Spy | KinoKorea | talk

dir. Jong-bin Yoon | South Korea | 2018

Spy DNA: Times of Confusion on the Big Screen

Atmospheric spy cinema from South Korea as part of the KinoKorea series! Directed by Yoon Jong-bin, The Spy tells the story of a former military man who embarks on a dangerous mission commissioned by South Korean intelligence to spy on one of the North's nuclear facilities. Murdered interests, false identities and the dangerous game of what life is at stake become the beginning of a multi-threaded story about the complicated relationships of a divided nation.

“Spy”, alongside titles such as “The Man Standing Next” (2000), “Kingmaker” (2022) and “12.12: The Da” (2023), proves that the turbulent history of South Korea - especially the period of the military regime and subsequent coups - is a subject that domestic filmmakers are eager to reach for. The meanders of local politics are the perfect source material for strong genre cinema — political thrillers and spy films.

During Magda Malinowska's lecture “Spy DNA: Times of Confusion on the Big Screen” we will look not only at the broader context of Yoon Jong-bin's film and at the conventions used by Korean filmmakers to talk about history. We will also consider how the North is portrayed in South Korean cinema. In the end, it must be remembered that a few decades ago for too “bold” look at the latter, directors could end up in... prison.

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