only person who first watched Lee Jong-suk as Kim Kwang-il before any other roles?

Was this is a smart move? For me yes, yes it was. I don’t think I would have been as impressed if i had watched one of his K-dramas first. You know what they say, judge an actor by how well he portrays a psychopath.

Synopsis: The son of a high ranking North Korean official is suspected of committing serial murders around the world and is chased by South Korea, North Korea and Interpol.

Ok let’s dive in.

Why I decided to watch it ->

I stumbled across this movie while going through stuff related to the 2019 kdrama ‘Strangers from hell’. I was intrigued by the political aspect of the movie since North Korea rarely comes up in dramas. I wanted to see if they would glorify South Korea and squeeze in their own agenda in the movie or whether they would keep it unbiased and give us a compelling story. Also I was up for some action and gore in my target language ;)

What I liked and noticed during the movie ->

Nope, they did not try to show South Korea in a better light. They stuck to their plot and kept the corruption evenly spread.

The movie was broken up into parts much like a story, with a prologue and epilogue. That gave it a more fictional feel and I liked the touch.

The challenge of a movie like this is driving the plot forward and to avoid veering off into predictable scenarios. The reason being, it is plainly revealed that Kim kwang-il is in fact responsible for the killings. No longer can the audience be kept guessng as to whether he truly is the suspect. One plot device has now been thrown far out the window. 

What was compelling was to see the struggle of the police officers in trying to catch this seemingly untouchable lunatic. They have evidence, they debunked his alibis, everything points to his being guilty, all that’s left is to put him behind bars. 

Now here is where the unique storyline comes into play. Korean Intelligence is working to protect him. They will stop at nothing to make sure he is not taken into custody by the police. This is where the politics of it all becomes a bit fuzzy to me. I feel I couldn’t keep up at the start with whatever poltical and financial pull his father had in North Korea. 

Nevertheless, the case is closed, they pin it all on one of Kwang-il’s lackeys and tell a most disgruntled Chae Edo to give it a rest.

Fortunately for Chae Edo (and the audience), a North Korean officer shows up, who was a victim of Kwang-il, ready to take him back to Korea where his father no longer holds power and they  are free to behead him. How nice.

Getting Kwang-il itself is a task, they have to find new, more incriminating evidence, which they do but now Interpol butts in and decides to take psycho boy to America. Again, I wasn’t sure how that added up, something about him knowing his father’s account information and they want in on the sweet dough.

Now with a heavy heart and a completely pissed demeanor Chae Edo hands him over, only to be shot by him. This scene was actually quite unexpected and in hindsight probably worked well as part of Kwang-il’s character.

Interpol rushes off with him, shit goes down when angry North Korean officer rams into their car and leaves with ‘the boy of murderous tendancies’.

We are now happy. We know psycho boy is gonna get what he deserves and Chae Edo is gonna recover. Imagine my surprise when they say that his father is back and even more powerful than before. Turns out North korean officer man had too big a vendetta to keep himself updated. But the reveal was done super well. Came out of nowhere because they got the timing right. You are fooled into thinking they are wrapping it up and then bam psycho boy kills off North Korean officer with the same innocent smile that irked Chae Edo.

Come back to the present, which was shown to us at the start of the movie. Roll through a very nice, trigger-happy scene starring a fully recovered Edo. He now has Kwang-il cornered. And another big surprise, he kills him! Quite brutally and basically tells Interpol to go fuck themselves because Kwang-il never really had any account info anyway.

A further analysis:

Ok so obviously Lee Jong-suk was very good. He had the poise of an entitled boy full of intent to kill. To him murder with a bit of torture is a lovely way to pass the time. What I did not expect was how graphic the scenes would be. Most of the Korean dramas are too worried about aesthetic to portray any gore. However the exception was ‘Strangers from hell’ and now among movies it’s ‘V.I.P’

I think what would have driven home the unfairness of it all was if Kwang-il got away with it. To emphasize the fact that so many people with power get away with all kinds of shit. However I’m glad they didn’t end with a classic, catching him red handed or putting him behind bars. This was a more scarier ending. He himself was one of his own victims, dying in the similar kind of pain he would inflict on his victims.

It was a goodwatch, especially for those who like action and gore. An excellent korean movie in terms of production and acting.