These days, North Korea frequently appears in American movies and TV shows as a serious threat to the United States. In the 2013 Hollywood action flick “Olympus Has Fallen,” North Korean terrorists seize the White House in a surprise attack and hold President Benjamin Asher and his staff, including the secretary of defense, as hostages. Driven by their obsession with the unification of the Korean peninsula, the North Korean terrorists devastate the White House with an air and ground assault. On watching this movie, American audiences might have felt North Korea was absolutely the most compelling “clear and present danger” to the U.S. 

In the movie, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Tae-woo visits the White House to meet President Asher. The prime minister’s head of security detail, Kang Yeon-sak, turns out to be a terrorist as well, and demands the withdrawal of the Seventh Fleet and U.S. forces from South Korea, both of which he thinks hamper the unification of Korea. The movie claims that if his conditions are met, North Korea would occupy the South within a month.  

Kang then tries to detonate American nuclear weapons on American soil to destroy the States. At the end, Kang is killed by Michael Banning, a former Secret Service agent who was relieved from duty after failing to protect the First Lady from a car crash. At the end of the movie, Banning redeems his past failure and regains his former status as the head of the Secret Service at the White House. 

In the movie, North Korea denies any connection with the terrorists. This is Hollywood’s typical safety measure to avoid potential diplomatic conflicts. At the same time, however, it also means that those terrorists could be North Korea sympathizers from South Korea. The fact that the security agents of the South Korean prime m    inister are terrorists shows this is a possibility. The situation unnerves us because we have radical North Korea sympathizers in the South, who also demand the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from the Korean Peninsula and who are driven to unify Korea at any cost. 

In 2005’s “The Pacifier,” Howard Plummer is killed while working on a top-secret government project. Shane Wolfe, a Navy SEAL lieutenant, is assigned to protect Plummer’s family and the project. Soon, Wolfe finds out that Plummer’s Korean neighbors, the Chuns, are trying to steal the secret and hand it over to North Korea. This movie also suggests that some Korean-Americans sympathize and take sides with North Korea.

In 2006’s “Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil,” North Korea is portrayed as an insulated nation with “a surreal blend of Stalinism, communism and cult of personality dictatorship.” It is also depicted as a hostile, dangerous country that threatens South Korea, Japan and the States with its nuclear weapons.

American TV shows, too, do not show North Korea in a favorable light. In an episode of “Hawaii Five-O,” North Korea is depicted as an untrustworthy, hostile country that deceives and betrays protagonist Lt. Comm. Steve McGarrett. In separate episodes of “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “Dark Blue,” North Korea is presented as a country that prints counterfeits of $100 bills. In another episode of “NCIS: LA,” North Korea is portrayed as a country that allegedly sends an assassin to the States to eliminate a North Korean defector. Most episodes of “Strike Back,” a British action TV series, also portray North Korea negatively as a grave threat to the West. In one episode, the protagonist tells a North Korean Army officer: “You pursue the military-first policy. Millions of people are starving, and yet you’re pouring a lot of money into the military.” 

In the past, Korean-Americans, too, have been depicted unfavorably in American movies. In “Falling Down” (1993), for example, a Korean grocery store owner is portrayed as an unfriendly man who tries to rip off his customers. In “Crash” (2004), a Korean-American woman is much too aggressive and impudent while her Korean husband is a greedy human trafficker. In an episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” Korean-Americans in LA’s Koreatown are characterized as people who cannot speak English and are untrusting of police officers. A notorious gang called “Dragon Kkangpae” is also active in Koreatown.

These days, however, South Korea’s image has significantly improved. In “Ocean’s Thirteen” (2007), rich and powerful chairman William Bank wants to own an exclusive, limited-edition gold-plated Samsung cellphone. Bank is greatly pleased when his secretary finally manages to procure one for him. In another Hollywood movie from the same year, “Next,” Seoul is referred to as a city of soul and a Korean woman is described as a charming young lady. We can say that in the movie, Nicholas Cage is intentionally speaking highly of his Korean wife and her country. Nevertheless, this movie contributed to creating a good impression for South Korea.

Nowadays, South Korea is often portrayed favorably in Hollywood movies and TV shows. North Korea, too, could transform its image in the American media if it were to abolish its nuclear project and join the international community as soon as possible.  

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor emeritus of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. — Ed.