P’yang-wood heartthrob Charles Robert Jenkins?

by Robert Koehler on June 17, 2005

in North Korea

JenkinsWas reading a piece over at OhMyNews on the controversy sparked by Cultural Properties Administration chief Yoo Hong-joon (a man who knows his shit, BTW), who sang the theme song of the North Korean Korean War film and Charles Robert Jenkins classic Nameless Heros (via JoongAng English) for his North Korean hosts while on visit to Pyongyang as part of South Korea’s official delegation to the 6.15 Grand Reunificational Festival, when I came across this little tidbit of North Korean movie trivia:

“Nameless Heroes,” which cast U.S. Army deserter Charles Robert Jenkins as 8th U.S. Army counter-espionage officer Carl Smith, told the tale of how North Korean spies disguised as a British (nationality) reporter and 8th U.S. Army counter-espionage officer greatly contributed to the Northern victory.

It’s said the film was a big hit in North Korea during the 70s~80s.

In the film, Jenkins develops a liking to the heroine, a North Korean spy serving as a counter-espionage officer like him, and helped her when she encountered danger.

Jenkins was seen in the film as a “good-looking man” (I’m pretty sure there’s a better translation for “ggotmi-nam”) like James Bond star Roger Moore, and was said to have been extremely popular among young North Korean women at the time.

Oh my.

Pic from Seoul Times.

{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

1 ?ª? ??Œ????³´?²???¤. June 17, 2005 at 2:49 pm

So either his head shrunk leaving those huge ears he has now or that hat is doing a lot to make them look in proportion.

2 MichaelMichael June 17, 2005 at 5:50 pm

From Army sergeant to nork heartthrob to human smurf, what a life….

3 KrZ June 17, 2005 at 5:53 pm

Human smurf? Has he been drinking colloidal silver?

4 MichaelMichael June 17, 2005 at 6:21 pm

I’m not sure what causes smurfization, but he could get a job as one of the seven dwarves at Tokyo Disneyland if the family is hard up for cash.

5 MichaelMichael June 17, 2005 at 10:10 pm

Back to North Korea…Kim Jong-il apparently promised a host of things to “Unification” Minister Chung, whose smug face I’m watching on YTN now. Kim said he would re-join the NPT, allow IAEA inspections, and go back to the six-way talks…if the U.S. “recognizes and respects” the norks. So, he’s sweetened the pot, but again puts the onus on the U.S.–sounds like business as usual, with a couple of flourishes.

6 slim June 17, 2005 at 10:33 pm

All those Western men/Asian women theories much debated here a coule of weeks back may even apply to North Korea.

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8 troll June 19, 2005 at 6:05 am

don’t know about other asian guys, but i don’t blame korean girls dissing korean guys. korean guys are, to put it politely, lousy catch. i know, i am one :-) (funny, i get the same crap from non-koreans girls, too – what’s with that?!)

9 MichaelMichael June 19, 2005 at 11:34 am

Troll, you and I have had our disagreements (I guess, after a fashion) but here I have to really disagree with you :) Almost all of the Korean men I know (coworkers, friends) would make a far better “catch” than the non-Koreans I know/knew in L.A. Women are on the conservative side and tend to look for stable, family-oriented, financially secure guys (how’s that for a blanket statement?) and the men here in their late 20s-30s fit that description well, better than us Westerners, I have to say. You might be one those guys, dude!

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