[FICTION VS. HISTORY] The dramatic history of ‘Mal_Mo_E’: Film about the creation of the first hangul dictionary stays pretty close to the facts
The title of the movie - “Mal_Mo_E” - is the real name of the Korean dictionary put together by the members of Joseoneo Hakhoe, or the Korean Language Society, for 13 years, from 1929 to 1942. This gathering of Korean words was done in secret as the Japanese Empire, during its colonial rule of Korea (1910-45), had forbidden Koreans from learning the Korean language and from using Korean names in an attempt to squash national identity, forcing them to pledge allegiance to the Japanese emperor. Thus, this 13-year mission was also referred to as “Mal Mo E.” The movie clearly explains this historical fact as it tells the story of the members of the Korean Language Society who risked their lives to work on the dictionary.
However, the characters in the film who are depicted as the members of the society use fictional names. Some historians speculate that protagonist Ryu Jeong-hwan, the leader of the Korean Language Society, played by Yoon Kye-sang, is modeled after a real member of the society named Choi Hyun-bae, while others say Jeong-hwan represents Lee Geuk-ro, another member who established the society. In light of this ambiguity, the director used fictional characters based on original members to add drama to the film, while keeping many of the historical events true.
For example, the character Kim Pan-su, played by veteran actor Yoo Hae-jin, who accidently joins the society for money and eventually sacrifices his life to keep the dictionary safe, is made up. According to records, the Korean Language Society had around 33 members, the names of whom include Lee Yun-jae, Han Jing, Kim Yun-kyung, Lee Geuk-ro, Lee Hee-seung, Choi Hyun-bae and Jang Ji-young. According to historical records, 15 of the members were arrested by Japanese authorities and two of them died in prison. The rest were released after Korea’s liberation in 1945.
The National Hangeul Museum, central Seoul, recently kicked off a special exhibition to give visitors a closer look at original copies of the Mal Mo E. The exhibit runs through March 3.
In the film, Jeong-hwan, the leader of the Korean Language Society, attempts to resume work on the Mal Mo E, which was begun by Ju Shi-gyeong (1876-1914), a Korean linguist. Ju had previously published a Korean-language newspaper to help maintain Korean identity. Then, in 1911, he began collecting Korean words in different dialects in an effort to prevent the Korean language from vanishing. This is a historical fact and, sadly, Ju died three years after he began compiling his dictionary. The mission was suspended until the Korean Language Society resumed it in 1929. According to historical records, there are 164,125 words in the first Korean dictionary, published after liberation.
The movie is the directorial debut of Eom Yu-na, who wrote the script for the award-winning period flick “A Taxi Driver,” which tells the story of the Gwangju Democratization Movement in 1980. “Mal_Mo_E” can be seen with English subtitles at Lotte Cinema in Jamsil through this Friday.
BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [sharon@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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