Welcome to Dongmakgol

The director Jang Jin produced the film “Welcome to Dongmakgol” in 2005. Just like the film we watched last class, this film also contains the background of the Korean War in 1950. Both the North Korean people’s army and from South Korea, as well as the US Navy pilot went to the village, called Dongmakgol, and lived there together with the people from Dongmakgol. Personally, while watching the film, I found the odd girl who has 5 years old mental, Yeoil as the children (victims) who had left/lost their families during the Korean War, and the next generations. Especially the scene, when Yeoil put her face at the gun, indirectly shows that the children (war-orphans) did not know what happened during the War and had to just follow parents. However, her behaviours bring laugh to people during the hard times of the War.

The colours and the brightness from the film indirectly show the hope for the reunifications. Unlike the other war films, the film “Welcome to Dongmakgol” shows the scenes with the brightness colours. Also, the scene when the popcorns fall down from the sky took audience to return to the innocence of childhood. Unlike the other gloomy and darkness War film, this film shows innocence atmosphere. Also mentioned in the reading, “the village of Dongmakgol nostalgically evokes a past before Korea’s involvement upon the world stage, before occupation, division and war” (Bevan, 53) the vivid colour of the film shows the innocence and the hope for the reunification. As well as the final scene of the film shows the hope for the reunifications, where the snows have covered the filed over the soldier’s death body and the butterflies fly skywards. In the beginning of the film, the US Navy pilot was not able to have basic conversation with the people from the village, however, at the end, “the spiritual insects symbolizes their role as protectors of the village, as well as their acceptance into its community” (Bevan, 53).

     I remember the time when I had to draw the one page poster picture of the hope for the unification when I was in elementary school. However, since the conflicts between the South and North became degenerated, the ‘unification ceremony’ has been disappeared. The film ‘Welcome to Dongamkgol’ was successful in Korea, however, if this film was released in recent days, this film could not bee able to reach the audience rate it had been recorded. Personally, the period of the time (the release date of this film) is one of the reason how could this film was able to become one of the successful War related film in South Korea (it was the period after the Kim DaeJoong’s regime, and the beginning of the Noh Muhyun’s regime).