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Silmido (film)
Encyclopedia
Silmido is a 2003 South Korean film, directed by Kang Woo-suk
. It is loosely based on a military uprising from the island of Silmido
in the 1970s. At the end of its run, the film was the most watched film ever in South Korea, and the first film to attract an audience of 10 million viewers in the country. Taegukgi
later broke its record in 2004, and then The King and the Clown
with additional 2 million in 2006.
commandos of Unit 124
infiltrated South Korea
in a failed mission to assassinate
President Park Chung-hee
.
As a means of retaliation, the South Korean military assembled a team of 31 social outcasts and death/life
criminals, training them on the island of Silmido
, off the coast of Incheon
, in order to execute Kim Il-sung
. The mission, regarded a suicide mission, was seen as the only way for these new recruits to redeem themselves and show their loyalty to their country. If they succeeded, they would win their freedom and a new life. With this goal in mind, they endured gruelling, almost inhumane training, becoming finely honed killing machines.
In October 1968, at the end of their training, they were dispatched on their mission to the North
, but were recalled not long after their departure due to mysterious orders from above. The project was called off, and they returned to Silmido discouraged and frustrated. This frustration led two squad members to go AWOL and rape a female doctor who lived relatively nearby; they were discovered, surrounded by military, and realizing their fate, attempted mutual suicide. One man was killed in this, the other injured. The latter was then returned to the camp on Silmido and strung up, alive, as an example while his fellow squad members were beaten by the troops for the two men's betrayal. One member snapped, charged to the front and killed the strung-up man. Meanwhile efforts continued to negotiate peaceful reunification between the two Koreas, rendering the squad all but useless.
To keep the top-secret, dirty project unknown to the outside world, the South Korean intelligence agency decided to "eliminate" the squad. The commander, outraged, was then told that if his troops failed to follow this order, they too would be killed. Torn between his duty to follow orders and his personal honor, the commander intentionally leaked this information. As one high-level officer was sent away from the island for his unwillingness to participate (lied into thinking he's going to re-negotiate the murder order), the squad realizing they were going to be killed that same night, made plans to fight back. They killed their trainers and, then after being told the truth of the mission - that they legally no longer exist, and thus would neither receive recognition for their mission if it succeeded, nor even be allowed to return to society - decided to escape from the island and make their story known. Before, the commander, after giving away this info, committed suicide
by gunshot. On 24 August 1971, the 20 remaining members of the squad captured a bus and commandeered it for Seoul
. An official pronouncement was made through the media that 20 "armed communist agents" had infiltrated the country, and a state of emergency was declared. Eventually they were stopped by army roadblocks and fired on. Realizing their plight, the men engaged in mutual suicide, all throwing their hand grenades into the middle of the bus. The aforementioned high-level officer learned what was happening and tried to call back the army, but he failed. Later, an investigation was carried out. The resulting report was filed away, unread.
Whether the Unit 684
was composed of criminals and outcasts similar to the American film The Dirty Dozen
(1967) or made of elite South Korean troops is subject to debate, having enraged surviving family members of the deceased. However, thus far no evidence disclosed or investigated has awarded victory to one side over the other.
Silmido (37.40 N, 126.39 E) is a small barren island west of Muuido (무의도, 舞衣島) off the west coast of Incheon. It is no more than 50 km (30 mi) from the North Korean border and only 5 km (3 mi) from the Incheon International Airport
opened in 2001.
Kang Woo-suk
Kang Woo-suk is a South Korean film producer and director. He has often been called the most powerful man in Korean cinema, topping Cine21 magazine's list of '50 Most Powerful Men in Korean Cinema' for seven consecutive years from 1998 to 2004.Kang started as a director of successful comedy films...
. It is loosely based on a military uprising from the island of Silmido
Silmido
Silmido is an uninhabited island in the Yellow Sea, off the west coast of South Korea. It has an area of about .25 km². It lies within the borders of Incheon metropolitan city, and is about 5 kilometers southwest of Incheon International Airport...
in the 1970s. At the end of its run, the film was the most watched film ever in South Korea, and the first film to attract an audience of 10 million viewers in the country. Taegukgi
Taegukgi (film)
Taegukgi Hwinallimyo is a 2004 South Korean war film directed by Kang Je-gyu. It tells the story about the effect of the Korean War on two brothers. The film's title is the name of the pre-war Flag of Korea as well as the postwar Flag of South Korea...
later broke its record in 2004, and then The King and the Clown
The King and the Clown
The King and the Clown is a 2005 South Korean film, adapted from the 2000 Korean play titled Yi about Yeonsangun of Joseon, a Joseon dynasty king who falls in love with a court clown who mocks him. The movie is based on a small passage from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty that briefly mentions...
with additional 2 million in 2006.
Plot
On 21 January 1968, 31 North KoreanNorth Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
commandos of Unit 124
Unit 124
Unit 124 was a North Korean Special Operation Forces unit, part of the Reconnaissance Bureau of the Korean People's Army , under the operational control of the Liaison Department of the Worker's Party of Korea....
infiltrated South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
in a failed mission to assassinate
Blue House Raid
The Blue House Raid was an unsuccessful attempt by North Korean commandos to assassinate the South Korean President Park Chung-hee at the Blue House on January 21, 1968.-Preparations:...
President Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee
Park Chung-hee was a Republic of Korea Army general and the leader of South Korea from 1961 to 1979. He seized power in a military coup and ruled until his assassination in 1979. He has been credited with the industrialization of the Republic of Korea through export-led growth...
.
As a means of retaliation, the South Korean military assembled a team of 31 social outcasts and death/life
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
criminals, training them on the island of Silmido
Silmido
Silmido is an uninhabited island in the Yellow Sea, off the west coast of South Korea. It has an area of about .25 km². It lies within the borders of Incheon metropolitan city, and is about 5 kilometers southwest of Incheon International Airport...
, off the coast of Incheon
Incheon
The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City...
, in order to execute Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
. The mission, regarded a suicide mission, was seen as the only way for these new recruits to redeem themselves and show their loyalty to their country. If they succeeded, they would win their freedom and a new life. With this goal in mind, they endured gruelling, almost inhumane training, becoming finely honed killing machines.
In October 1968, at the end of their training, they were dispatched on their mission to the North
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, but were recalled not long after their departure due to mysterious orders from above. The project was called off, and they returned to Silmido discouraged and frustrated. This frustration led two squad members to go AWOL and rape a female doctor who lived relatively nearby; they were discovered, surrounded by military, and realizing their fate, attempted mutual suicide. One man was killed in this, the other injured. The latter was then returned to the camp on Silmido and strung up, alive, as an example while his fellow squad members were beaten by the troops for the two men's betrayal. One member snapped, charged to the front and killed the strung-up man. Meanwhile efforts continued to negotiate peaceful reunification between the two Koreas, rendering the squad all but useless.
To keep the top-secret, dirty project unknown to the outside world, the South Korean intelligence agency decided to "eliminate" the squad. The commander, outraged, was then told that if his troops failed to follow this order, they too would be killed. Torn between his duty to follow orders and his personal honor, the commander intentionally leaked this information. As one high-level officer was sent away from the island for his unwillingness to participate (lied into thinking he's going to re-negotiate the murder order), the squad realizing they were going to be killed that same night, made plans to fight back. They killed their trainers and, then after being told the truth of the mission - that they legally no longer exist, and thus would neither receive recognition for their mission if it succeeded, nor even be allowed to return to society - decided to escape from the island and make their story known. Before, the commander, after giving away this info, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by gunshot. On 24 August 1971, the 20 remaining members of the squad captured a bus and commandeered it for Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. An official pronouncement was made through the media that 20 "armed communist agents" had infiltrated the country, and a state of emergency was declared. Eventually they were stopped by army roadblocks and fired on. Realizing their plight, the men engaged in mutual suicide, all throwing their hand grenades into the middle of the bus. The aforementioned high-level officer learned what was happening and tried to call back the army, but he failed. Later, an investigation was carried out. The resulting report was filed away, unread.
Cast
- Sol Kyung-guSol Kyung-guSol Kyung-gu is a Grand Bell Award, Golden Space Needle Award, and Bratislava International Film Festival Best Actor winning South Korean actor. He studied film and theater at Hanyang University and upon graduation took part in mostly theatrical productions...
(설경구, 薛景求) - Ahn Sung-kiAhn Sung-kiAhn Sung-ki is known to the public as the "National Best Actor of Korea".-Biography:A Roman Catholic, he was born in Daegu and grew up as a child actor - graduating Kyundong junior high school, from which Cho Yong-pil also graduated - appearing in director Kim Ki-young's celebrated film The...
(안성기, 安聖基) - Heo Joon-ho (허준호)
- Jeong Jae-yeongJeong Jae-yeong- Career :Jeong starred in the film noir No Blood No Tears , and was a supporting actor in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance . Later he won Best Supporting Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his role in the box office hit Silmido ....
(정재영)
Historical debacle and reception
Unit 684
209th Detachment, 2325th Group, commonly known as Unit 684, was a black operation team of Republic of Korea Air Force whose only given task was to assassinate North Korea's premier Kim Il-sung.-Formation:...
was composed of criminals and outcasts similar to the American film The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen
The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 film directed by Robert Aldrich and released by MGM. It was filmed in England and features an ensemble cast, including Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Telly Savalas, and Robert Webber. The film is based on E. M...
(1967) or made of elite South Korean troops is subject to debate, having enraged surviving family members of the deceased. However, thus far no evidence disclosed or investigated has awarded victory to one side over the other.
Silmido (37.40 N, 126.39 E) is a small barren island west of Muuido (무의도, 舞衣島) off the west coast of Incheon. It is no more than 50 km (30 mi) from the North Korean border and only 5 km (3 mi) from the Incheon International Airport
Incheon International Airport
Incheon International Airport is the largest airport in South Korea, the primary airport serving the Seoul national capital area, and one of the largest and busiest airports in the world...
opened in 2001.