Joint Security Area (2000)

In the DMZ separating North and South Korea, two North Korean soldiers have been killed, supposedly by one South Korean soldier. But the 11 bullets found in the bodies, together with the 5 ... See full summary »

Director:

Chan-wook Park

Writers:

Seong-san Jeong, Hyun-seok Kim

Stars:

Yeong-ae Lee, Byung-Hun Lee, Kang-ho Song

14 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Yeong-ae Lee	...	Maj. Sophie E. Jean
Byung-Hun Lee	...	Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok
Kang-ho Song	...	Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil
Tae-woo Kim	...	Nam Sung-shik
Ha-kyun Shin	...	Jeong Woo-jin
Herbert Ulrich	...	Swedish soldier
Christoph Hofrichter	...	Maj. Gen. Bruno Botta
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Micara Adriana
Gallego Alberto
Ahmedov Ayder
Cannon Greg Courtney
Ju-bong Gi	...	General Pyo
Isaac Green
Kwang-il Kim	...	Civil Servant #3
Myoeng-su Kim	...	Top Ranking Officer Choi

Storyline

In the DMZ separating North and South Korea, two North Korean soldiers have been killed, supposedly by one South Korean soldier. But the 11 bullets found in the bodies, together with the 5 remaining rounds in the assassin's magazine, amount to 16 cartridges for a gun that should normally hold 15. The investigating Swiss/Swedish team from the neutral countries overseeing the DMZ suspects that another, unknown party was involved - all of which points to some sort of cover up. The truth is much simpler and much more tragic.

---

Plot Keywords:

korean demilitarised zone | north south korea divide | soldier | korea | neutral nation | 

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Myung Film

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean English German

Release Date:

9 September 2000 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

J.S.A.: Joint Security Area

Filming Locations:

Asan, Choongchungnamdo, South Korea

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, Intz.com, KTB Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

If you listen carefully during the scene when Maj. Jean and her liaison are walking over "the bridge of no return", you can hear loudspeakers broadcasting over the DMZ. These are known as "propaganda speakers" - the north and south both have use these devices to broadcast - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 day a year - propaganda against one another as to why listeners should unify under their specific rule of government.

---

Goofs

The moment before Sgt. Lee shoots Sgt. Oh in the shoulder you can clearly see the squib device underneath his uniform.

---

Quotes

Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok: Hey Assholes! You just gonna leave me here?
Sgt. Oh Kyeong-pil: You told us to go.
Sgt. Lee Soo-hyeok: I said don't come closer, when did I say to leave, you fuckers!

---

Connections

References Rashomon (1950)

User Reviews

Best Korean movie ever

Although a native Korean, I've always been skeptical of Korean movies. They tend to overplay emotions and lack realism. Well, this movie changed my whole outlook - it is a grippingly realistic movie that rips through the storyline. I was spellbound. Set in the highly charged Korean demilitarized zone, it is the tale of a shootout gone wrong, but the movie is much more than just a whodunit. It illustrates quite subtly the delicate North-South emotions that transcends ideologies of the 2 regimes; it really is about characters and their situations, rather than actions. The film also features some beautiful cinematography - the scenes I remember are the tall grass (the minefield incident) and the muted cigarette exchange on top of a snow-covered hill. The latter, particularly, is extremely poignant in its silence. Why are they smoking together? And why do they not speak? The answers to these questions, I guess, are the subjects and emotions that the movie tries to convey. The only flaw I can offer is the clear mis-casting of Lee Young-Ae as the neutral major, but her role in the movie is not central enough (although she does take up quite an amount of air time) to drag down the whole movie. IMHO, I would have used a Korean-European new face in the role. I am sure that it appeals to Koreans more than foreigners, although i'm also sure you can enjoy it without prior knowledge. I recommend this very highly. It's a pity that it's still not out on DVD even after 1 year following its release, and I hope it is released soon so that movie lovers everywhere can appreciate it.