Joint Security Area (film)
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| Joint Security Area | |
 "Joint Security Area" movie poster |
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|---|---|
| Directed by | Park Chan-wook |
| Written by | Park Sang-Yeon (novel) Jeong Seong-San Park Chan-wook Lee Mu-young |
| Starring | Lee Young-ae Lee Byung-hun Song Kang-ho |
| Cinematography | Kim Seong-bok |
| Editing by | Kim Sang-beom |
| Release date(s) | September 9, 2000 (South Korea) |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Language | Korean |
| IMDb profile | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul: | 공동경비구역JSA |
| Hanja: | 共同警備區域JSA |
| Revised Romanization: | Gongdong Gyeongbi Guyeok JSA |
| McCune-Reischauer: | Kongdong Kyŏngbi Kuyŏk JSA |
Joint Security Area (2000) is a South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The story begins a few days after two North Korean soldiers are killed in the DMZ.
Due to the fragile relationship between the two Koreas a special investigation is conducted by investigators from the two neutral nations Sweden and Switzerland to ensure that this does not trigger a large conflict.
The mission is led by Major Sophie (Lee Young-ae), the first female to go into the border area since 1953.
The events that lead to the killing of 2 North Korean Soldiers are then shown throughout the film in a series of flashbacks. Firstly the depositions of each surviving soldier is shown, showing conflicting stories on what happened that night. Major Sophie looks further into the case and discovers that things are not quite as they seem.
There are reports on the American remake of this movie. However, this version's story relies on the United States–Mexico border. [1]
[edit] Significance
The movie is noteworthy in that it not only succeeds as a mystery but so accurately portrays the psychology and emotion behind the division between North and South Korea. The movie is not biased towards any side in terms of politics or propaganda, but it shows the human aspect from a dramatic and intense perspective.
By early 2001 Joint Security Area had become the highest grossing film in Korean film history [2] (later it has been eclipsed by Friend, Silmido and Taegukgi). This success allowed Park Chan-wook to get the financial leeway to make his subsequent movies.
Within two weeks of its release the film took in one million admissions.
[edit] Main cast
- Lee Young Ae - Major Sophie E. Jean
- Lee Byung-Hun - Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok
- Song Kang-ho - Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil
- Kim Tae-woo - Nam Sung-shik
- Shin Ha-kyun - Jeong Woo-jin
