An Emissary of No Return () is a 1984 North Korean historical drama film directed by Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee. It was the first of four films Shin and Choi made during their abduction to North Korea under the orders of Kim Jong Il. Adapted from Bloody Conference(혈분만국회(血憤萬國會)), a play allegedly written by Kim Il Sung during his guerrilla years, the film retells the dramatized story of the Hague Secret Emissary Affair. The affair ensued when the Korean emperor king Gojong sent three unauthorized emissaries to the talks of the Hague Convention of 1907.
The film focuses on the deeds of Ri Jun (played by Kim Jun-sik), one of the emissaries. The emissaries were to protest against Korea's occupation by Japan to the international community in order to get the great powers to overturn the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905. The emissaries were refused because Korea had lost its sovereignty and its external affairs were now handled by Japan. Although in reality the Hague affair was an unremarkable diplomatic effort, a commonly believed myth among Koreans is that Ri Jun committed suicide inside the conference hall. An Emissary of No Return portrays this dramatized version in the form of a nationalist melodrama.
An Emissary of No Return was shot on-location in several Eastern Bloc countries, primarily Czechoslovakia, as well as in North Korea. The film features various elements never seen before in North Korean cinema, including crediting individual crew members, Western actors in roles of Westerners, and stock footage of The Hague, a Western location. After enthusiastic domestic reception, the film was sent to the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize for Best Director. The award went to Choi Eun-hee, because the film credits her as the main director. In North Korea, the film was used for propaganda, in spite of Shin Sang-ok's attempts not to make an overtly propagandist film. Limited releases were made abroad.
Plot
The film begins with a North Korean man visiting The Hague in the 1980s to pay his respects at the grave of one of the secret emissaries, Ri Jun (played by Kim Jun-sik). The man meets a daughter of the landlord who provided lodging for the three secret emissaries in 1907. The woman's reminiscences point to the story of Ri Jun.
The rest of the film focuses on Ri Jun during the 1907 conference. He forces his way into the conference hall and delivers a long and fiery speech on independence and self-determination. The film features his historical speech in full. When Ri finds that the delegates of the great powers remain unsympathetic to the Korean cause, he commits harakiri in front of them, convincing them of his dedication.
Cast
Historical basis
An Emissary of No Return retells the story of a real historical event in 1907 known as the Hague Secret Emissary Affair. Korea had been colonized by Japan. In order to protest to the international community, the Korean emperor king Gojong sent three secret emissaries to the talks of the Hague Convention of 1907. Their mission was to get the great powers to overturn the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905. The emissaries were refused on the basis that Korea had lost its sovereignty and its external affairs were now handled by Japan.
In reality, the incident was "quick and quiet". The emissaries worked behind the scenes, and one of them died of illness during the trip. Korean nationalist historiography, however, presents the affair in "mythical proportions". Even many South Koreans continue to believe in the dramatic suicide of one of the emissaries, which in reality, did not take place. An Emissary of No Return presents the dramatized story, resulting in a "typical nationalist melodrama", and, partly, a boring "lecture" on fictionalized history.
Production
Background
Shin Sang-ok was abducted to North Korea on the orders of Kim Jong Il to make films for the country, whose own film industry had fallen out of times. Shin was initially uncooperative and was imprisoned for years. Then, after Kim Jong Il had him released, Shin decided to agree to his proposal. Shin had two motives. He could return to his career of film making that had become impossible abroad due to financial difficulties. Shin also decided that by creating films for Kim, he would be trusted enough to travel abroad, where he could escape. An Emissary of No Return would become the first film Shin made for Kim Jong Il.
Kim Jong Il ordered Shin to set up a production company for his film projects in North Korea. The company was called Shin Film, adopting the name of Shin's old company he had run in South Korea.