North Korea's Godzilla Rip-off Pulgasari and the Kidnapped Director Who Made It

The story of how North Korea forced a kidnapped director to make what was essentially a Godzilla film, even including basically kidnapping the team that made Godzilla's special effects to work on the film, starts back in 1978.
In 1978, Kim Jong-Il, the designated successor to the dictator of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung, was overseeing North Korea's film production. Wishing to improve the quality of the films his directors and actors were producing, he decided to kidnap one of the South Korea's most famous directors, Shin Sang-ok, along with one of South Korea's most famous actresses, Choi Eun-hee (Shin's ex-wife), and force them to make movies in North Korea.
They were trapped in North Korea for seven years before managing to escape by fleeing to the American embassy in Vienna, narrowly escaping their North Korean guards. But before they were able to escape, they created one of the most famous pieces of cinema ever to come from North Korea.
#NorthKorea #KimJong-Il #Pulgasari
Credits
Pulgasari Poster
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Kim Jong-Il
By Vladimir_Putin_with_Kim_Jong-Il-2.jpg: Presidential Press and Information Office derivative work: JJ Georges (talk) - Vladimir_Putin_with_Kim_Jong-Il-2.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Demilitarized Zone of Korea 05.JPG: Photographed by Nicor.Derivative work: G. Coronades (talk) - This image was created with Adobe Photoshop.Demilitarized Zone of Korea 05.JPG, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Участник:Misha - tripadvisor.ru/content/index.p..., CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Bjørn Christian Tørrissen - Own work by uploader, bjornfree.com/kim/, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Sean Connery
By Rob Mieremet - Nationaal Archief, Nummer toegang 2.24.01.05 Bestanddeelnummer 927-7001, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Kim Jong-Il’s book on cinema as well as a bunch of information on the North Korean film industry
northkoreanfilms.com/2013/04/...
History.com article on the kidnapping
Kim Jong-il Was So Obsessed With Film He Kidnapped an Actress
“Actress recalls escape from North Korea”
koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/...
Repulse Bay
By Wing1990hk - Own work, CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Namco Harbor Map
By KATSURA Roen - from Image:DPRK Div.png, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Nampo Harbor photo
By Foxy1219(montage) - File:Nampo Dam locks.jpgFile:Laika ac Nampo (7990866358).jpgFile:Laika ac Chongsan-ri Cooperative Farm (7990899386).jpgFile:Nampocity 2.JPG, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Sogum (Salt) Poster
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Eastern BLoc countries
By Crossswords - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Godzilla 1984 Poster
By Source, Fair use, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...
Pyongyang International Airport
By Uwe Brodrecht - 0008 - Nordkorea 2015 - Flug Wladiwostok Pjöngjang, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

[@nintendoeats]

Come for the computer history, stay for the bizarre stories about the North Korean film industry?
I recall one of my favourite ever headlines, New York Times: "North Korean Leader is Very Ill"

[@canadaphil6068]

Wow... Everything that starts with "North" followed by "Korea" is just surreal.
Oh.. and I did not find that "Boring" at all.
Haha.

[@Ad-excelsum]

This was interesting and well made, keep up the good work!

[@AnotherBoringTopic]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching :)

[@therandomyoutuber1014]

Who thinks that I should make a video called; Why *PULGASARI* is garbage?

[@RedScar]

actually its pretty good,even tho it was made in 1980s...so effects arent hollywood like.

[@Zekeriyasenturk6513]

Gamera (Maxichelys gamera) Gamera from Gamera Franchise #gamera
Gojiramimus ("Godzilla or Gojira mimics) a genus of Giant reptiles are really mimic Godzilla and Family Gojirasuchidae and Gojiramimus have 43 species
Pulgasari or Metal eating Godzillamimic (Gojiramimus metallurgovorus) Pulgasari is 1985 North Korean Horror-action kaiju movie by Shin sang-ok and other name "North Korean Godzilla" #pulgasari #pulgasari1985
Reptilicus or Danish Godzillamimic (Gojiramimus denmarkias) Reptilicus is 1961 Danish-american Giant Monster movie by Okul Bang (Denmark) and Sidney W.pink (America) #reptilicus #reptilicus1961
Gorgo (Gojiramimus gorgo) a 1961 Science Fiction Giant Monster film directed by Eugéne Lourié #gorgo