"The Spy Gone North" official poster (CJ Entertainment)

“The Spy Gone North” will be no ordinary spy action film, according to director Yoon Jong-bin.

(Naver's V Live)

“While spy films usually revolve around triumphing against an antagonist, (“The Spy Gone North”) is a story about the psychological essence of being a spy,” Yoon said via Naver’s V Live on Monday.

To accentuate the character-based plot, the film’s cinematographer Choi Chan-min explained that there “had to be a lot of close-ups” to portray detailed emotions and expressions.

Hwang Jung-min, whose filmography lists no shortage of box office hits, including “The Himalayas” (2015) and “The Wailing” (2016), plays the lead role of Park Seok-yong, a character loosely based on former South Korean intelligence agent Park Chan-seo.

(Naver's V Live)

“The words in the script are a mouthful. It felt like a Shakespearean play,” said Hwang. “It’s verbal action.”

Of the film’s director, Hwang said he is “tenacious” and his work is jammed with concepts.

(Naver's V Live)

The mastermind behind action hits “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” (2012) and “The Berlin File” (2013), Yoon debuted in South Korea’s cinematic industry with his college graduation thesis film “The Unforgiven,” which was widely acclaimed at the 2015 Busan International Film Festival.

“‘For whom and what are we fighting for?’ was the question that I wanted to throw,” said Yoon.

“The Spy Gone North” will hit theaters on Aug. 9.

Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

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