The Spy Gone North

Yoon Jong-bin, who started his directing career with The Unforgiven, a controversial exposé of psychological and physical violence in the ranks of military recruits, here delivers an unsentimental and intense, fast-paced story full of fascinating detail.

In 1993, former military officer Park Suk-young is recruited as a spy by South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) and given the code name 'Black Venus'. He is then sent to infiltrate a group of high-ranking North Korean officials based in Beijing, with the ultimate goal of acquiring information on the North's nuclear programme. After becoming close to Ri Myong-un, a key power broker, Black Venus succeeds beyond his wildest dreams in gaining the trust of North Korea's leadership. But he faces dangers not only including the obvious one of being found out by the ruthless North Koreans: political machinations on the south side of the border also threaten to derail his accomplishments.