(Korean Movies) Battle of Jangsari, 2019

06.25
6.25 war broke out
North Korean military invasion

06.28
North Korean troops occupy Seoul

08.01
North Korean troops advance into Nakdong River
Formation of Nakdonggang Front, the last bastion, Crisis of entering Busan

09.14
Start of the Jangsa amphibious operation
Two-way operation of the Incheon Landing Operation

Average age of 17 years, training period of only 2 weeks, 772 student soldiers were deployed

09.15
Incheon Landing Operation

09.28
Seoul Restoration

[ ABOUT MOVIE ]

The secret operation of 772 student soldiers resurrected on the screen in 2019!
After the Incheon Landing, there was the Jangsa Landing!
<Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes> was born based on the true story of the Changsa Landing Operation, which was conducted as a two-way operation one day before the Incheon Landing Operation, which turned the tide of the Korean War at once.

After the start of the Korean War, the ROK Army, who had nowhere to retreat from the crisis of wind and light being pushed all the way to the Nakdong River Front, plans the Incheon Landing Operation to overturn the precarious game of war. The Jangsa amphibious operation was a covert operation that was launched at Jangsari Beach in Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do to divert the attention of the North Korean army and disturb the rear. Most of the personnel who participated in the operation were 772 young students with an average age of 17 who underwent a short training period of two weeks. Receiving only an old long gun, insufficient ammunition, and minimal food, they boarded the Moon Coral and landed on Jangsa Beach, performing the heavy duty of blocking the enemy's supply route. Even in the face of numerous difficulties and adverse conditions, such as encountering a typhoon at the time of landing and the stranding of Lake Munsan, they did not give up and continued the operation until the end.

The Jangsa landing operation hidden behind the Incheon landing operation. The day that few people remember because it was kept secret is revived on the screen through <Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes>. The film is expected to capture the hearts of the audience by not only realistically portraying the fierce battles of the student soldiers at the time, but also conveying the stories of the characters in it in a sincere manner.

The perfect synergy of maestro that will captivate the eyes and hearts
Director Kwak Kyung-taek, storyteller of <Friend>, <Secret Investigation>, and <Sexual Murder>
<Into Fire>, [Iris 2], [Athena: Goddess of War] VFX Visualist Director Kim Tae-hoon
The secret operation of 772 student soldiers hidden from history was reborn on the screen with the co-direction of Korea's representative storyteller Kwak Kyung-taek and visualist Kim Tae-hoon.

Director Kwak Kyung-taek said, "The greatest desire to pay tribute to the students during the Korean War, which I did not know well, was the greatest." The director, who started working on the adaptation based on a well-structured first draft, had two things in mind. The first was to exclude cinematic coolness and splendor, and the second was to tell a true story like a true story. Based on a long investigation, he said, “I reviewed the literature, records, and all possible materials, but the testimonies of those who actually participated were much more important.” conveys a deep sound. In the film, he portrayed the student soldiers who jumped into the great fire of the Korean War to protect someone, to be recognized by someone, or on behalf of someone in a deep direction. ' was mentioned.
Director Kwak Kyung-taek explained, "It would have been impossible to finish filming for three months last winter without the precise role sharing with director Kim Tae-hoon." Director Kim Tae-hoon, who is considered a director and VFX expert, emphasized the concept of the main battle scenes in <Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes> as 'realism', and said, "I have gone through a lot of testing so that pictures that go beyond reality are not included on the screen." In order to convey the emotions of the characters and the battle scenes of the students who did not have professional military training, he chooses an impressive long take in a specific battle instead of the bombing or exaggerated shooting scenes that rely on wires to convey the horror of the battlefield in a realistic way. . As director Kim Tae-hoon mentioned, “Director Kwak Kyung-taek believed in me and supported me, so I was able to work with confidence.” became the driving force to further increase

Heavy sound! Unremembered history, they are history
September 14, 1950. The guerrilla corps, consisting of 772 students and soldiers, with an average age of 17 and training period of only two weeks, rides the Munsan Lake to Jangsa Beach to carry out the two-way operation of the Incheon Landing Operation. Although no one spoke of success, their story of never giving up became a history to be remembered.

Director Kwak Kyung-taek said, “I saw an old photo. It was the image of the person who was put into the Jangsa amphibious operation when he was in full bloom, and he is now a grandfather. However, those who did not return from that battlefield died without becoming grandfathers.” The amphibious amphibious operation, which was forgotten without even being given a proper military number to the student soldiers who participated in the battle due to the fact that it was a costly operation, became known to the world when the surviving student soldiers formed the 'Jangsa Amphibious Operation Guerrilla Association' in July 1980. Then, in March 1997, members of the 1st Marine Division, who were searching the shore in front of Jangsari, accidentally discovered Lake Munsan, which was stranded in the tidal flat under the sea, and was only able to revive it in history.

“I directed the film with gratitude and respect for the flowery youth of the time who were put into the Jangsa Landing Operation. As director Kwak Kyung-taek said, “I think that the freedom and happiness we have today can be maintained because of them.” Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes is the story of people who had to fight fiercely in an unforgettable moment in history. It conveys a warm sound and deep emotion to

Explosive energy of trust, bo, ship, rising actors, and a corps of Hollywood actors!
Kim Myung-min X Choi Min-ho X Kim Seong-cheol X Kim In-kwon X Kwak Si-yang
Ji-Gun Jang, Jae-Wook Lee, Ho-Jeong Lee, George Iz and Megan Fox
In <Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes>, actors representing Korea and Hollywood will all come together to present an explosive acting ensemble.

From the dramas [White Tower] and [Beethoven Virus] to the movie <Detective Chosun> series, Kim Myung-min, who has become an actor who can be trusted and seen with excellent acting skills and strong presence, took on the role of Captain Lee Myung-jun, who risked his life to lead the guerrillas. 'Lee Myung-jun' is a person who was put into the 'Jangsa Landing Operation' with 772 student soldiers with outstanding leadership and judgment. Through the new work <Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes>, Kim Myung-min will once again show the image of a true leader. In addition, the role of 'Ryu Tae-seok', the first boss who silently takes the lead at important operational moments, will be played by Korea's representative luxury scene stealer Kim In-kwon, further enhancing the immersion of the play. Kwak Si-yang, who has been praised for his eerie acting in the movie <The Witness>, is expected to show a wide spectrum of acting by playing the role of 'Park Chan-nyeon', a company commander who leads the student soldiers with outstanding responsibility in a crisis situation.

In addition, the lineup of rising stars divided into student soldiers also draws attention. Choi Min-ho, who is gradually expanding his realm as an actor by successfully playing the role of an ace in <In-rang>, takes on the role of 'Choi Seong-pil', the student squad leader, and shows a new face that he has never seen before. Actor Kim Seong-cheol, who captivated the small screen with his colorful charms through the dramas [Wise Prison Life] and [Arthdal Chronicle], injects tension into the play with the role of 'Ki Ha-ryun', an ace student who has a nervous battle with 'Choi Seong-pil'. In addition, actress Jang Ji-gun, who is gradually gaining ground by participating in works such as <Prosecutor's Gaiden> and <Top Secret Investigation>, and Lee Ho-jung, who made a clear mark with <Youth Police>, and the drama [Enter a search term WWW] to become a younger man in the nation. Lee Jae-wook, who has risen to the ranks, is expected to disassemble as a student soldier and meet the audience with different personalities and charms.

The participation of Hollywood stars Megan Fox and George Eas also raises expectations for the film. Megan Fox, who captured the hearts of movie fans around the world through the <Transformers> series, plays the role of 'Maggie', a war correspondent trying to tell the truth, and 'Nick Stokes' of the [CSI] series, leading the series to a long run. George Ease adds weight to the role of Colonel Steven, a soldier with a strong sense of work and a representative of the US military.

[ PRODUCTION NOTE ]

[Character Birth]
Characters of the guerrillas born from literature, records, and encounters with real war veterans!
Even 'Maggie' was inspired by reporters who were actually active during the Korean War!
Director Kwak Kyeong-taek, who directed <Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes>, paid attention to the role of 'Lee Myung-jun' during the screenplay adaptation process. The director explained, “I selected the students and took them, and I thought that I needed an adult protagonist who can only live without forgetting them for the rest of their lives.” I was able to compose an image. In addition, the meeting with the members of the 'Jangsa Landing Operation guerrilla fraternity' became the basis for the birth of the main student soldier characters with their own stories. The director said, "I thought that there might be a boy who volunteered for patriotism or came with a friend, or a student who came to Jangsari without even talking to his family." With an average training period of only two weeks, the production team paid great attention to the first battle scene so that these student soldiers did not look too professional. The detailed scenes of the movie were created through this process, such as the night when Typhoon Kezia swept through, some of the students who boarded the ship for the first time suffered from seasickness or were nervous before aiming fire in an actual battle. On the other hand, the story behind the birth of the character 'Maggie', a war correspondent starring Hollywood actress Megan Fox, also draws attention. 'Maggie' refers to several military reporters who were actually active in Korea during the Korean War, and was especially inspired by Margaret Higgins and Margaret Burke White. The Jangsa Landing Operation, which was the subject of <Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes>, was a secret operation carried out as a two-way operation of the Incheon Landing Operation at the time, so no reporters directly covered the site. However, the 'Maggie' character was created by taking inspiration from the real people of two war correspondents, Margaret Higgins and Margaret Burke White, who traveled the front lines of Korea during the war and added cinematic imagination.

[Set-Location]
“They started filming with the determination that they were going to war here.”
Yeongdeok, Samcheok, and Miryang locations & behind-the-scenes set shooting that perfectly realized the inside and outside of the ship!
<Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes> was filmed on location at Yeongdeok Beach, Samcheok, and Miryang. The landing scene of the student soldiers was filmed near Goebul Beach in Yeongdeok. It was easy to shoot because the water was shallow, and there was a pine forest similar to Jangsari Beach right behind it. As it is the space that was responsible for the most important image of the movie, the crew worked hard to create a natural structure, and compared to the shallow water depth, it was a place with high waves on a windy day, so we paid special attention to safety. There were difficulties such as the rubber boats and props being swept away due to the strong waves, but in the filming, these waves acted as a factor that showed the realism of the battle rather realistically. To realize the fiercest battle scenes of the guerrillas, a large site was required, and the production team chose Samcheok. There were small trees in this space, but since it was a construction site different from a normal forest, I was able to secure enough setting space. As the highlands in the movie were tactical defensive positions using various terrain and ground, each structure was designed to harmonize with the overall space. The tunnel bombing scene was filmed in Miryang. It was a tunnel wide enough for only one car to pass through, so there were not many moving vehicles, but it was a space used occasionally by the residents, so with the cooperation of the village and local governments, the filming for about a week was completed safely. Director Kwak Kyung-taek said, “The location itself was very difficult. I had to walk for 20 minutes to go to the bathroom once, and it became a muddy field when it rained, making it difficult to even move. Each time we filmed here, some people thought that there was a war here, so we started filming.”

<Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes> put a lot of effort into making the set as well as the location. The production team invested a long time in research to create a space faithful to historical evidence. First, the inside and outside of the LST (Landing Ship Tank) Munsanho, heading to Jangsari Beach with student soldiers on board, were filmed on the Yangsuri outdoor set and the Ilsan tank set. In the outdoor set of Yangsu-ri, the necessary interior spaces such as the inside of the cargo compartment where the student soldiers were loaded, the captain's room, the dining room, and the hallway were realized. Prior to the design of the ship and space, the production team was able to reflect the size and details close to the truth by not only analyzing the data related to the LST, but also visiting the actual LST remaining in Korea. In the Ilsan tank set, most of the bow doors and decks located at the stern of the ship were produced and filmed. In addition, based on the historical evidence that schools and government offices were used as temporary headquarters during the Korean War, a tobacco factory in Chuncheon, which was able to capture the atmosphere of the time in the most natural way, was remodeled and even filming of the army's temporary headquarters was carried out.

[Shooting-Lighting-Special Makeup]
A rare attempt in the Korean film production environment, behind-the-scenes of unit shooting!
Lighting using natural light, DI emphasizing realism, and even special makeup!
<Jangsari: Forgotten Heroes> was a rare attempt in a Korean film production environment. Director Kwak Kyung-taek and director Kim Tae-hoon, who co-directed the film, divided the filming into units under the precise division of roles. Together with cinematographer Kim Seong-hwan and lighting director Kim Seung-gyu, the two directors worked hard to create the authentic look of the movie and the texture of the screen. The main battle scenes of the movie, such as trench battles and occupation of highlands, were brought to life by handheld techniques and a long take method that takes the action cut as long as possible. In addition, it went through a lot of preparation and testing for reality. The long take trench scene using an impressive viewpoint shot was able to express the atmosphere of the battlefield vividly by installing real explosives in the middle of about 80 meters in length, and designing the camera to pass through them. In addition, the overall lighting contrast was emphasized to further strengthen the atmosphere of the war situation, and in the part using natural light, the light was taken at a certain time. Director Kwak Kyung-taek said, “After the rain, the clothes of the guerrillas who arrive at the highlands are inevitably mixed with mud and ocher. In this situation, we have to fight, and I wanted the texture of the screen to be combined with the characters and the background. So the main battle scenes were filmed thoroughly when there was no harm.” In the DI (Digital Intermediate) course, blue for the sea, green for the Army Headquarters, and amber and yellow for highlands and beaches were used to maximize the sense of reality. On the other hand, the makeup of about 100 student soldiers required a lot of effort and time. The special makeup team shortened this time by making a special cream that was not previously available. I made a cream that expresses the natural mud, dust, and stains of the face and distributed it to the actors, and applied it directly to make natural makeup possible.