Action-comedy film “My Girlfriend is an Agent” is a hilarious spy romance about secret agents caught in a complicated yet comic love affair.

Su-ji has been serving as a National Intelligence Service spy disguised as a travel agent for six years. While the veteran agent is a master of all sorts of martial arts and skillfully handles high-tech gadgets, she is clumsy when it comes to lying to her boyfriend, Jae-jun, about her identity. Sick and tired of her constant, farfetched lies, Jae-jun leaves her. Su-ji is heartbroken, of course, about his unilateral decision to part with her so suddenly. The story restarts three years later when a Russian crime group attempts to steal a chemical weapon from Korea and two secret Korean agents are entrusted with a mission to thwart the scheme. It turns out that one is experienced agent Su-ji and the other is newly trained agent Jae-jun, who is now working at a different department of the National Intelligence Service. The former pretends to work as a cleaning lady and the latter is working undercover as an accountant, as their respective departments work toward the same goal. In the process, the two, who used to be a passionate couple, bump into each other, with both concealing their secret identities. The old emotional scars reopen when they blame each other for the breakup years ago. But Su-ji and Jae-jun come to realize that they are still in love. The two get entangled in a tricky situation where they go behind each other’s back to accomplish their mission.

The Korean version of the 2005 American movie “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” portrays secret agents from a different angle. Previous films and dramas about the National Intelligence Service or NIS were mostly about the secret organization involving in espionage missions against North Korea or oppressing pro-democracy activists. In contrast, this movie depicts NIS agents with flaws and problems. The heroine of the movie, for example, is highly competent in her field but she is also shown loafing around at home in an old, loose sweater, crying over the breakup with her boyfriend. The film also contributes to promoting the image of NIS by showing how faithfully different departments protect their secrets from one another even within the same organization. It is also worth watching various comic action scenes, including the heroine’s Jackie Chan stunts on a jet ski in a wedding dress.

The cheerful espionage romantic comedy proved successful at the box office, attracting more than four million moviegoers in 2009. The film was screened in many Asian countries, including Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Singapore, drawing positive responses from local viewers. The spy romance is a perfect diversion for those hoping to laugh for two hours without thinking serious matters. Throughout the film, viewers are amused by slapstick, humorous scenes and witty dialogue.