Welcome to Dongmakgol

Welcome to Dongmakgol is a 2005 South Korean film, directed by Park Kwang-Hyun.

The story is set in Korea during the Korean War in 1950. Soldiers from both the North and South, as well as an American pilot, find themselves in a secluded village, its residents largely unaware of the outside world, including the war.

This film was produced in a period that saw significant developments towards peace between North and South Korea, and it seems to promote peaceful reunification with the North. This symptomatic meaning can be seen in the many disarming-of-weapons scenes throughout the film, the blending of the North and South soldiers as they begin to fight for the same cause —to save the village, eventually shedding their different-colored uniforms for similar white robes.

The focus that the film takes on individual characters, rather than groups of people fighting for their respective sides, adds a humanistic element to the war. When these characters are stripped of their “nationalities,” they have a hard time discussing why they are fighting, especially when trying to explain the war to the villagers. The spirit of renewed diplomatic relations in 2005 between the North and South seems to have influenced Park in the creation of this film.

When the soldiers first arrive in Dongmakgol, we immediately relate to the villagers instead of the soldiers. The powerful scene with the villagers all dressed in their white robes, standing on the platform, as both the soldiers from the North and South point their weapons at each other, paints the villagers in a sympathetic light. This shot then switches to a high-angle view of the situation, where we see soldiers and villagers through an judging owl’s eyes.

However, as the film progresses, and the soldiers become more and more like each other and like the villagers (seen working the fields together, pooping together, eating the boar together), and we begin to accept the soldiers.

In addition to the hints of reunification support, this film tackles wartime issues of civilian casualty and war crimes.

When the grenade is thrown backwards and explodes all of the villagers’ stored food, we see the first instance of wartime destruction for civilians. Other instances include the complete disregard for civilian life when the UN plans to bomb the mountain, the flashback of Pyo as he was ordered to kill refugees, and the are casualties as a byproduct of the search for General Smith.

When the soldiers are all working together to save the village, Rhee states that this is a chance to “repay the debt” incurred by their actions in the war. And although the characters were all acting under orders, the film places the responsibility of these “war crimes” in their own hands.

In the final scene, viewers are given a sense of hope. The fields where the soldiers died are now covered in fresh, pure, and white snow. Butterflies flutter upwards. There is a flashback to all of the soldiers sleeping in the same village room together. There are more butterflies. Alive Yeo-Il is seen again. This flashback depicts that the soldiers are where they belong — accepted into the village community once and for all.

Although this film is based on the Korean War and does allude to real events that took place during this period, it is better represented as a symbolic tale of family, unity, and peace, than a purely historical film.