It used to be that North Korean characters in South Korean films were little more than stock villains, cardboard cutouts that served the anti-communist narrative pushed during the Cold War.
But rapid changes in the film industry and the evolution of inter-Korean relations in recent decades have had a dramatic impact on the way that films depict the DPRK and defectors, giving rise to more three-dimensional characters and sophisticated storytelling.
It used to be that North Korean characters in South Korean films were little more than stock villains, cardboard cutouts that served the anti-communist narrative pushed during the Cold War.
But rapid changes in the film industry and the evolution of inter-Korean relations in recent decades have had a dramatic impact on the way that films depict the DPRK and defectors, giving rise to more three-dimensional characters and sophisticated storytelling.
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