‘Newstory’ to focus on film history

SBS’s “Newstory” is airing a special episode this morning at 8 a.m. about inter-Korean relations in Korean cinema for the past century.

According to a statement from the channel, most of the films on the topic until the 1970s were distinctly patriotic or anti-communist.

Then in 1999, “Shiri” was a major turning point because director Kang Je-kyu took the idea of a clash between South and North Korean intelligence agents and turned it into the first Korean-style blockbuster, drawing a record 6.2 million moviegoers to theaters.

“Silmido” (2003) and “Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War” (2004) each sold over 10 million tickets, and films about the two Koreas continued to evolve in variety.

In this special episode, directors including Kang and Park Chan-wook will look back on how the Korean peninsula has been portrayed in cinema and discuss ways to move forward.

By Kim Eun-jin