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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    A Kim Jong II Production

    Kim Jong-Un’s father, Kim Jong II, was a huge fan of American films. He wanted to build a North Korean film industry that would rival Hollywood’s. His solution? Kidnap one of South Korea’s most-famous directors along with his actress ex-wife.

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    By Madeleine Brand • May 25, 2015 • 1 min read

    Kim Jong-Un’s father, Kim Jong II, was a huge fan of American films. He wanted to build a North Korean film industry that would rival Hollywood’s. His solution? Kidnap one of South Korea’s most-famous directors along with his actress ex-wife. We hear the story from Paul Fischer, author of “A Kim Jong-II Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress and a Young Dictator’s Rise to Power.”

    The full episode

    3 of 4
    The Evacuation of Saigon, A North Korean Kidnapping and Everyday Instagram
    1. 0:00'Last Days in Vietnam'
    2. 14:21'The Sympathizer'
    3. 25:13A Kim Jong II ProductionYou’re reading this
    4. 40:06Everyday Instagram
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Jolie Myers

      Managing Producer, 'Press Play'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Matt Holzman

      Producer, 'The Document'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • KCRW placeholder

      Paul Fischer

      Author, 'The Last Kings of Hollywood,' 'A Kim Jong-il Production'

      News

    The full episode

    3 of 4
    The Evacuation of Saigon, A North Korean Kidnapping and Everyday Instagram
    1. 0:00'Last Days in Vietnam'
    2. 14:21'The Sympathizer'
    3. 25:13A Kim Jong II ProductionYou’re reading this
    4. 40:06Everyday Instagram
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand