Press Preview: Into The Fire

Boom! Bang! You may find it hard to imagine that all these bombs and explosives going off right in front of your eyes. Astoundingly, it is what happened here on the Korean peninsula 60 years ago. This year, 2010, is the 60th year since the tragic Korean War broke out back in 1950. To bring out this year¡¯s significant meaning, a movie dealing with the Korean War is drawing a great deal of attention. On June 3, The Teen Times had a chance to attend the press preview of the movie held at Lotte Cinema, located near Konkuk University.

The movie is tremendous; not only with its star-studded casting (just to name a few top stars; TOP of Bigbang, Cha Seung-won and Kwon Sang-woo), but also with its heart-wrenching story. The movie is based on a real story about 71 student soldiers who fought against the North Korean People¡¯s Army to secure the region below the Nakdong River which was the last defense line. The story all starts with a letter by a student soldier named Lee Woo-geun, who was portrayed as Oh Jang-beom in the movie, played by teenage dreamboat rapper/actor TOP.

The film starts by opening a letter which stated, ¡°Mother, I killed a person.¡± The audience can come across the shock and sorrow from the killings the teenage boy had to experience. One can immediately imagine the kind of courage a teenager must hold to pull himself through at a time of war. Unfortunately, the letter meant for his mom was never delivered as Lee died in a gun battle.

Here is what the director and the actors had to say about the movie:

Lee Jae-han (DIRECTOR): ¡°We tried to focus on the student soldiers¡¯ spirit of self-sacrifice. The tragedy of a fratricidal war took place during the Korean War and we wanted to show how much these student soldiers loved and fought for their country. I hope this movie will send a moral message to the younger generations. If it is able to touch and stimulate them then I believe that I have succeeded in my mission.¡±

Kim Seung-woo (Kang Suk-dae, an officer of the Korean army): ¡°Throughout the movie, I felt that we have forgotten the tragedies and hardships that war can bring. In the movie, there are no heroes. Instead the small hearts of student soldiers gathered together and with the small sacrifices of each and every person I believe that our country, Korea, was able to grow strong to the present day. We should not forget that our past holds so much grief and sadness.¡±

Cha Seung-won (Park Moo-rang, North Korean army): My character is a level-headed, charismatic leader heading for Pohang to make a surprise attack. Not being of the generation of the Korean War, I have little knowledge of the cruelty and harshness. However, I feel that as an actor I have the responsibility to inform and make people keep the past conflict in their mind. Also, I want to pay tribute to the spirits of those patriots who gave up their lives for their country.¡±

Kwon Sang-woo (Koo Gap-jo, a teenager disguised as a student soldier): ¡°My character wants to get revenge for his parents who were killed by the North Korean soldiers. What makes this movie different with the other war related movies is that it is shown from a student¡¯s perspective, not a soldier¡¯s. Through this movie, I hope you keep in mind that every soldier is someone¡¯s husband, child, and brother.¡±

Choi Seung-hyun also T.O.P (Oh Jang-beom, leader of student soldiers): ¡°As an ¡®idol star¡¯, I feel honored to be given the chance to play the part of Oh Jang-beom, the leader of the student soldiers. is not just a movie made for entertainment. I hope the younger generation will realize what it was like in the past and learn to be thankful to be born in this period. Thank you.¡±

Even 60 years has passed since the war was put on hold and yet, no one can answer Lee¡¯s question in the letter; ¡°Why should we have a war against each other?¡± This is the sad reality of Korea. The movie tries to shed a new light on the war for students who are quite unfamiliar with this important chapter in Korean history. As a student yourself you could empathize with what the student soldiers went through during the Korean War.