Defector-turned-director to wed

"I feel so sad about my father, who was executed for having me as a son".

Defector-turned-filmmaker Jeong Seong-san, left, and his fiancee Gyeong-mi Provided by the director

North Korean defector-turned-filmmaker Jeong Seong-san is set to wed after a 10-year courtship.

Jeong, 42, is known for his involvement in hit films such as "JSA - Joint Security Area" (2000) and "Silmido" (2003) and later went on to produce a critically acclaimed musical about his experience in a North Korean labor camp.

He met his bride-to-be, Kim Gyeong-mi, 36, in 2001 when he was working at EBS as an adviser on programs about North Korea. When he first confessed his interest in Kim, she refused to go out with him. After he had pursued her for a year, she finally agreed to a date. The two are to marry on Sept. 23.

Jeong defected from North Korea in 1995 after spending three months at Sariwon prison on charges that he had listened to South Korean radio. He escaped when the vehicle he was in overturned as he was being transferred. After his arrival here, he learned his father was executed by North Korea in 2003 for Jeong's activities.

Upon hearing of his father's execution, he wrote a musical about his experiences in prison and his father's death. The musical, "Yodok Story", was presented in several countries, including the United States, Canada, and Germany, after its premiere in 2006,

Since his arrival in the South, Jeong has advocated for improvements in human rights in the North through his art.

Having majored in film at Pyongyang University of Dramatic and Cinematic Arts and Moscow State University, Jeong joined Taeyoung Productions, a renowned but now defunct film production company, in the same year he defected from the North. After finishing his education, he began writing a movie that would later become "JSA - Joint Security Area", which drew 5.83 million viewers and is still ranked the 7th highest-grossing Korean film of all time, according to the Korean Film Council.

He made his debut as a film director with "Ryang-kang-do: Merry Christmas, North!", inspired by a question from a friend about whether he had Christmas while growing up in the North.

At the moment, however, he is preparing for his wedding.

"I appreciate that my fiancee's parents have accepted me as a son-in-law, even though I don't have family here and I'm from the North", Jeong said "I feel so sad about my father, who was executed for having me as a son, but I believe that he will bless me from heaven".

Jeong says he hopes to continue working to improve conditions for North Koreans and will become a role model for other defectors.

By Lee Young-jong