Unsung Heroes, also known as Unknown Heroes or more literally as Nameless Heroes, is a North Korean war drama mini-series about a spy in Seoul during the Korean War. Over twenty hours long, it was filmed and released in multiple parts between 1978 and 1981.[1] It was the recipient of the Kim Il-sung Medal.[2]
The production of Unsung Heroes began in or around 1978 on the initiative of Kim Jong-il when he took charge of the country's propaganda affairs.[3]
Unsung Heroes received a widespread favourable reception in the domestic market, according to North Korean public media. Lead actor Kim Ryong-lin, who played the hero Yu Rim, stated that it was one of his favourite roles in over 20 years of acting; in a 1981 interview, he remarked that people had begun calling him Yu Rim instead of his real name after the series began, which he actually enjoyed because of his admiration for the character. Actress Kim Jung-hwa, who played female lead Kim Soon-hee, initially felt that she was unsuited for the role, as she had no prior military experience, or even experience playing a spy on-screen; her only preparation consisted of reading several books and interviewing real spies. The director Ryu Ho-son stated that his favourite scene was the one from the "Madonna Teahouse" in Part 5, in which former lovers Yu Rim and Kim Soon-hee each learn that the other is a North Korean agent.[4]
Unsung Heroes was also responsible for propelling American defectors James Joseph Dresnok and Charles Robert Jenkins to minor celebrity status in North Korea. However, it did not receive public attention in the United States until 1996, when the U.S. Department of Defense obtained a copy of the movie; a report issued by five of their analysts identified Jenkins and one other unnamed American (later discovered to be Dresnok) as actors in the movie, providing the first evidence in three decades that Jenkins was still alive.[5][6] Dresnok's popularity in his role was such that people in North Korea routinely referred to him as "Arthur," the name of the character he played in the film.[7]
Unsung Heroes was broadcast on television in China in 1982, and released on DVD in 2003 by Dalian Audiovisual Publishing House. It was also screened in Japan during the Kitakyushu Biennial 2007.[2][8] Its theme song "Embrace the Song of Happiness" (Korean: 기쁨의 노래 안고 함께 가리라; MR: Kibbŭmŭi Norae Ango Hamkke Karira), composed by Chŏn Tong-u, remains widely known in North Korea; Grand National Party member Yu Hong-jun, head of South Korea's Cultural Heritage Administration, became the center of controversy in 2005 when he sang the song at an official dinner while visiting North Korea.[9][10]
Plot
The plot of Unsung Heroes is partially based on actual historical events, but many names and details were changed. The movie opens with an unidentified spy master giving instructions to protagonist Yu Rim, a Korean expatriate in the United Kingdom working as a journalist, who is ordered to proceed to Seoul and gather intelligence on the United States Forces Korea. Initially, he only has three contacts in Seoul: Park Mu, the chief press officer for the Republic of Korea Army, Janet O'Neill, the wife of senior American intelligence official Dr. Kelton, and Lee Hong-sik, his handler, through whom Yu also runs into his old lover Kim Soon-hee, who is apparently employed by the United States Counter Intelligence Corps, and is introduced to Colonel Klaus. Yu begins gathering intelligence on a coup plot by rightist South Korean general Sin Jae-sin. Lee helps him pass back this information to North Korea using his unwitting friend Kim Su-gyong as a courier. Lee is suspected by a US counter intelligence agent Martin who found Lee takes care of homeless kids. Soon after, Lee is killed in a shootout with CIC agents, including Kim Soon-hee, leaving Yu unable to pass his crucial intelligence back to his government. Yu calls Lee from a bar, but after realizing the person on the other end of the line is not Lee, hangs up immediately. A waitress in that bar is subsequently arrested and tortured by Colonel Klaus, who learns that a man suspected to be Yu was seen making the phone call.[1]
Yu flees to a Hong Kong safe house run by a North Korean singer. He is instructed to return to Seoul and contact an agent code-named White Horse. However, he is suspicious of White Horse and sets a trap for him which reveals that he is working with Colonel Klaus. White Horse is then killed by an unknown person. Yu obtained the information from Janet O'Neill that John Foster Dulles is visiting Europe to get reinforcements. Yu meets Lewis, an army lieutenant, and converts him to Communism to relay this information; Lewis stages his own kidnapping so that he can disappear to the North for training, and later returns to Seoul. Two months later, Yu receives a coded message on Voice of Korea instructing him to contact an agent named Diamond, who turns out to be his old lover Kim Soon-hee, ostensibly working for the Americans, but really a double agent for North Korean intelligence. With Dulles's agenda exposed to the media, the US plans a battle to demonstrate their superiority, but Yu obtains this information from Park Mu. The Americans fail to get more reinforcements from their European allies and are defeated by a well prepared Korean People's Army.[1]
Yu continues to gather intelligence on General Sin's coup attempt, this time passing messages back to Pyongyang by way of a radio operator disguised as a disabled veteran who begs outside hotels. Yu hides messages in cigarette filters, which he then throws on the ground near the beggar. However, he is unaware that he is being followed by the CIC, who are filming his activities. Colonel Klaus hears about a North Korean spy disguised as a veteran, and begins reviewing video tapes to check on Yu's activities. Kim saves the day by cutting the scenes out of the tapes to avoid further suspicion falling on Yu, but the disappearance of the scenes triggers Klaus' suspicion towards Kim herself. Klaus stages a test of loyalty for her, in which she is kidnapped and threatened with execution by American agents in Hokkaidō, Japan pretending to be Communists; however, Kim correctly senses this is a trap, and escapes by killing the agents.[1]
Park Mu realizes that Yu and Kim are spies. Klaus discovers that Yu was the one who leaked out intelligence. Park is pushed by Klaus, and kills Kim who tries to protect Yu. Later, Yu kills Park for revenge.
At the end, the North Korean army starts new attacks, and forces the allies to negotiate for peace. Due to Yu's efforts, Sin Jae-sin's coup is stopped by South Korean president Syngman Rhee's agents. Sin and Klaus commit suicide and Yu leaves Korea.
Kim Soon-hee (Kim Jung-hwa): Yu's college sweetheart, now in a counter intelligence agent under Colonel Klaus. During the North Korean occupation of Seoul, she saved the life of an American agent who had been left behind, for which she was commissioned a lieutenant in the United States ArmyCounter Intelligence Corps by Klaus.[1][2]
Park Mu (Jung Woon-mo): Chief press officer for the Republic of Korea Army and a friend of Yu-rim's from Cambridge.[1][2]
Colonel Klaus: A member of the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps, and Yu's main adversary.[1][2] The actor playing the part is credited as Son Dae-won, but according to Charles Robert Jenkins, he was actually "an Italian vice dean of the music college in Pyongyang".[11]
Captain Martin (Yun Chan): Member of the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps and an aide to Colonel Klaus.[1][2]
Janet O'Neill (Shu Ok-soon): The wife of Dr. Kelton, her cousin was an army soldier whose life was saved by Yu when interned in a prisoner-of-war camp.[1][2] The character, although intended to be Caucasian, was instead played by a Eurasian actress of mixed North Korean/Russian ancestry, a common practise in North Korean cinema.[12]
Shark (Kim Duk-sam): a corrupt agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps, who sells information to rival South Korean generals jockeying for power.[1][2]
^ abcdefghijklmLee, Wha-rang (2004), , Korea Web Weekly, archived from the original on 25 March 2007, retrieved 18 June 2007
^ abcdefghijklmnoUnsung Heroes: Episode 19 of 20, Kitakyushu Bienniale, 2007, retrieved 18 June 2007
^Bärtås, Magnus; Ekman, Fredrik (2014). Hirviöidenkin on kuoltava: Ryhmämatka Pohjois-Koreaan [All Monsters Must Die: An Excursion to North Korea] (in Finnish). Translated by Eskelinen, Heikki. Helsinki: Tammi. p. 173. ISBN978-951-31-7727-0.
^"在故事片《無名英雄》攝製完畢之後 (After the completion of "Unsung Heroes")", Chaoxian Huabao (6), 1981, retrieved 12 March 2018
^Specht, Wayne (22 October 2002), , Stars and Stripes, archived from the original on 7 October 2007, retrieved 18 June 2007
^Spiller, Penny (23 January 2007), "Last US defector in North Korea", BBC News, retrieved 22 June 2007
^中朝音像店 《無名英雄》, SinoKorea Net, retrieved 12 March 2018
^Im, Jong-jin (16 June 2005), "유홍준 '북한 노래' 정치권 논란 (Yu Hong-jun's "North Korean song" political controversy)", The Hankyoreh, retrieved 18 April 2008
^Son, Chi-wŏn (25 August 2005), "전동우, 1931.4.20∼1999.10.9 (Chŏn Tong-u, 20 April 1931 – 9 October 1999)", Choson Sinbo, retrieved 18 April 2008
^Charles Robert Jenkins, The Reluctant Communist: My Desertion, Court-Martial, and Forty-Year Imprisonment in North Korea, page 95
^Han, Yeong-jin (8 April 2006). "北 혼혈인, 공민권 박탈 …… 후대생산 불가 (Civil rights of mixed-race people in North Korea abrogated; not allowed to have children)". Daily NK. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
^ abcSwift, Earl (8 September 2004), , Style Weekly, archived from the original on 9 May 2006, retrieved 18 April 2008
^Classic North Korean film about and starring US defectors has been converted into colour, Koryogroup.com, 06 December 2018
unsung, heroes, this, article, about, north, korean, film, other, uses, disambiguation, also, known, unknown, heroes, more, literally, nameless, heroes, north, korean, drama, mini, series, about, seoul, during, korean, over, twenty, hours, long, filmed, releas. This article is about the North Korean Film For other uses see Unsung Heroes disambiguation Unsung Heroes also known as Unknown Heroes or more literally as Nameless Heroes is a North Korean war drama mini series about a spy in Seoul during the Korean War Over twenty hours long it was filmed and released in multiple parts between 1978 and 1981 1 It was the recipient of the Kim Il sung Medal 2 Unsung HeroesCharles Robert Jenkins as Dr Kelton the fictional mastermind behind the Korean WarChosŏn gŭl이름 없는 영웅들Hancha이름 없는 英雄들Revised RomanizationIreum Eomneun Yeong ungdeulMcCune ReischauerIrŭm Ŏmnŭn Yŏng ungdŭlDirected byPeople s Artiste Ryu Ho son Ko Hak limWritten byLee Jin wooStarringKim Ryong linKim Jung hwaJung Woon moCinematographyPeople s Artiste Jong Gyu WanEdited byMerited Artiste Pak Su RyoMusic byPeople s Artiste Kim Rin OkMerited Artiste Kim Kil HakProductioncompanyKorean Film StudioDistributed byMokran VideoKorean Film Export amp Import CorporationRunning time1315 minutesCountryNorth KoreaLanguageKorean Contents 1 Production and reaction 2 Plot 3 Characters 4 Episodes 5 References 6 External linksProduction and reaction EditThe production of Unsung Heroes began in or around 1978 on the initiative of Kim Jong il when he took charge of the country s propaganda affairs 3 Unsung Heroes received a widespread favourable reception in the domestic market according to North Korean public media Lead actor Kim Ryong lin who played the hero Yu Rim stated that it was one of his favourite roles in over 20 years of acting in a 1981 interview he remarked that people had begun calling him Yu Rim instead of his real name after the series began which he actually enjoyed because of his admiration for the character Actress Kim Jung hwa who played female lead Kim Soon hee initially felt that she was unsuited for the role as she had no prior military experience or even experience playing a spy on screen her only preparation consisted of reading several books and interviewing real spies The director Ryu Ho son stated that his favourite scene was the one from the Madonna Teahouse in Part 5 in which former lovers Yu Rim and Kim Soon hee each learn that the other is a North Korean agent 4 Unsung Heroes was also responsible for propelling American defectors James Joseph Dresnok and Charles Robert Jenkins to minor celebrity status in North Korea However it did not receive public attention in the United States until 1996 when the U S Department of Defense obtained a copy of the movie a report issued by five of their analysts identified Jenkins and one other unnamed American later discovered to be Dresnok as actors in the movie providing the first evidence in three decades that Jenkins was still alive 5 6 Dresnok s popularity in his role was such that people in North Korea routinely referred to him as Arthur the name of the character he played in the film 7 Unsung Heroes was broadcast on television in China in 1982 and released on DVD in 2003 by Dalian Audiovisual Publishing House It was also screened in Japan during the Kitakyushu Biennial 2007 2 8 Its theme song Embrace the Song of Happiness Korean 기쁨의 노래 안고 함께 가리라 MR Kibbŭmŭi Norae Ango Hamkke Karira composed by Chŏn Tong u remains widely known in North Korea Grand National Party member Yu Hong jun head of South Korea s Cultural Heritage Administration became the center of controversy in 2005 when he sang the song at an official dinner while visiting North Korea 9 10 Plot EditThe plot of Unsung Heroes is partially based on actual historical events but many names and details were changed The movie opens with an unidentified spy master giving instructions to protagonist Yu Rim a Korean expatriate in the United Kingdom working as a journalist who is ordered to proceed to Seoul and gather intelligence on the United States Forces Korea Initially he only has three contacts in Seoul Park Mu the chief press officer for the Republic of Korea Army Janet O Neill the wife of senior American intelligence official Dr Kelton and Lee Hong sik his handler through whom Yu also runs into his old lover Kim Soon hee who is apparently employed by the United States Counter Intelligence Corps and is introduced to Colonel Klaus Yu begins gathering intelligence on a coup plot by rightist South Korean general Sin Jae sin Lee helps him pass back this information to North Korea using his unwitting friend Kim Su gyong as a courier Lee is suspected by a US counter intelligence agent Martin who found Lee takes care of homeless kids Soon after Lee is killed in a shootout with CIC agents including Kim Soon hee leaving Yu unable to pass his crucial intelligence back to his government Yu calls Lee from a bar but after realizing the person on the other end of the line is not Lee hangs up immediately A waitress in that bar is subsequently arrested and tortured by Colonel Klaus who learns that a man suspected to be Yu was seen making the phone call 1 Yu flees to a Hong Kong safe house run by a North Korean singer He is instructed to return to Seoul and contact an agent code named White Horse However he is suspicious of White Horse and sets a trap for him which reveals that he is working with Colonel Klaus White Horse is then killed by an unknown person Yu obtained the information from Janet O Neill that John Foster Dulles is visiting Europe to get reinforcements Yu meets Lewis an army lieutenant and converts him to Communism to relay this information Lewis stages his own kidnapping so that he can disappear to the North for training and later returns to Seoul Two months later Yu receives a coded message on Voice of Korea instructing him to contact an agent named Diamond who turns out to be his old lover Kim Soon hee ostensibly working for the Americans but really a double agent for North Korean intelligence With Dulles s agenda exposed to the media the US plans a battle to demonstrate their superiority but Yu obtains this information from Park Mu The Americans fail to get more reinforcements from their European allies and are defeated by a well prepared Korean People s Army 1 Yu continues to gather intelligence on General Sin s coup attempt this time passing messages back to Pyongyang by way of a radio operator disguised as a disabled veteran who begs outside hotels Yu hides messages in cigarette filters which he then throws on the ground near the beggar However he is unaware that he is being followed by the CIC who are filming his activities Colonel Klaus hears about a North Korean spy disguised as a veteran and begins reviewing video tapes to check on Yu s activities Kim saves the day by cutting the scenes out of the tapes to avoid further suspicion falling on Yu but the disappearance of the scenes triggers Klaus suspicion towards Kim herself Klaus stages a test of loyalty for her in which she is kidnapped and threatened with execution by American agents in Hokkaidō Japan pretending to be Communists however Kim correctly senses this is a trap and escapes by killing the agents 1 Park Mu realizes that Yu and Kim are spies Klaus discovers that Yu was the one who leaked out intelligence Park is pushed by Klaus and kills Kim who tries to protect Yu Later Yu kills Park for revenge At the end the North Korean army starts new attacks and forces the allies to negotiate for peace Due to Yu s efforts Sin Jae sin s coup is stopped by South Korean president Syngman Rhee s agents Sin and Klaus commit suicide and Yu leaves Korea Characters EditYu Rim Kim Ryong lin A former guard in an Imperial Japanese Army POW camp and later a graduate of Cambridge University he was recruited by North Korean intelligence while working as a reporter in Istanbul He is sent to Seoul to gather intelligence on the United States forces there 1 2 Kim Soon hee Kim Jung hwa Yu s college sweetheart now in a counter intelligence agent under Colonel Klaus During the North Korean occupation of Seoul she saved the life of an American agent who had been left behind for which she was commissioned a lieutenant in the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps by Klaus 1 2 Park Mu Jung Woon mo Chief press officer for the Republic of Korea Army and a friend of Yu rim s from Cambridge 1 2 Colonel Klaus A member of the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps and Yu s main adversary 1 2 The actor playing the part is credited as Son Dae won but according to Charles Robert Jenkins he was actually an Italian vice dean of the music college in Pyongyang 11 Captain Martin Yun Chan Member of the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps and an aide to Colonel Klaus 1 2 Dr Kelton Charles Robert Jenkins The mastermind behind the Korean War 1 2 Janet O Neill Shu Ok soon The wife of Dr Kelton her cousin was an army soldier whose life was saved by Yu when interned in a prisoner of war camp 1 2 The character although intended to be Caucasian was instead played by a Eurasian actress of mixed North Korean Russian ancestry a common practise in North Korean cinema 12 Shark Kim Duk sam a corrupt agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps who sells information to rival South Korean generals jockeying for power 1 2 Lee Jin yong Kim Yun hong 2 Wang Soong Rho Jung won A reporter from Taiwan and son of the secretary of Chiang Kai shek 2 Knife Kang Keum bok 2 Seul hwa Park Sub 2 Carl Larry Allen Abshier A captain in the US Secret Service 13 Lewis Jerry Wayne Parrish An army lieutenant who becomes a communist and Yu s assistant with some help 13 Arthur James Joseph Dresnok a US Army lieutenant colonel and POW camp commander Appears only in Episode 14 7 13 14 Interpreter Paik Kyung a 2 Episodes EditYear 1 No Korean title English translation Hanja McCune Reischauer Revised Romanisation1978 1 적후에서 Behind Enemy Lines 敵後에서 Chŏkhu esŏ Jeokhu eseo2 적후에서 또 적후에로 Behind Enemy Lines Again 敵後에서 또 敵後에로 Chŏkhu esŏ tto Chŏkhu ero Jeokhu eseo tto Jeokhu ero1979 3 적후에서 홀로 Alone Behind Enemy Lines 敵後에서 홀로 Chŏkhu esŏ Hollo Jeokhu eseo Hollo4 옛성터에서 In Ancient Ruins 옛城터에서 Yessŏngtŏ esŏ Yesseongteo eseo5 금강석 Diamond 金剛石 Kŭmgamsŏk Geumgamseok6 한밤중의 저격사건 Shooting at Midnight 한밤中의 狙擊事件 Hanbamjung ŭi Chŏgyŏksagŏn Hanbamjung eui Jeogyeoksageon7 정적속에서의 전투 Battle in the Midst of Calm 靜寂속에서의 戰鬪 Chŏngjŏksok ŭi Chŏntu Jeongjeoksok eui Jeontu1980 8 위험한 대결 A Dangerous Confrontation 危險한 對決 Uihŏmhan Taegyŏl Uiheomhan Daegyeol9 안개작전 Operation Fog 안개作戰 Angaejakjŏn Angaejakjeon10 위기 Peril 危機 Uigi Uigi11 일요일에 있은 일 What Happens on Sunday 日曜日에 있은 일 Ilyoil e Issŭn Il Ilyoil e Isseun Il12 웃음속에 비낀 그늘 The shade cast by laughter 웃음속에 비낀 그늘 Usŭmsok e Pikkin Kŭnŭl Useumsok e Bikkin Geuneul13 판문점 Panmunjeom 板門店 Panmunjŏm Banmunjeom14 죽음의 섬 Island of Death 죽음의 섬 Chukŭmŭi Sŏm Jugeumui Seom15 달없는 그밤에 On that Moonless Night 달없는 그밤에 Talŏmnŭn Kŭbam e Daleomneun Geubam e16 전투는 계속된다 The Battle Continues 戰鬪는 繼續된다 Chŏntunŭn Kyesok Toenda Jeontuneun Gyesok Doenda17 유인 Seduction 誘引 Yu in Yu in18 운명 Destiny 運命 Unmyŏng Unmyeong1981 19 붉은 저녁노을 Evening Glow 붉은 저녁노을 Polkŭn Chŏnyŏk Noŭl Bolgeun Jeonyeok No eul20 우리는 잊지 않는다 We do Not Forget 우리는 잊지 않는다 Urinŭn Ijji Annŭnda Urineun Ijji AnneundaReferences Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lee Wha rang 2004 Film Review The Unsung Heroes Korea Web Weekly archived from the original on 25 March 2007 retrieved 18 June 2007 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Unsung Heroes Episode 19 of 20 Kitakyushu Bienniale 2007 retrieved 18 June 2007 Bartas Magnus Ekman Fredrik 2014 Hirvioidenkin on kuoltava Ryhmamatka Pohjois Koreaan All Monsters Must Die An Excursion to North Korea in Finnish Translated by Eskelinen Heikki Helsinki Tammi p 173 ISBN 978 951 31 7727 0 在故事片 無名英雄 攝製完畢之後 After the completion of Unsung Heroes Chaoxian Huabao 6 1981 retrieved 12 March 2018 Specht Wayne 22 October 2002 What happened to GI patrolling DMZ in 65 Stars and Stripes archived from the original on 7 October 2007 retrieved 18 June 2007 Spiller Penny 23 January 2007 Last US defector in North Korea BBC News retrieved 22 June 2007 a b Gordon Daniel Bonner Nicholas 2006 Crossing the Line First aired in 2007 by the BBC 中朝音像店 無名英雄 SinoKorea Net retrieved 12 March 2018 Im Jong jin 16 June 2005 유홍준 북한 노래 정치권 논란 Yu Hong jun s North Korean song political controversy The Hankyoreh retrieved 18 April 2008 Son Chi wŏn 25 August 2005 전동우 1931 4 20 1999 10 9 Chŏn Tong u 20 April 1931 9 October 1999 Choson Sinbo retrieved 18 April 2008 Charles Robert Jenkins The Reluctant Communist My Desertion Court Martial and Forty Year Imprisonment in North Korea page 95 Han Yeong jin 8 April 2006 北 혼혈인 공민권 박탈 후대생산 불가 Civil rights of mixed race people in North Korea abrogated not allowed to have children Daily NK Retrieved 18 April 2008 a b c Swift Earl 8 September 2004 The Defector Style Weekly archived from the original on 9 May 2006 retrieved 18 April 2008 Classic North Korean film about and starring US defectors has been converted into colour Koryogroup com 06 December 2018External links EditUnsung Heroes at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Unsung Heroes amp oldid 1140448601, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
