The Lovers and the Despot Page #4

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Shin Sang-ok had

surfaced in Prague,

shooting a film for North Korea.

He was full of ambition...

speaking of the studio

which he was building,

bringing new equipment with him,

to make films,

and producing films.

And I guess he was close to...

the man he was in the sixties,

when he was so successful.

He was certainly very happy.

I suppose you're from

Korea, aren't you?

I came here on

some business.

Welcome.

Tetsuo:
(speaking Japanese)

(inaudible)

Derek Malcolm:
They were

accompanied by about

at least 20 heavies,

whom, I gathered, were...

I thought were North Korean

security people.

They were definitely

guarding these people.

All in the same suit.

It was very strange.

They were all in exactly

the same dark suit.

I don't know...

They seemed sort of friendly.

It did seem as if there was

something slightly odd going on.

Yi:
They went to the Berlin

International Film Festival.

And there,

they met South Korean friends

attending this festival.

Shin and Choi showed

very cold shoulder to them.

"Okay, we're doing very good

in North Korea.

You cannot even imagine how

much the party is supporting us.

We are freely making films

as we want.

We are perfectly okay

in North Korea.

There is no country

in the world

better than North Korea

to be in the film business."

North Korean watchdog

security guards

reported to Kim Jong-il when

they got back to Pyongyang.

"Oh, now, don't say anything.

Shin Sang-ok

and Choi Eun-hee

are absolutely loyal

to North Korea.

They are loyal to Kim Il-sung

and Kim Jong-il."

And they started to obtain

more confidence

from these two leaders.

And they gave them

better treatment.

That was the beginning

of Shin and Choi

starting to think about escaping

from North Korea.

Tetsuo:
(speaking Japanese)

(chuckles)

Jeong-kyun:
(speaking Korean)

Choi:
(speaking Korean on tape)

(speaking Korean)

Jeong Kyun:

Choi:

Choi:

(indistinct chatter)

Reporter:
(speaking Korean)

(chanting)

Shin Sang-ok:

(speaking Korean on tape)

(tape clicks)

Straub:
Out of the blue,

I received

a telephone call from a lady,

saying that she was associated

with Shin Sang-ok

and Choi Eun-hee,

and she needed to talk to me.

Her father had met Shin Sang-ok

when travelling in Europe.

She said that Shin had asked him

to pass a message

to the US government,

that Shin was being

held under duress,

that he not defected

to North Korea,

that he wished to escape

and come to the United States.

And we have a bag, full of

rattling microcassette tapes

like we used to use

in those days.

Well, at that point,

I nearly jumped off my chair

and said, "Tapes? Of Shin

talking with Kim Jong-il?"

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