Kim Sung-min (김성민)

"Crossing" Screens at US Library of Congress

Source | 2008/05/06 | 0 comments | Permalink |

Upcoming South Korean feature "Crossing", a harrowing tale about a North Korean family's desperate struggle to survive, screened at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. last week. Those in attendance included House International Relations Committee specialists Dennis Halpin and Doug Anderson, Peter Beck, executive director of the US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, KIM Sung-min, a former N.K. refugee and close to 100 foreign journalists.

Halpin, a Republican, called the film a "masterpiece" in its portrayal of human suffering under dictatorship, putting it on par with the "Diary of Anne Frank". Beck called "Crossing" the best film ever made on the subject of North Korean defectors. Several in the audience reportedly broke into tears as they watched the family's sad plight.

Based on the real-life accounts of numerous North Korean refugees, the film centers on a family of three, the husband, Yong-soo, his wife, and their 11-year-old son. When Yong-soo's wife...| More

"Crossing" Moves U.S. Audience to Tears

Source | 2008/05/02 | 0 comments | Permalink |

A screening of "Crossing", a South Korean film based on true accounts of North Korean defectors, was held at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. The audience included House International Relations Committee specialists Dennis Halpin and Doug Anderson, Peter Beck, executive director of the U.S Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Kim Sung-min, a former North Korean refugee and head of Free North Korea Radio, and 100 foreign journalists.

The film is about a North Korean father who crosses the border to China in search of food, leaving his ailing wife and 11-year-old son behind. After reaching South Korea, he desperately tries to bring his family out of North Korea, but his wife dies from malnutrition and his young son perishes in the Mongolian desert.

Several audience members reportedly broke in tears at the sad plight of this desperate North Korean father and the horrendous state of human rights violation in the North. Dennis Halpin called it a "masterpiece" that show...| More

N.Korean Refugees Film Strikes Chord at U.S. Screening

Source | 2008/04/30 | 0 comments | Permalink |

On Monday afternoon, a film depicting the misery and challenges faced by North Korean refugees was screened for an audience at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. "Crossing" was shown as part of North Korea Freedom Week, a series of events organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition (NKFC), a union of American groups concerned with human rights in North Korea.

About 100 people attended the screening, including congressional staffers such as House International Relations Committee specialists Dennis Halpin and Doug Anderson; Peter Beck, executive director of the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea; Kim Sung-min, a former North Korean refugee and head of Free North Korea Radio; Shimada Yoichi, a representative of an association for Japanese victims of North Korean abductions and a professor of international relations at Fukui Prefectural University; and officials from the Japanese Embassy in Washington.

A scene from the film 'Crossing', which deals with the hum...| More