Defector Finds New Talents in Capitalist Society
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By Bae Keun-min
Staff Reporter
Dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov is probably best remembered, these days, for such roles as the Russian defector ballerino Nikolai Rodchenko in the film "White Nights" (1985) and artist Aleksandr Petrovsky, a boyfriend of main character Carrie in the final season of the mega-hit TV series "Sex and the City" (2004).
Baryshnikov has been a huge figure in the dance community for the past four decades even when he lived in the former Soviet Union. However, the celebrated primo ballerino became a mainstream celebrity after expanding into acting, particularly since his political exile to Canada in 1974.
Like Baryshnikov, there are performers here who defected from a communist country, and are seeking their own version of success and freedom.
Lee Kyung, a North Korean defector who arrived in South Korea in 2002, is one of them.
The 23-year-old actress debuted here in a one-act special TV drama at SBS, "Pinguori", early last year, playing the role of an ethnic Korean in China who visits the South.
Last fall, she also starred in a TV mini series at the same broadcasting company, "Love Needs a Miracle (Sarangun Kijogi Piryohae)", in which she played a North Korean defector living a difficult life while dreaming of becoming an entertainer.
"I never thought that I could start pursuing my acting career so soon. I am very lucky", Lee told The Korea Times.
"This might be related to changes in relations between the South and the North for the past few years".
She said she would have never dreamed of acting on screen in the North where she was considered a dance prodigy.
Lee began studying traditional dance at the age of 5 and entered a music and dance university in Pyongyang at 11. Lee became the youngest person to join the North's first-ever light music troupe at 14.
However, her life completely changed when she was 15. Her parents took her and her little brother on a trip to China, and never returned.
For the next four years, they lived in exile in China, and Lee felt her dreams of dancing was all but lost.
Once she arrived in South Korea, and after period of adjustment, Lee said her dreams began to come back.
"The South is a very busy society. It was hard for me to get used to it. I felt like I was haunted by something all the time", Lee said.
"Then I realized that real freedom lies in desiring something and having fun in the process of realizing it, and I began to adjust".
When Lee first began her television career, she found interest from people in the industry due to her defector status. However, she says the roles she has been offered so far have been limited to either ethnic Koreans in China or North Korean defectors.
"I think I can make those characters real, more than anybody else right now. I will play such roles again if I have the chance, as I think I can help people understand more about the defectors and their lives here", Lee said. "But I hope to perform other beautiful roles in the future too".
Lee said the culture gap and her accent are the biggest hurdles left in her career. Also, she was initially worried that her appearance on TV might hurt her relatives in the North.
"When I decided to act on TV, my parents worried so much that my appearance would disadvantage our relatives in the North. But they relented, as we came here for a dream and a better life", Lee said.
"But I don't want my family on TV and they don't want that either, so I have an agreement on the matter with my agency".
Lee is now enjoying a break but will return both for small screen and big screen roles. "I have received scripts and read them. I think I will be cast in a film about South and North relations", Lee said. "I plan to learn different types of dances such as belly dancing and ballroom dancing this year".
Staff Reporter
Dancer and actor Mikhail Baryshnikov is probably best remembered, these days, for such roles as the Russian defector ballerino Nikolai Rodchenko in the film "White Nights" (1985) and artist Aleksandr Petrovsky, a boyfriend of main character Carrie in the final season of the mega-hit TV series "Sex and the City" (2004).
Baryshnikov has been a huge figure in the dance community for the past four decades even when he lived in the former Soviet Union. However, the celebrated primo ballerino became a mainstream celebrity after expanding into acting, particularly since his political exile to Canada in 1974.
Like Baryshnikov, there are performers here who defected from a communist country, and are seeking their own version of success and freedom.
Lee Kyung, a North Korean defector who arrived in South Korea in 2002, is one of them.
The 23-year-old actress debuted here in a one-act special TV drama at SBS, "Pinguori", early last year, playing the role of an ethnic Korean in China who visits the South.
Last fall, she also starred in a TV mini series at the same broadcasting company, "Love Needs a Miracle (Sarangun Kijogi Piryohae)", in which she played a North Korean defector living a difficult life while dreaming of becoming an entertainer.
"I never thought that I could start pursuing my acting career so soon. I am very lucky", Lee told The Korea Times.
"This might be related to changes in relations between the South and the North for the past few years".
She said she would have never dreamed of acting on screen in the North where she was considered a dance prodigy.
Lee began studying traditional dance at the age of 5 and entered a music and dance university in Pyongyang at 11. Lee became the youngest person to join the North's first-ever light music troupe at 14.
However, her life completely changed when she was 15. Her parents took her and her little brother on a trip to China, and never returned.
For the next four years, they lived in exile in China, and Lee felt her dreams of dancing was all but lost.
Once she arrived in South Korea, and after period of adjustment, Lee said her dreams began to come back.
"The South is a very busy society. It was hard for me to get used to it. I felt like I was haunted by something all the time", Lee said.
"Then I realized that real freedom lies in desiring something and having fun in the process of realizing it, and I began to adjust".
When Lee first began her television career, she found interest from people in the industry due to her defector status. However, she says the roles she has been offered so far have been limited to either ethnic Koreans in China or North Korean defectors.
"I think I can make those characters real, more than anybody else right now. I will play such roles again if I have the chance, as I think I can help people understand more about the defectors and their lives here", Lee said. "But I hope to perform other beautiful roles in the future too".
Lee said the culture gap and her accent are the biggest hurdles left in her career. Also, she was initially worried that her appearance on TV might hurt her relatives in the North.
"When I decided to act on TV, my parents worried so much that my appearance would disadvantage our relatives in the North. But they relented, as we came here for a dream and a better life", Lee said.
"But I don't want my family on TV and they don't want that either, so I have an agreement on the matter with my agency".
Lee is now enjoying a break but will return both for small screen and big screen roles. "I have received scripts and read them. I think I will be cast in a film about South and North relations", Lee said. "I plan to learn different types of dances such as belly dancing and ballroom dancing this year".
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