The Human Experience

Instead of viewing this film as pro-North Korean, I find that it’s depicting a rather humanizing portrait of Koreans residing in Japan. Despite that their nationality is technically neither South nor North, I would understand why they would rather choose to be called themselves “Chosun” instead and identity themselves with the North. 

Myung-joon Kim was really careful when editing the film. From the start, his main focus was on the daily lives of the students, the complete view of the daily operations of the school by the staff, and their relations with the parents. He made sure to capture their struggles and conflicts so that it contrasts with their dedication and commitment as a community, as students and teachers and as Koreans living in Japan. What a tear-jerker… He captured the 3-minute performance of the 12th graders, who won the singing competition, and made sure to capture their reactions when they knew about their win. To the viewer, it’s confusing as to why assuming their national identity is such a difficult task. They are subject to threat, harassment, violence, humiliation and discrimination…. and they have to do so much more in comparison to kids their age in order to keep up.. It all seems unfair in the perspective of this film. After all, they are simply people like us, but with a higher degree of devotion to their country, which is generally an admirable and acceptable behaviour. 

I would think that the film wants to show us how politics can distort our human perspectives and actions. It’s the only element that separates the director from the students. Throughout the film, their exchanges are friendly, familiar and harmless. But once the reality of their differences becomes clear, as illustrated by the physical and political distance between them in the scene where Kim sent them off to Nigata Port, it is then that it becomes a shocking experience.

For Myung-joon Kim, he would welcome the students back to Japan because he knows them. But for the anti-North Korean Japanese protestors, they are simply unwanted because of their political ties with the state. That is, what I believe, what Kim meant when he expressed that he felt the distance more than ever.