{"id":11088,"date":"2026-05-10T11:23:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T11:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/11088\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T11:23:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T11:23:52","slug":"review-swedish-diplomat-north-korean-officer-fall-in-love-in-pyongyang-in-the-square","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/11088\/","title":{"rendered":"[REVIEW] Swedish diplomat, North Korean officer fall in love in Pyongyang in ‘The Square’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/p>\n

A poster for “The Square” \/ Courtesy of Studio dhL <\/p>\n

In films set in or related to North Korea, certain elements often recur: secret agents and military personnel of the country, deprived civilians, breathtaking chases and graphic brutality. “The Square,” an animated feature by director Kim Bo-sol, has none of that.<\/p>\n

Instead, the film focuses on two civilians in North Korea: Isak B\u00f6rg, a Swedish diplomat, and Bok-ju, a North Korean traffic safety officer and B\u00f6rg’s lover. This unprecedented plot alone is enough to engage viewers immediately. <\/p>\n

The film follows how the two navigate their emotions and circumstances as they face an impending, permanent separation, inviting viewers to reflect on isolation, control and the quiet cost of love under surveillance. <\/p>\n

The plot was inspired by a news story Kim came across in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an interview with a real Swedish diplomat who had returned from North Korea after three years of service. When the reporter asked, \u2018What was life like in North Korea?\u2019 the diplomat replied, \u2018I was so lonely.\u2019 He explained that due to surveillance and control in North Korea, he could not even share a single beer with the North Korean staff he worked with,\u201d Kim wrote in a press release.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A scene from “The Square” \/ Courtesy of Studio dhL<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, the only way he could relieve his stress was by riding a bicycle alone on an empty highway where there was no one around. That vivid picture of a blond diplomat biking solo on an empty road totally clicked with my long-time fascination with North Korea. It was the spark that made me think, \u2018I have to make a movie about this.\u2019 And that\u2019s how it all started.\u201d <\/p>\n

The director successfully translated that image into an animation. <\/p>\n

B\u00f6rg, with his blond hair and bicycle, rides everywhere \u2014 to work, to Kim Il-sung Square to lay flowers as part of his daily ritual and to meet his secret girlfriend. Riding together becomes one of the couple\u2019s rare moments of intimacy. The two communicate in Korean, which B\u00f6rg speaks fluently, having a Korean grandmother.<\/p>\n

The film successfully portrays a realistic vision of Pyongyang and its repressive atmosphere. Streets appear largely empty and the city\u2019s landscape is rendered in muted shades of gray. <\/p>\n

In one scene, the Swedish diplomat shops at a local market, only for a child and a parent who interact with him to be taken away. For the same reason, Bok-ju is later removed from the city. In North Korea, locals and foreigners are prohibited from interacting with one another.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A scene from “The Square” \/ Courtesy of Studio dhL<\/p>\n

Surveillance takes human form in Myeong-joon, B\u00f6rg\u2019s assigned assistant who is, in fact, an undercover agent tasked with monitoring the diplomat and reporting his daily activities.<\/p>\n

Myeong-joon rejects B\u00f6rg\u2019s attempts at human connection. In one scene, B\u00f6rg invites him to his apartment to share a beer, but Myeong-joon reacts angrily and leaves. Although he is aware of B\u00f6rg\u2019s relationship with Bok-ju \u2014 and the couple\u2019s anguish over their separation \u2014 he initially does little to help. He ignores B\u00f6rg’s request for help in finding Bok-ju after she is sent to the countryside, accused of interacting with a foreigner.<\/p>\n

But Myeong-joon is no one-dimensional villain. The director said he spent a lot of time developing the character.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile working on the script, I interviewed a North Korean defector who told me he had never felt lonely because he was too anxious about everything,\u201d Kim said. \u201cThe same is true for Myeong-joon. What drives him is anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later, when Myeong-joon helps B\u00f6rg find Bok-ju, he reflects on his own emotions. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I was lonely,\u201d he says, explaining his change of heart.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A scene from “The Square” \/ Courtesy of Studio dhL<\/p>\n

As Kim’s third movie, \u201cThe Square\u201d received the Contrechamp Jury Award at last year\u2019s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, as well as the Best Director Award at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and Best Film at the Seoul Independent Film Festival in 2025. <\/p>\n

The film will be released in theaters on Jan. 15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A poster for “The Square” \/ Courtesy of Studio dhL In films set in or related to North…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[129],"class_list":{"0":"post-11088","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pyongyang","8":"tag-pyongyang"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}