Zao is a henchman in the James Bond film Die Another Day. He is played by Rick Yune.

Rick Yune as Zao in ‘Die Another Day’.

Biography: He is originally an employee of Gustav Graves / Tan sun-Moon as the Colonel illegally deals in arms in the Demilitarised Zone of North Korea. Bond, posing as diamond smuggler van Beerg, infiltrates Moon’s base as part of an MI6 operation, hoping to exchange diamonds for arms and expose Moon. The case of diamonds is rigged with explosives and blows up, embedding several stones in Zao’s face (which Jinx later dubbed “expensive acne”). Moon is supposedly killed in the assault. Zao goes rogue, kills three Chinese agents, and is later found and arrested by the UN forces in Korea. Bond is held captive by Moon’s father, General Moon. Fourteen months later, MI6 receives intelligence that Bond may soon crack under the pressure and reveal vital information, so a trade is arranged – Zao for Bond.

Following Moon, Zao travels to Cuba, planning to receive gene therapy to alter his appearance. However, Bond finds the lab and halts the procedure before it is completed, leaving Zao’s features altered into the albino-esque profile seen above and to the right. Zao, though, escapes again.

Zao catches up with Moon, who, through a course of gene therapy, is now Sir Gustav Graves, in Iceland. Bond, however, has figured out Graves’ true identity. Ordered to kill Bond, Zao gets in his modified Jaguar XKR and chases Bond and his Aston Martin Vanquish across the ice plains. The chase leads back to the Ice Palace, where Zao loses control of his car and it plunges into the melting ice. Bond shoots down a chandelier which lands on Zao, impaling him.

The word “Zao” means “evil” (man) in Croatian or Serbian and some other Slavic languages. Despite the character being a North Korean, Zao’s name is not actually Korean, and there is actually no way to write his name in Korean, as the Korean language has no “z” sound.