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Korean Movies Focus on North Korean Defectors

As the winner of 9 awards at various international film festivals, "The Journals of Musan" is quietly making its impression on the audience back home.
It is about the life of a North Korean defector.

[Interview : ] "I am a North Korean defector".

[Interview : ] "At church, please pretend that you don't know me".

Jeon Seung-chul , the protagonist, is a North Korean defector who earns his living by pasting posters around the city.
He fled to South Korea with hopes and dreams, only to find a heartless society.
What is it about this movie that touches the hearts of audiences across the world
[Interview : Park Jung-bum, Director of The Journals of Musan ] "The movie is based on the life of Jeon Seung-chul, who was my junior at college. I hope that the movie does not elicit any sympathy or pity from the audience. I think it was well-received at international film festivals because the audience felt that the story of the alienated in Korea reflected their own reality".

The issue of North Korean defectors is not something many people take notice.
But the movie helps the audience understand their lives and hardships.

[Interview : ] "When I first saw one of the catch phrases, I was surprised to see that the reality we only thought about was actually happening to North Korean defectors".

[Interview : ] "I think those who worked at cooperative farms in North Korea didn't have much access to education".

At the theater, we met a special audience member who had come to watch a movie about the lives of North Korean defectors.
Kim Hyeok had escaped from North Korea in 2001 through a third country.

[Interview : Kim Hyeok, North Korean defector] "I was curious as to how well the movie portrays the lives of North Korean defectors. Since I am one of them, I wanted to see the similarities and differences between my life and the ones shown in the movie".

The defectors among us dream of a life that is much more promising than what's depicted on the silver screen.
Their voices will provide a new challenge for the Korean movie industry.

[Interview : Park Jung-bum, Director of "The Journals of Musan" ] "The line "What have I done wrong
[Interview : Kim Hyeok, North Korean defector] "In real life, it's very hard for us to settle down, not just in terms of money, but also in terms of relationships. I hope the audience realize that the defectors are suffering from depression and other hardships".

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