Former North Korean Spy Becomes South Korean Filmmaker

Chae Myong-Min, who works for the L.A. Times’s Seoul bureau, is trying to engineer a third dramatic career change:

“Choice” tells the tale of a North Korean government agent whose lover is caught trying to defect and is sent to prison. The agent finds himself at a crossroads: Should he rescue his lover and flee North Korea, or remain loyal to leader Kim Jong Il?

Chae appears distracted when asked about his project. He says little about his role as a spy, other than to acknowledge that he worked for the North Korean version of the CIA.  [L.A. Times, Ju-Min Park]

Correction:   I misread the note at the bottom of the article.  It’s the reporter, Park, not Chae, who works for the L.A. Times … which is something of a relief if you think it through.  Thanks to a reader.