▲ Director Kim Seong-hoon of "Ransomed" is seen in this photo provided by its distributor Showbox. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ A scene from Korean film "Ransomed" is seen in this photo provided by its distributor Showbox. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ A scene from Korean film "Ransomed," set for release on Aug. 2, 2023, is seen in this photo provided by its distributor Showbox. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Korean film-director

Director of 'Ransomed' adds action, humor to Lebanon hostage crisis

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- The upcoming movie "Ransomed," based on the true events of the 1986 kidnapping of a South Korean diplomat in Lebanon, follows fictional characters on a journey to rescue the hostage to tell a story of the hidden heroes behind the crisis, its director said Wednesday.

Kim Seong-hoon, who previously took helm of the Netflix zombie thriller series "Kingdom" (2019) and the Korean disaster movie "Tunnel" (2016), said he was first offered the project four years ago and became curious about the hostage negotiation process, which involved many unanswered questions.

According to media reports, Do Chae-sung, a second secretary of the Korean embassy in the Lebanese capital city of Beirut, was kidnapped at gunpoint in January 1986 and was freed in October 1987. Some foreign media outlets reported that the South Korean government paid an unspecified amount of ransom to the kidnappers in exchange for his release, but it remains unverified as related diplomatic documents are still classified.

During a group media interview in Seoul, Kim said he had met Do to ask details of the incident, but the retired diplomat, whom he described as "a public servant to the bone," didn't recount much of his ordeals and remained cautious over its diplomatic implications.

"We explained to Do that the movie would not focus on bringing back memories of his survival from the hostage situation but instead follow a rescue mission. He agreed on the direction of the project, and we minimized the portrayal of that part accordingly," he said.

As the story deals with a sensitive subject against the backdrop of war-torn Lebanon, the director took extra caution when portraying different religious groups to avoid potential controversy.

"We erased parts that could cause misunderstanding or offend certain religious groups," he said.

To deliver a compelling plot of the unofficial rescue mission in Lebanon, Kim said the film mixes elements of buddy action, thriller and comedy that lightens up the mood.

In the movie, Ha Jung-woo plays the role of Lee Min-joon, a foreign ministry official at the Middle East department who volunteers for a secret rescue mission for the sake of his career aspirations, while Ju Ji-hoon portrays Kim Pan-soo, a Korean taxi driver in Lebanon who is unintentionally tangled up with Lee.

It was their second collaboration after Ha and Ju co-starred in the 2017-18 hit film series "Along with the Gods."

"It is a story of people who save each other based on trust. As the kidnapped person was actually freed, I presumed there might have been people who played a role in his rescue mission," Kim said. "I don't know who did it but thought it was worth telling the story of the hidden heroes who took risks to save someone's life."

To build tension and get viewers' heart pumping, Kim made the stunt team rigorously prepare for car chasing through narrow streets in Morocco and the final escape sequence in which actors jump from a building using wires.

"We wanted to create escape scenes filled with suspense and entertainment, and maintain high speed and tension throughout the car chase sequence to make them memorable," he said.

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