SPOTLIGHT 24/01/19 Pastor urges South Koreans to understand value of freedom

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Pastor urges South Koreans to understand value of freedom 

Pastor Kim Sung-sung starred in a new documentary on suffering and journey of North Korean defectors

In a photo taken on June 4, 2017, men push their bicycles past the portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il-Sung (left) and Kim Jong-Il (right), on Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang. (Photo Ed Jonse/AFP/Gettty Images)

By UCA News reporter

Published: January 23, 2024 11:10 AM GMT

A Christian pastor who has starred in a documentary on North Korean defectors has urged viewers in the South to understand the value of the freedom that they enjoy in the country in comparison to the North.

Pastor Kim Sung-sung, a member of the Caleb Mission run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church said the documentary “Beyond Utopia,” was a realistic portrayal of North Korean defectors’ lives, Yonhap News Agency reported on Jan. 19.

"I hope the people of South Korea will know how precious freedom is through this film. You also sympathize with the pain of North Korean defectors,” Kim told the agency at the premiere of the documentary in Seoul.

The documentary directed by Madeline Gavin follows the lives of the North Korean defectors through videos shot by the production crew which accompanied the defectors.

Some of the footage in the documentary was reportedly taken by the defectors themselves, Yonhap reported.

Kim, who has also appeared in documentaries on North Korean defectors like "Heaven's Border," said that he does not want North Koreans to “risk their lives across the border."

"I want to confess that I don't want to make a movie like this again. That is how I honestly feel," Kim said.

Kim has helped more than 1,000 North Koreans escape over the past 23 years.

Kim said that he began helping North Korean defectors in the 1990s after he witnessed the bodies of famine-hit Koreans floating in the Yalu River.

The film revolves around the lives of Woo Young-bok, a North Korean woman who came to South Korea with her husband, two daughters, and an elderly mother in her 80s via China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.

The documentary also talks about the life of Lee So-yeon, a North Korean defector living in South Korea who tries to bring her son whom she had to leave in North Korea.

The documentary says that Lee’s son has been forcibly repatriated to North Korea and is facing punishment for attempting to leave the nation, Yonhap reported citing brokers who assist people in leaving the country.

"I think I will definitely be able to see my son again. Pray to be alive. My wish is to meet my son and have a meal with him," Lee says in the documentary.

In the documentary, Kim also meets the Yang family in Qingdao, China, and the perilous journey is documented in detail across some 12,000 kilometers covering Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos.

Kim urged the Chinese government to consider the North Korean defectors as refugees and stop sending them back to the North.

"I hope the South Korean government will also make efforts to ensure that North Korean defectors come to South Korea safely. There is a limit to the power of the church,” Kim said.

Some 200 North Koreans still await an opportunity to leave their country for South Korea, and among the ten people who have been asked to defect “only two or three could be saved,” Kim lamented.

Producer Choi Choi-won said that the documentary was different from other documentaries about North Korean defectors.

"Videos related to North Korean defections are often consumed for political purposes and disappear," Choi said.

"I think this film will be more relatable because it focuses on the characters from the beginning of filming,” Choi added.

The documentary also revolves around the 2013 execution of Jang Song-thaek, current North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle, who was convicted of treason and executed by a firing squad.

The documentary also features a TED talk by Lee Hyun-Seo, a North Korean defector who earned celebrity status in the United States for her memoir "The Girl with Seven Names."

Lee was instrumental in the creation of the documentary, Yonhap reported.

The documentary won the Audience Award at last year's Sundance Film Festival and the Best International Documentary Audience Award at the Sydney Film Festival in 2023.

It was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2023 Academy Awards.