(Korean Movies) As One, 2012

September 1990
Inter-Korean high-level talks held in Seoul

February 1991
4th Inter-Korean Sports Summit in Panmunjom
North and South Korea agreed to form a unified table tennis team

April 1991
41st World Table Tennis Championships
Participated in 'Korea', the first unified South and North Korean team since division

April 29, 1991 Women's team final
The 'Korea' team beat China, which was aiming for the 9th consecutive championship.
accomplished a miracle

It was the first time in 18 years to win the table tennis team event.
The South and North Korean players who rose to the top as a team rather than rivals
I hugged you and wept,
The stadium seemed to stop time with the shouts of 'Korea'

And 21 years have passed

but they never met again

The true story of the first unified North and South Korea team <Korea>

[ About Movie ]

The first true story of a unified South and North Korean team in 1991!
Let's meet their hot challenge for 46 days again on the screen!
The movie <Korea> is based on the true story of a unified South and North Korean team that was formed for the first time in history at the 41st World Championships in 1991. The high-level inter-Korean summit in 1990 was held to try to reconcile and disrupt the atmosphere between the two Koreas that had been sharply strained after the bombing of the KAL. South and North Korea, which wanted to relieve political tension through sports exchanges, first discussed the formation of a single team for table tennis and soccer, which was at its peak at the time. Finally, the North and South Korean table tennis teams participated in the World Championships as one team, 'Korea'. Each time, they were blocked by the high wall of the world's strongest China and ended in a disappointing defeat, so the South and North Korea all united and sent enthusiastic support to them, who were desperate for a gold medal more than ever, which drove the world into deep emotion.

The movie <Korea> recreates the passionate emotions of the day in 1991, when the miraculous moment when the South and the North were united, apart from different ideologies, unfolded on the screen once again. Korea, the first unified inter-Korean team since division, was formed by the dramatic final negotiations between the two Koreas. Table tennis players from South Korea and North Korea, who had to face each other as enemies and rivals competing for the championship across the net, became a team for the first time and the new challenges and achievements to achieve a single goal were brought to another impression through the movie <Korea>. unfolds The moment when North and South Korea became one through table tennis in 1991, but after the promiseless farewell that came with the victory, the players of 'Korea' who have never met face to face together for 21 years. The story of their 46 days together until the finals of that day, which is remembered as one of the most dramatic and moving scenes, will give the audience a deep lingering impression that they have never experienced before.

It was more difficult for them to become a team than to win a gold medal!
The behind-the-scenes of that day, which no one knew about, is revealed!
The movie <Korea> is a movie that tells the story behind the 46-day history that we have never known before, behind the scenes of the South and North Korean players that we have seen so far. It was not easy for them to open their hearts to each other just because it was the first time they met each other face to face. Forming a team itself was a challenge for the South and North Korean players, who could not easily break their boundaries because they had always faced each other as rivals, with different tones and lifestyles. The movie <Korea> is a special entertaining story that unfolds as the South and North Korean players, who have more differences than they have in common, are forced to form a team regardless of their will and go towards the one goal of becoming a gold medalist. to offer Especially since the awkward first meeting, as time passes, they open their hearts to each other and share a deep sense of camaraderie in their hearts and become a team.

In addition, if you erase the weight of a unified South and North Korean team aiming for a gold medal, there were no more ordinary 20-year-olds gathered together. Add excitement and laughter. As they start to throw away their preconceived notions about each other, they do not just silently focus on ping-pong training, but chat and joke around in their spare time and get close to each other like no-nonsense friends. to present They have the best skills, but their teamwork is like a grain of sand that is easy to break. However, let's get rid of the boundaries between each other. Rather, because they are the same age as they are in their 20s, and because they are players who share the common denominator of table tennis, the story of these people who share a deep friendship than anyone else will reach the audience with an emotion that is more than a true story. will be.

Ha Ji-won & Bae Doona! The meeting of two Korean representative actresses!
Synchro rate 100%! Perfect transformation into the national table tennis player!
Ha Ji-won, who has been recognized as the best actress in Korea with acting and box office power from the movie <Haeundae>, which mobilized 10 million viewers, to the drama [Secret Garden], which caused a hot syndrome Synchronization is presented. Ha Ji-won, who has always been able to digest new characters with ceaseless efforts in each work, went through a rigorous training period three months before filming under the guidance of director Hyun Jung-hwa to perfectly embody Hyun Jung-hwa's appearance as a player and add realism to the character. . As a result, Ha Ji-won, who perfectly reproduced Hyeon Jeong-hwa's actual game appearance, small habits, and distinctive spirited sound, added a sense of reality to the character of 'Hyeon Jeong-hwa' with innate persistence and unremitting efforts. ' will give the impression of once again.

Meanwhile, Bae Doo-na shows a perfect acting transformation into the national table tennis player 'Ri Bun-hee' through the Korean movie <Korea>, chosen six years after <The Monster>, which set a record of 10 million box office records. For the role of Lee Bun-hee, who cannot meet or obtain detailed information unlike Hyun Jung-hwa, Bae Doo-na fills in the blanks of the character and creates a new one. In addition, Bae Doo-na, who had been active as a table tennis player in elementary school, took into account that Lee Bun-hee is left-handed, so she started practicing table tennis with her left hand and went through a more difficult training process to bring out a sense of reality. In particular, Bae Doo-na, who suffered from injuries by using the muscle on the left, which was not usually used, perfectly digests the backhand pose of Lee Bun-hee, which doubles the realism despite her physical limitations. In addition to practicing table tennis, he took a separate North Korean language class twice a week to learn about the North Korean situation and North Korean culture in 1991, adding strength to his character.
Ha Ji-won and Bae Doo-na are expected to show off their mature yet sincere performances, starting to open their hearts to each other, who are indistinguishable from each other. The perfect transformation of the 20 million actresses who have led the first and second place in the history of Korean movies into table tennis players will add a sense of reality to the play and deliver a wealth of sights.

Chungmuro's 'top trend' and 'rookie' met!
From supporting roles such as unique personality Park Chul-min, unrivaled presence Jeong-se Oh, and strong charisma Kim Eung-soo
New actors with solid acting skills such as Choi Yun-young, Han Ye-ri, and Lee Jong-suk are on the show!
<Korea> delivers a variety of fun and excitement with the appearance of the best actors in Chungmuro, such as Chul-min Park, Jeong-se Oh, and Eung-su Kim, as well as talented supporting actors such as Yun-young Choi, Ye-ri Han, and Jong-seok Lee, who have solid acting skills and fresh personalities. First, the luxury actor Park Chul-min, who is in his best heyday in dramas and movies, takes on the role of 'Coach' of the national team, and his friendly and savory acting, and his characteristic easy-going yet clever acting make the audience laugh that cannot be missed. will tell In addition, Oh Jeong-se, who has emerged as a scene stealer with a wide range of acting skills, from friendly and humorous characters to intense charisma, recently appeared in <The Corpse Returns> following <Bangjajeon>, <Unfair Transaction>, and <Bad Romance>. Taking on the role of mood maker 'Dooman', he plays the role of licorice, causing laughter at every crucial moment in the movie, adding to the fun of the play. In addition, Kim Eung-soo, who recently appeared in dramas [The Moon Embracing the Sun], <Gabi>, and <Broken Arrow>, took on the role of 'Cho Nam-pung', the general director of the united North and South Korea team with firm conviction and strong charisma, and felt the weight of the play with his excellent acting skills. It will add and show a heavy presence.

In addition to these familiar actors with strong acting skills, <Korea> is full of new actors who will lead the next generation of Chungmuro. Rookie Han Ye-ri, who played the role of 'Soonbok', a North Korean national team player, caught the eye with her excellent North Korean dialect and solid acting skills. It shows a bold aspect to express In addition, Lee Jong-suk, a hot star who plays an active role in the CRT such as <Secret Garden> and [High Kick: Counterattack of Short Legs], takes on the role of 'Kyung-seop', the North Korean national representative with deep inner feelings and pure charm It shows a reliable new look. <Korea> shines even more with the strong performances of actors with such solid acting skills and the fighting spirit of up-and-coming stars who have perfect dialect and table tennis skills. The solid character they create and the fresh harmony of the actors will add to the charm of the movie and give you plenty of fun.

[ Production Note ]

There is no band! Only with sweat and hard work, become a national team player of the two Koreas!
Intensive training that started 4 months after filming!
From director Hyun Jung-hwa's special training to regional North Korean language training!
Four months before the full-scale filming began, the actors of <Korea> started intensive table tennis training. In addition to Ha Ji-won, who held a table tennis racket for the first time through this work, and Bae Doo-na, who had a table tennis team experience in elementary school, Han Ye-ri and Lee Jong-suk of the North Korean national team, and Choi Yun-young and Oh Jeong-se of the South Korean national team. He had to undergo rigorous ping-pong training for a total of over 7 months. In particular, in the case of Ha Ji-won, although she was undergoing rehabilitation due to an ankle injury during the filming of <Sector 7>, she also practiced intensive table tennis at the same time. In addition, although it is not well known that Lee Bun-hee is left-handed, for the sake of reality, he suggested to Bae Doo-na to play table tennis with his left hand. could be reborn as As a result, the actors of <Korea> were able to perfectly digest all the match scenes without a single double acting. In addition, the actors who played the North Korean players had to take North Korean language lessons twice a week. In particular, Bae Doo-na, who plays Ri Bun-hee, spoke the North Korean language of Pyongyang, while Han Ye-ri received training in the Hamgyeong-do dialect. No effort was spared in making a delicate effort to capture it.

Reproduce the reality of a table tennis match!
In 1991, the referees who were at the scene and the actual table tennis players cooperated in their appearance!
<Korea>, a film about table tennis and the most dramatic day of the 1991 world championship, was able to produce a more realistic game scene than any other work thanks to the full cooperation of the table tennis players. In addition to the actors who received intensive training three months before filming, the production team, who needed a large number of groups and minors with professional table tennis skills to realistically portray the scene of a real world championship game, took all the shooting with the cooperation of real table tennis players and referees. I was able to finish it safely. The Korean Horse Association table tennis team currently led by Hyeon Jeong-hwa, Korean Air, Nongshim table tennis team, and Andong University table tennis team appeared as table tennis players in the movie. Added realism to the disassembly game. In addition, the actual table tennis referees who are currently active readily responded to the filming and appeared in the film, as well as the referees who were present on the day of the 1991 World Championships. . In this way, in addition to the North and South Korean squads, the people who appear on the screen are real table tennis players and referees, so <Korea> was able to transfer the real feeling of watching a real table tennis game to the screen, giving the audience a sense of urgency and realism in the game. We will deliver special fun.

The first South and North Koreas to be a team in the final, the emotion of that day is revived!
Fighting spirit in an indoor stadium that reaches 50 degrees! The final filming site where the tears did not stop!
Andong Indoor Gymnasium we visited to film the table tennis game scene. In the midsummer heat of July, the lights and the heat of the cast and all staff added to the room temperature, which reached a whopping 50 degrees, the actors had to constantly take action for the table tennis match scene. It was not uncommon to slip on the floor while filming a match, and the filming site of <Korea> was full of fighting spirit to the point that a physical therapist had to wait for the actors who were all injured due to intense movements. And finally, at the final moment of filming the finale, which is also the highlight of the movie, the actors did not care for each other, but with sincere tears instead of acting. The filming site, which was covered in sweat and tears as the actors themselves said they experienced it for the first time while filming, was filled with intense emotions that could not be suppressed, as if they had returned to that day in 1991. . The passionate cheers, shouts, and real sweat and tears of the actors revived the emotions of that day in 1991.