Korea: The Never-Ending War

United Front

1967

No synopsis available.

Purgatory

2023

A young man, William Hawthorne, gets drafted into a brutal war for the U.S. Once on the battlefield, William loses his squad after a deadly bombing and searches for salvation.

2minutes40seconds

1975

One of the major works by South Korean feminist film collective Kaidu Club, this short is a dynamic, idiosyncratic, and mosaic-like portrait of Korean life, culture, and people who dream of a unified North and South.

Flame

1975 · ★ 7

A man wanders around the mountains with a bleeding leg, holding a rifle in his hand. Seemingly a fugitive, he runs from as-yet unknown pursuers, but he also seems to be following somebody who has already walked the same path. As he hides in a secluded cave, past memories sweep through his exhausted mind, memories of lifelong cowardice and evasion. And this recollection leads to a reconstruction of early 20th century Korean history. Winner of Best Picture (Nam-a Pictures Co., Ltd.), Best Actor (Ha Myung-joong), Best Art Direction (Kim Yoo-joon), Best Lighting (Son Young-cheol) at the 14th Grand Bell Awards. (source: Jiro Hong, koreanfilm.org)

Order No. 027

1986 · ★ 6.1

A group of elite soldiers is sent across the border to South Korea to destroy a military base.

Letters

2021 · ★ 9

LETTERS, a dramatic historical fiction written by Mrs. Evelyn Merritt in 2010, tells the story of U.S. soldiers and their loved ones through their correspondence beginning with the Civil War and ending with the War in Iraq. Sahuarita High School students adapted the Readers’ Theatre play into a movie, reasoning the student actors would be kept safe from Covid-19 by filming them individually, and afterward the footage could be reassembled into a screenplay following the original dialogue.

Welcome to Dongmakgol

2005 · ★ 7.4

Based on the long running play by Jang Jin, the story is set in Korea during the Korean War in 1950. Soldiers from both the North and South, as well as an American pilot, find themselves in a secluded and naively idealistic village, its residents unaware of the outside world, including the war.

The Non-Biological Mexican

In the heart of Seoul, South Korea, a man named Jung-Su Lee has dedicated his life to mastering the art of Mexican cuisine. This film explores this journey, how an unexpected connection reshaped his identity.

CNA Insider: Is Seoul To Blame For South Korea's Population Crisis?

2024

South Korea's is facing a population crisis, with Seoul at the centre of it. The country’s capital remains the beneficiary of both internal and external migration. Instead, it is in the rural and peripheral areas where low birth rates and the aging population have become crises. The countryside is at risk of becoming extinct. As more opportunities and people get concentrated in Seoul, urban pressures have led to rising unemployment and cost of living. And when things get expensive, people do not have babies. Seoul now has the lowest birthrate in South Korea, in a country with the world’s most dire fertility. On the other hand, farms and factories in the rural areas desperately need workers. How can South Korea solve this population puzzle?

Pay Off

2023

As the novel 『LimGeojeong』 becomes a great success, the publisher and the writer's bereaved family in North Korea meet to solve the copyright problem. Their exchanges between South and North Korea create another novel-like story that condenses issues in various fields including politics, economy, and culture together with concerns and hospitality.

The Testimony

1974 · ★ 4

June 25, 1950. When second lieutenant Jang has a date with his girl friend during weekend, numerous North Korean jet fighters make sudden air raids to the skies of Seoul. It is the beginning of Korean War. In spite of Korean Army's brave defense, North Korean army reddens South Korea with their state-of-the-art weapons. This movie describes the progress of war from the invasion in June 25, 1950 to the reclamation of territory on the basis of Sun-A's personal experience. Also this film reminds hard lessons from tragic history.

Scorched Earth

2022

Based on declassified US military documents and archival footage, as well as testimonies from those who participated in bombings and civilian victims, director Lee Mi-young thoroughly illuminates the reality of the US Air Force’s indiscriminate bombing that resulted in numerous civilian casualties during the three-year Korean War.