A Heartwarming Korean War movie ' Welcome To Dongmakgol'

The 2000s can also be called a renaissance period for Korean cinema, and among them, I’d like to introduce the movie "Welcome to Dongmakgol," which I enjoyed watching in the theater. 

1. The Plot 

In 1950, when a U.S. fighter plane crashed in a place called Dongmakgol in Gangwon Province, Yeo-il meets a United Nations soldier named Smith. On his way to inform them of this, he encounters the North Korean People’s Army, and they too gather at Dongmakgol. Also, as the South Korean soldiers, including Pyo Hyun-cheol and Moon Sang-sang, who have gone astray from the military forces, gather at the village chief’s house in Dongmakgol, their precarious and dangerous cohabitation begins. 

2. The Cast and Director

Yeo Il, who can be called the film’s most iconic mascot, was played by Kang Hye-jung, the actress famous for Oldboy. Steve Tashler played Neil Smith of the Allied forces, and Shin Ha-kyun played Pyo Hyo-cheol of the South Korean army. Seo Jae-kyung, now no longer active in acting, played Moon Sang-sang, while Jung Jae-young and comedian Lim Ha-ryong gave outstanding performances as the North Korean People’s Army. The direction was handled by director Park Bae-jong, known for the drama “Island.” 

3. What to watch for 

This work is based on a play, so it might be worthwhile to compare the differences between the original work and the film. And since the plot itself is both cartoonish and, in reality, has a fairy-tale-like quality that should never actually happen, I think that if you fully understand these aspects and watch the film, you can enjoy it at least twice as much. And as shown in the movie trailer, the scene where the popcorn flower blooms is truly the highlight and one of the best scenes of this film, in my opinion. And after watching the movie, the character that stayed with me the most was Yeo-il. It would be nice to watch how lovable she makes the Allied forces, the North Korean People’s Army, and the South Korean army come together as one in the film. 

4. Personal Review

I still cannot forget the air of that summer when I watched this film. The memory of laughing with many people while eating popcorn in a cool theater still lifts my spirits. 

Although the plot itself was not entirely realistic, their meeting and childlike innocence within the film were enough to warm everyone’s hearts. Especially if Dongmakgol really existed, I’d almost want to go there just once, because it seems that place was portrayed warmly in the film.  Later, there was also controversy over the boar scene in the latter part of the film being said to have plagiarized Swing Girls, but I thought that scene was so slightly unnatural that it could have been left out, and I even considered it the film’s blemish. The characters in the film had very diverse accents, but since I live in Seoul, I wasn’t very familiar with them. I also think there were many debates about the accents in their dialects. However, I felt that the actors had practiced so much that it was not a problem at all while watching the film.  If you really want to experience cinematic imagination and visual beauty, I recommend the film Welcome to Dongmakgol.