The Spy Gone North

In Seoul in 1993, a former officer was hired by the secret services in South Korea under the code name 'Black Venus'. Responsible for gathering information about North Korea's nuclear programme, he infiltrated a group of Pyongyang dignitaries and gradually managed to gain the Party's trust. Operating, henceforth, in complete autonomy at the heart of the most secretive, dangerous country in the world, the spy became a pawn in the political negotiation between the governments of the two Koreas. But what he discovered threatened to jeopardise his mission and the very reason for which he had sacrificed everything. - 'It's very unusual for a country to be divided into two distinct systems. Korea is the only place in the world where the Cold War is still in place. Consequently, the emotional context is different from other spy films. I wanted the viewer to feel the tension caused by this incredibly complex operation and subtle struggle, so I worked with the actors to ensure that their performance reflected this particular atmosphere. For example, they might smile at one point even though they still distrust each other.' Yoon Jong-Bin