This year marked the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. The Korean Film Archive has been running diverse projects under the title “The 70th Anniversary of the Korean War” as the main focus for the organization in 2020. Releasing North Korean Partisan in South Korea as the 20th Blu-ray in the collection was one of these projects. North Korean Partisan in South Korea is a film that changed the nature of Korean War movies, which had been exclusively anti-communist up until then. It was one of the 100 films chosen by the Korean Film Archive in 2014 and the signature film of Chung Ji-young, part of the Korean New Wave.

With the June Struggle for Democracy in 1987 and the dissolution of the Cold War around 1990, new interpretations of and views on the Korean War started to appear in movies; the first and most notable attempt being North Korean Partisan in South Korea. Retracing the devastating and excruciating experience of North Korean Partisans who fought around the southern province (mainly in Mt. Jiri) during the Korean War, the film is shot from the insider’s perspective, with them as protagonists, which is idiosyncratic most of all. North Korean soldiers or left-wing activists were also human, which is perhaps the natural view, but it was a massive shock to Korean society, which was governed by Anti-communist Ideology. Nevertheless, the film received criticism from both progressive and conservative camps: the former suggesting it did not capture the significance of North Korean Partisans sufficiently, the latter arguing it was pro-communist. However, no-one could deny that the film opened a new chapter through which the Korean War could be perceived and x-x-evaluated more broadly.

The blu-ray is made based on images restored in 4K by the Korean Film Archive in 2020. These blu-ray images restored in high-definition will provide an opportunity to see North Korean Partisan in South Korea in a completely new light. The late music director Shin Byeong-ha’s soundtrack on CD stands out among the supplements. One of the most prolific music directors in the Korean film industry in the 1980 and 90s, Shin often worked with director Chung Ji-young from his debut film onwards. Director Chung Ji-young, lead actor Ahn Sung-ki, and film critic Ju Seong-cheol provided the commentary. Ju’s interpretation of the film, various behind-the scenes’ stories about the production and the director’s intentions, as described by director Chung and actor Ahn will enrich viewers’ understanding of the film. Included in the booklet are an introduction about the director and comment on the film written by Jeong Han-seok, programmer at Busan International Film Festival.