Film review: The problem with inter-Korean rivalry in ‘Escape from Mogadishu’ | NK News
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Film review: The problem with inter-Korean rivalry in ‘Escape from Mogadishu’

Box office hits glosses over North Korea’s complex history in Third World and is riddled with stereotypes about Africa
Benjamin R. Young December 14, 2021
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Film review: The problem with inter-Korean rivalry in ‘Escape from Mogadishu’
Lotte Entertainment | Promotional movie still from Escape from Mogadishu (2021)

The South Korean film “Escape from Mogadishu” tells the story of North and South Korean diplomats fleeing war-torn Mogadishu during the Somali Civil War in 1991. While the film has done well at the box office, it falls victim to myths of inter-Korean solidarity and stereotypes of African backwardness.

The action-adventure thriller begins with an account of the two Koreas dueling it out for diplomatic recognition in newly independent African countries. Both Seoul and Pyongyang send diplomats to Somalia and take part in corruption, bribery and propaganda.

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About the Author

Benjamin R. Young

Benjamin R. Young

Benjamin R. Young, Ph.D. has taught at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dakota State University and the U.S. Naval War College. He is currently a Stanton Foundation Nuclear Security Fellow at the RAND Corporation. He is the author of the book "Guns, Guerillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World" (Stanford University Press, 2021).

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