Kim was also an expert in all aspects of the film industry and his passion for the cinema led to an odd decisions when, in 1978, he ordered North Korean agents to kidnap a famous South Korean actress and her husband to improve the North's movie industry. Choi Eun-hee and Shin Sang-ok made films in the North for eight years and earned sufficient trust to be sent to a film festival in Europe – where they immediately absconded and returned to Seoul.