British Documentary to Focus on Young N.Korean Defector

Park Yeon-mi

Park Yeon-mi, the North Korean defector who was named as one of the 100 women of 2014 by the BBC, will feature prominently in a documentary about North Korean human rights abuses

Producers Square Eyed Pictures said they are making the film, tentatively titled "While They Watched" to raise worldwide awareness of the issue.

The film will try to show what is happening in North Korea and suggest what the international community can do. Based on a hypothetical scenario in which the North Korean regime has collapsed, the film looks back at events.

Park (21) has become well known on various North Korea-related programs.

Park fled to South Korea via Mongolia with her mother at the age of 17 in 2009. She fell in love with the English language, which she never learned in North Korea and later hosted an online TV program with an American host and wrote for the Washington Post about the black market in North Korea and the changing mentality of the young generation.

Last month, she testified about human rights abuses in the British Parliament. Her belief in the demise of the "juche" ideology of self-reliance and rise of the market economy in North Korea has caught the world's attention.

"While They Watched" will be completed in December and released shortly after.

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British Documentary to Focus on Young N.Korean Defector

Park Yeon-mi

Park Yeon-mi, the North Korean defector who was named as one of the 100 women of 2014 by the BBC, will feature prominently in a documentary about North Korean human rights abuses

Producers Square Eyed Pictures said they are making the film, tentatively titled "While They Watched" to raise worldwide awareness of the issue.

The film will try to show what is happening in North Korea and suggest what the international community can do. Based on a hypothetical scenario in which the North Korean regime has collapsed, the film looks back at events.

Park (21) has become well known on various North Korea-related programs.

Park fled to South Korea via Mongolia with her mother at the age of 17 in 2009. She fell in love with the English language, which she never learned in North Korea and later hosted an online TV program with an American host and wrote for the Washington Post about the black market in North Korea and the changing mentality of the young generation.

Last month, she testified about human rights abuses in the British Parliament. Her belief in the demise of the "juche" ideology of self-reliance and rise of the market economy in North Korea has caught the world's attention.

"While They Watched" will be completed in December and released shortly after.

View the original article here

N.Korea's Nasty Young Rulers

Kim Yeo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, had been appointed a vice director in the Workers Party Central Committee. Until now, she was referred to only as a "senior official." The position is equivalent to a vice minister in the South.

But Kim Yeo-jong is only 27 years old. Her father, former leader Kim Jong-il, was appointed vice director in the party when he was 32, and her aunt, Kim Kyong-hui when she was 30.

The North Korean press did not say which department Yeo-jong is in charge of, but officials here believe the post must be fairly important.

Speculation about her role started when she was spotted accompanying Kim Jong-un at a Supreme People's Assembly event in March. Key aides Choe Ryong-hae, a secretary of the Workers Party, and Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so were also Kim's side. Since then, she has accompanied her brother on 12 official functions.

Some North Korea watchers believe Kim Yeo-jong is well on the way to becoming the No. 2 in the reclusive state. When Kim disappeared from public view for around 40 days in September and October, some press reports suggested she was effectively at the helm.

The fate of North Korea's 25 million people and the weapons of mass destruction lie in the hands of a pair of spoiled brats who have known nothing but privilege in a country of dire poverty and repression.?

There is no way that they can empathize with the suffering of the North Korean people. Indeed they appear to have inherited the depravity and viciousness of their father and grandfather, as shown in their brutal treatment of their uncle, former eminence grise Jang Song-taek, who was tortured and executed by firing squad.

The fate of his wife, their aunt Kim Kyong-hui, is a mystery.

Judging by the nasty tempers of Kim and his sister, the North is highly likely to resort to more insane, belligerent behavior in response to the mounting pressure from the international community to improve its human rights record. Kim has already forced North Koreans to rally "spontaneously" in protests lambasting the UN recommendation to haul him before the International Criminal Court. These two need watching very closely.

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N.Korea's Young Entrepreneurs Embrace Capitalism

North Korea is seeing the emergence of a class of young entrepreneurs who make hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars from private businesses and spend them on bling much like their counterparts elsewhere.

A source says North Koreans who were born in the 1980s and 90s are becoming more active making money as they were able to embrace a wave of changes caused by a nascent market-based economy there. They use smartphones and other gadgets to gather the information they need for their business and have formed nationwide sales networks.

The source said in major cities like Pyongyang, Hamheung, Chongjin and Wonsan, these up-and-coming sell smartphones and real estate, run gas stations, lend money, and run coffee shops and retail stores -- a significant change from the pursuits of the older generation.

Young property developers buy new apartments, kit them out with materials imported from China, and sell them for a hefty profit. They also set up gas filling stations in major cities or open rest-stops along highways.

One recent North Korean defector said mobile phone sales are particularly popular among young North Koreans. A trader buys up to several hundred mobile phones to sell them at retail prices.

Others lend money for interest, which has also proven to be a lucrative business.

But another source said there are as yet few places where the nouveau riche can spend their money and the risk of getting stung by state security agents is always present.

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Meet Hollywood's Most Sought-After Young Writer

Katie Dippold attends "The Heat" New York Premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre on June 23, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Rob Kim/Getty Images)

When "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig chose the female buddy cop comedy "The Heat" as his follow-up to that critical and financial hit, the decision surprised almost no one. Except screenwriter Katie Dippold.

"I loved 'Bridesmaids,' but I thought he wouldn't want to do another big female comedy," Dippold told HuffPost Entertainment at New York's Ritz Carlton Hotel on a recent Sunday. "But that's all he wanted to do."

Indeed it was. Feig signed on to direct "The Heat" and brought with him two high profile actresses: Sandra Bullock and his "Bridesmaids" breakout star, Melissa McCarthy. The film, out June 28, focuses on the pair's unlikely relationship as two law enforcement officers trying to bring down a drug ring.

"I feel good about it," Dippold, who worked on "Parks and Recreation" for three seasons, said. Which doesn't mean she's without nerves as her first screenplay heads to theaters: "You know, I don't know if I should be saying this, but I grind my teeth when I sleep and I realized my jaw has been in excruciating pain over the last couple of days."

Despite that hindrance, Dippold spoke to HuffPost Entertainment about her "Parks and Rec" beginnings, how a head injury helped with "The Heat," and what she's thinking about for a possible sequel.

You wrote one of the best "Parks and Recreation" episodes: Andy and April's wedding. What went into that?
I get credit for that because my name is on it, but it's such a collaboration. The idea of them getting married was Mike Schur, but we all brainstormed it together. It's a huge process. When I first started on "Parks and Rec," I came from sketch comedy and didn't know anything about story arcs and character arcs. So when they would talk about that stuff, I would be like, "Oh, no, I don't know what to say here." But I feel like I learned in the best possible way. Mike and Greg Daniels wanted me to learn. It was really nice. It took a long time but I remember when I started debating people about the show and got really passionate, I felt, "That's great; I learned something."

Was it easier to write this script on your own?
Yes and no. In some ways, it was fun to just do spin out whatever I wanted to do. But then I also missed having this room of the funniest writers I know to be like, "What would you do here?" I almost wish I could dial in and be like, "What should I do?"

"The Heat" contains a lot of action, which may surprise people. What movies did you watch as research for this script?
I've seen "Lethal Weapon" now about 2,000 times. "Running Scared" and "48 Hours" were big ones for me. The action stuff is really hard, especially because it just wasn't my strong suit. When I see a movie that has an amazing action sequence or some really thoughtful idea of how to do it, I'm so impressed. I never realized how hard it was. Like, "The Dark Knight Rises" -- now when I watch those movies, I'm like "Holy shit."

Did you learn anything from watching those movies?
I hope I learned something. Well, it's a daydream thing. When I was a kid, I would daydream all the time. I had several bad concussions, which may have caused this.

Oh, no.
The first one was on a swing. I was on my stomach and I was pretending to be Supergirl. This was last year. No, this was when I was in second grade. This was before schools got really safe. Now there would be sand or grass, but this was cement. I flew off the swing and cracked my head. I was in the hospital for two nights. Everything was blurry. It was truly terrible. On my report cards after that, they would say I daydreamed too much. So there wasn't anything from those movies that I could take, but seeing how they did action scenes and then daydreaming about something fun that could happen was helpful.

Who did you have in mind while writing the script?
Bruce Willis. [Laughs.] No, I tried not to get my heart set on someone in particular too much, but I was really hopeful it would be two funny women and not, like, two hot women who are not funny. I remember when I first met with the producers, they were like, "You know, Sandy and Melissa are looking to do a movie together. What do you think about that?" I was like, "Sandy? Sandy Bullock? Sure. Let's get Sandy on the phone. That sounds great." So that was very exciting.

How did you find the whole pitching process in this post-"Bridesmaids" world?
I got very lucky. Because it all happened so fast, I got to skip a lot of that thing. I think because of "Bridesmaids," this process has been a lot easier. I have no idea what would have happened without "Bridesmaids." That, also, is such a weird thing for me. I remember before "Bridesmaids" came out, if you had an idea for a female comedy, the general talk was, "We should wait to see how 'Bridesmaids' does." Which is crazy to think that so much banked on that movie. As if, "Bridesmaids" had bombed, people would be like, "Well, we tried. That's it! It's over! Maybe in another hundred years, we'll give it a shot."

Are you worried that if "The Heat" fails, studios will be reluctant to make other female-led comedies?
I hope not. I know that could be how a lot of people think, but I would just disagree with it. I feel like everyone knows that there are so many strong female comedians right now who could star in any movie and be amazing. So, I would hate for people to think that [studios would be reluctant to make more female comedies]. But I live in terror every day of my life anyway. This is just a whole other level.

You've got two other scripts that Paul will produce: a mother-daughter adventure and a possible sequel for "The Heat."
I have full treatments for both of them. I've been working both at the same time, because we still don't know what will happen with "The Heat." If the movie is not a big hit, then there won't be a sequel. So I'm going back and forth between the two.

What are you planning for the sequel?
I really like the idea we have for the sequel. I'm really excited about it. I can't say what it is. I wish I could. I really wish I could, but I can't: I would be immediately fired and murdered. But I really think it could be so fun. So I'm hopeful that we get to do it.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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