Since 2019, it has been a bumper year for Korean films. "Parasite" won a series of awards, including the Academy Awards, which shocked the Chinese people. It seems to be a blockbuster, but for those who know Korean movies, it actually comes naturally. Prior to this, South Korea had already produced a series of excellent films covering a wide range of subjects. In addition to films such as "Parasite" that expose social class issues, there are many films based on inter-Korean relations, and "Joint Security Area" is one of the best.
The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953, and the two sides retreated two kilometers along the military demarcation line. This four-kilometer area is the demilitarized zone, also known as the joint security zone. Hundreds of thousands of Chen soldiers on both sides of the joint security area have faced off for decades. During this period, large or small conflicts broke out, reminding the world that the war is not far away. As for each conflict, the two sides often insist on their own opinions, and the results are mostly unresolved. The truth is always confusing, and it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false, like a Rashomon. However, the conflict itself, both sides are grasping the scale, enough is enough. Because the DPRK and the ROK are in a state of balance of power strategically, the conflict is only for the maximization of their own interests, not really to return to a state of war. This kind of tacit understanding exists not only at the top of the two sides, but also between the front-line officers and soldiers. The "forbidden game" in this film happened under this kind of conflict and tacit understanding.
The story of the film takes place in the floor store, which was the place where the North Korean armistice negotiation took place, and it is still the front line of the confrontation between the two sides. Opposing sides, the way to survive is to demonize each other in order to establish their own legitimacy. In the eyes of the South Korean side, the other party is a "red element", while the other party in the eyes of the North Korean side is a "puppet of the US imperialists", and there is absolutely no possibility of contact and exchanges between the two sides. For the two Koreas, only we are comrades, the other side is the eternal enemy, and any relationship beyond comrades and enemies is taboo. Paradoxically, the reason why taboos are taboos is that in addition to the forbidden side, there is also a seductive side. Sure enough, the "forbidden game" was staged in the outpost on the side facing the night.
The beginning of the story was also under the shadow of night. The patrolling South Korean soldiers strayed into the minefield on the North Korean side, and the actor Yi (played by Lee Byung-hun) stepped on the mine alone. In the panic, two North Korean soldiers, including the male protagonist Er (Song Kanghao), happened to pass by. Under the tense and suffocating situation, fortunately it was friendship rather than tragedy that happened, and the Korean soldiers were rescued. This experience sowed the seeds of friendship, and the "forbidden game" had its initial opportunity. Coincidentally, the two sides were on duty on both sides of the dividing line during the day, and there were many face-to-face moments. The outposts on duty at night are separated on both sides of the bridge, facing each other across the bridge, and the physical distance is not far.
The exchanges between the two parties ranged from the initial "Flying Stone Biography" to the meeting under the night, and the participants ranged from the initial three to four. During the day they faced off across the dividing line, and at night they crossed the dividing line to talk. The basement shaded by the outpost on the side facing the side became a paradise for parties. They drank, chatted, listened to music, and played games together. The house was filled with fraternal love. Once you have tasted the forbidden fruit, there is a temptation to keep tasting it. The reason why taboos are taboos has its own irresistible magic. As Li Zhi sang in the song: "We, who are drifting with the wind, are looking for a little joy in the dark night." The amazing thing is that the games in the party, such as catching stones and cockfighting, are not unfamiliar to Chinese people born in the 1960s and 1970s. Seeing these pictures, I can't help but smile knowingly and recall the scenes of my childhood.
For the gathering of the two sides, the North Korean side provided venues and food. The food from North Korea is recognizable at a glance - simply packaged liquor, walnuts as appetizers, and the Korean side provides the rarities and luxuries in the eyes of the North Korean side - records, lighters, erotic pictorials, all of which suggest that these two country is different. There is a meaningful scene in the film where Song Kanghao uses the butt of a gun to break the hard walnut shell, presumably this is a subtle expression of the director's anti-war thoughts. In addition to "comrades" and "enemies", the "brotherhood" between the soldiers of both sides emerged spontaneously. In the three-eighth line, which is heavily guarded and full of crises, this kind of friendship is undoubtedly taboo. Only in the outposts sheltered by night, in the meeting face-to-face on guard during the day, friendship will be short-lived.
Of course, the doubts under the brotherhood have not completely disappeared, and are deeply ingrained and hidden in the heart. After all, the front line is the front line where swords are drawn, and this is no child's play. Conflicts that erupted from time to time reminded this from time to time. Game participants are at risk of exposure, and they also have heart palpitations. For the player, as long as there is no exposure, it is difficult to give up. At last they were alert, but thought a solemn farewell was necessary. Similar to the beginning of the game, the game also ends in a tense and suffocating situation. On the night of farewell, when the soldiers of the South and North Korea were unable to part, the party was accidentally broken by the North Korean officers who were patrolling the night. There was no luck the first time this time, and the tragedy broke out in tension and surprise. Two North Koreans were killed and one injured, and one South Korean side was injured. What the participants did not expect was that the "game" was so costly.
After the incident, it is no surprise that the North and South Korea both talked and blamed each other, just like any previous conflict. For the South Korean side, the "truth" of the incident is that the soldiers standing guard were kidnapped to the North Korean side. The soldiers who woke up fought back. After killing two North Koreans, they were rescued and returned to the South Korean side. Their soldiers were heroes. For the North Korean side, the "truth" of the incident is the deliberate infiltration and attack by the South Korean soldiers, and the provocative party. Two dead and one wounded are the obvious victims.
Negotiations for a joint inter-Korean investigation came to an end, and the two sides reached an agreement to invite the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission to intervene. The investigation is jointly conducted by neutral Switzerland and Sweden, and the heroine (played by Lee Young-ae), a Swiss of Korean descent, is sent to investigate the case. In fact, the truth of the incident is irrelevant, and both the DPRK and the ROK do not care, nor do they expect investigators to uphold justice. All they care about is whether their own narrative can gain the upper hand and gain the right to speak. What the South Korean side needs is the shaping of heroes in the conflict, not the truth; what the North Korean side needs is the recognition of its own losses, not the truth.
In this case, for the survivors involved in the game, silence becomes the best choice. The so-called "truth" turned against everyone, not just the soldiers involved, but also for the nations of both sides. The heroine's professional and meticulous investigation is doomed to be unpleasant, and it will be a matter of time before she gets out of the investigation. Her persistent investigation further expanded the tragedy. What she did not expect was that the essence of the truth was "a forbidden game". Taboos are taboos precisely because they cannot be placed in the sun. For the South Korean soldiers, after the truth is revealed, they go to jail; for the North Korean soldiers, after the truth is revealed, they take their lives.
Seeing that the incident was in danger of further expansion or even out of control, the South Korean side demanded that the heroine's father be a North Korean military officer to be replaced. Of course this is just an excuse. The heroine's ignorant investigation undermined the original intention of both parties to ask a third party to intervene, and broke the tacit understanding between the DPRK and the ROK on the conflict. This is the real reason. The reason why tacit understanding is tacit understanding is that it can only be understood and cannot be expressed in words. The general in charge of the investigation broke the mystery in one sentence. At the demarcation line of Panmunjom, which is a joint security zone, "the way to maintain peace is to cover up the truth." Without the truth, there will be room for North and South Korea to take the necessary maneuvers.
The exchanges between the Korean and Korean soldiers by chance have resulted in a brotherly friendship. The existence of dividing lines makes communication and friendship an anachronistic taboo. For the Korean nation, this is a tragedy. The film points the root of the tragedy beyond the DPRK and the ROK, which is true. There is no doubt that the United States and the major powers around the Korean peninsula should take responsibility for this. The film also takes aim at Switzerland as a neutral country, accusing it of moral hypocrisy. In my opinion, this is somewhat of a moral rebuke, because international politics has never been based solely on ideas. The existence of the dividing line between North and South Korea is like an unhealed scar, with scabs on the surface, but blood seeps from time to time, and there is the possibility of being torn again. In recent years, North Korea's insistence on developing nuclear weapons has stirred the sensitive nerves of Northeast Asia from time to time.
In South Korea, the film is the first film to positively portray the friendship between North and South Korean soldiers, thanks to the democratization of South Korean society and the establishment of the film rating system. Although the film was shot in South Korea, it is not limited to South Korea's position, and more of a quiet reflection on the relationship between the DPRK and the ROK. What is valuable is that the film also gave a sympathetic understanding to the North Korean side, and there was no simple masking or demonization. It is said that the film was also shown in North Korea, and apparently the film has also been recognized by the North Korean side. This film is also director Park Chan-wook's top work, and since then he has stepped into the ranks of South Korean big-name directors. Lee Young-ae, Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, etc. starred, and it is also considered a gathering of stars. When the film was released in South Korea in 2000, it was the annual box office champion in South Korea, and it also broke the box office record in the history of South Korean films, which was praised and popular.
The "forbidden game" took place in a common security area such as Panmunjom, which was an exchange that crossed the dividing line behind the Iron Curtain. Transactions that cross the 38th line behind the Iron Curtain also exist, as shown in Yoon Jongbin's film "The Secret Service" in 2018. Communication is friendship that crosses dividing lines, heralding the possibility of reconciliation and peace. Dealing is a political exploitation of conflict, and both sides are manipulating the proposition and should undoubtedly be morally condemned. Although the nature of communication and transaction is different, they also have the same place. Both occurred in corners out of reach of the sun, whether it was a frontline outpost in the dark night, or a splendid hotel palace. The 38th parallel is the most heavily guarded military demarcation line in the world, but it is inseparable from exchanges and transactions. As long as the 38th parallel continues, exchanges will continue, and transactions will continue.
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