The actors Ha Jung-woo, left, and Han Suk-kyu. Reuters
The actors Ha Jung-woo, left, and Han Suk-kyu. Reuters

Korea's Bourne Identity film highlights peninsula tensions



When the North Korean spy Pyo Jong-seong's arms deal for Pyongyang goes wrong in Berlin, he knows it is time to flee with his wife from agents of the isolated state - a country that recently said it was "in a state of war" with its neighbour.

Part of the thinking behind that belligerence, which has sent tensions on the Korean peninsula skyrocketing, is on display in the new film The Berlin File, known as Korea's Bourne Identity, which is currently showing in the US and Canada as well as drawing millions of viewers in South Korea.

While the story, with its thriller plot and action sequences, is set against a background of the demise of the former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and a fictional power struggle, it contains some elements that are far too real.

"I thought it would be special if I told a story of people who lived in a city that was a special symbol of the Cold War and remain trapped in that era in the present day," said the film's director Ryoo Seung-wan.

"Personally I feel honoured that my work is compared with the Bourne series but did I deliberately imitate the series? No filmmaker would do so," the 40-year-old Ryoo added.

Made for less than US$10 million (Dh36.7m), small by Hollywood standards but a big sum for a South Korean movie, The Berlin File incorporates elements from the Bourne movies, using graphic action sequences and a visceral combat style against the grey background of the German capital.

It stars Ha Jung-woo, a huge force in domestic Korean films, and Gianna Jun, once known as Korea's sweetheart for her romantic heroine roles.

Ryoo said that it's now possible to make a film that does not portray all North Koreans as brutal ideologues. "In the film no one is good or evil," said the director.

The Korean cultural critic Lee Taek-gwang agreed that the movie highlighted a fundamental change in thinking. "The movie treats South and North Korea fairly as nations, not the South as good and the North as bad. In that sense, it's quite a first," he said. - Reuters

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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

GOLF’S RAHMBO

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Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com

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SPECS

Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now

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The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Company%20profile%20
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While you're here ...

Damien McElroy: What happens to Brexit?

Con Coughlin: Could the virus break the EU?

Andrea Matteo Fontana: Europe to emerge stronger

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra

Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa

Rating: 4/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In numbers

1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:

  • 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
  • 150 tonnes to landfill
  • 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal

800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal

Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year

25 staff on site

 

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

How to vote

Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.

They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi

Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday) 

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