14th(2012)
SEOL Tae-ho
Synopsis
KIM So-san is a hostess who is in fact a secret agent working for the communist party in South Korea. Prosecutor OH Je-do of Special Investigation Bureau aims at rounding up the communists party by arresting So-san. However being deceived by LIM Chung-shik\'s honeyed words again, she is taking order to assassinate Prosecutor OH.
Program Note
KIM So-san, a popular Kukilkwan kisaeng (a Korean woman trained to sing, dance and accompany men) with a splendid appearance and an exotic talent in dancing the flamenco, is actually a spy for Workers Party of South Korea. ¡®Special Investigation Bureau¡¯ series, one of the hit anticommunist film series comprised of a total of 6 films produced between 1973 and 1976, are based on the cases taken by prosecutor OH Je-do who became famous for solving numerous spy cases from 1940¡¯s to 1950¡¯s. However, what are actually emphasized in each film are not the deeds of OH Je-do but the ¡°beautiful spies¡±. The multitude of citizens who should be the subject of enlightenment are embodied as women, especially as women who are captivated by the values of modernity such as the wives of US Armed Forces in Korea, college girls, and kisaengs who indulge themselves in extravagance. Among them, KIM So-san is especially portrayed as a person who spies in order to spend money for diamond rings and shopping in Japan, not being aware much about ideological issues or the fact that she is breaking the South Korean law. In other words, enlightenment on consumerism and anticommunist ideology become equally important when consumerized femininity is moved to the foreground in this film. Even though the ignorant KIM So-san who fears neither Workers Party of South Korea nor Special Investigation Bureau appears as a subject to be enlightened and sanctioned, she presents an unexpected feeling of freedom to today¡¯s
female audience. (HWANG Miyojo)
Synopsis
KIM So-san is a hostess who is in fact a secret agent working for the communist party in South Korea. Prosecutor OH Je-do of Special Investigation Bureau aims at rounding up the communists party by arresting So-san. However being deceived by LIM Chung-shik\'s honeyed words again, she is taking order to assassinate Prosecutor OH.
Program Note
KIM So-san, a popular Kukilkwan kisaeng (a Korean woman trained to sing, dance and accompany men) with a splendid appearance and an exotic talent in dancing the flamenco, is actually a spy for Workers Party of South Korea. ¡®Special Investigation Bureau¡¯ series, one of the hit anticommunist film series comprised of a total of 6 films produced between 1973 and 1976, are based on the cases taken by prosecutor OH Je-do who became famous for solving numerous spy cases from 1940¡¯s to 1950¡¯s. However, what are actually emphasized in each film are not the deeds of OH Je-do but the ¡°beautiful spies¡±. The multitude of citizens who should be the subject of enlightenment are embodied as women, especially as women who are captivated by the values of modernity such as the wives of US Armed Forces in Korea, college girls, and kisaengs who indulge themselves in extravagance. Among them, KIM So-san is especially portrayed as a person who spies in order to spend money for diamond rings and shopping in Japan, not being aware much about ideological issues or the fact that she is breaking the South Korean law. In other words, enlightenment on consumerism and anticommunist ideology become equally important when consumerized femininity is moved to the foreground in this film. Even though the ignorant KIM So-san who fears neither Workers Party of South Korea nor Special Investigation Bureau appears as a subject to be enlightened and sanctioned, she presents an unexpected feeling of freedom to today¡¯s
female audience. (HWANG Miyojo)
SEOL Tae-hoSEOL Tae-ho
Born in 1929 in Dancheon, Hamkyungnam-do. After dropping out of medical school, he trained under directors CHUNG Chang-wha and LEE Man-hee before making his debut film Where is the Land to Live on (1963). Among his many credits are The Myth-Making Marine (1965), Operation Yeongho (1967), and A Spell of Good Luck (1970). His ¡®Yong-pal¡¯ series that followed Yong-pal, A King of Namdaemoon Area (1970) gained much popularity.