ZAO

Contributed by: The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia by Steven Jay Rubin

Sinister North Korean agent, henchman, and sports car aficionado portrayed by Rick Yune in Die Another Day. He works for Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee), a renegade North Korean army officer who is determined to invade the South. In the film’s exciting pre-credits teaser, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is captured by Zao when he attempts to penetrate the villain’s lair inside the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Bond is tortured and imprisoned, but Zao is badly disfigured by 007, a setback that leads the Korean to Cuba, where he undergoes a novel type of treatment: DNA replacement therapy. How novel is this therapy? It could allow a person to dramatically change his or her appearance, the perfect option for a master of disguise.

Later in the story, Zao chases Bond’s Aston Martin V12 Vanquish across a frozen ice cap in Iceland while driving one of his most intimidating vehicles, a machine gun–equipped Jaguar XKR.

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app