By Lee Hana
Photos = CJ Entertainment
June 15, 2017 | National Museum of Korea

A press briefing for the upcoming movie "The Battleship Island" was held at the National Museum of Korea's Theater Yong on June 15.

The film, set during the period of Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), tells the tale of a group of Joseon laborers who are forced to work on Japan's Hashima Island, and their attempted prison break from the walls of the camp.

While most press briefings for films are typically held at multiplex movie theaters, this time the event took place at the National Museum of Korea, the treasure trove of Korea's history and cultural heritage.

"The press briefing for 'The Battleship Island' was held at the National Museum in the hopes of amplifying the story of the many Joseon workers who were forced to work on Hashima Island. We wanted the film's message to reverberate across the halls where Korea's cultural artifacts are on display," said a representative from CJ Entertainment, the film's distributor.



Director Ryoo Seung-wan and cast members Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-sub, Lee Jung-hyun and Song Joong-ki attended the event, and shared some production stories from the studio and filming location.

"This movie was set into motion by an aerial photograph of Hashima Island that I came across some time before 2015. I was struck by the fact that Joseon people had once lived on this island, and that curiosity was what drove this project from start to finish. The film is about people and war, and it observes just how monstrous people can become during times of war," said Ryoo.

The movie's main plot unfolds on Hashima Island, a tiny island some 18 kilometers off the coast in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. The island, itself a giant coal mine, is the prison from which a group of Joseon workers attempt to gain back their freedom.

"The story takes place between spring of 1944 and summer of 1945. The movie is based on records that tell us that many Joseon workers were forced into labor, according to the Japanese National Mobilization Law, with conditions that were contrary to initial terms of agreement. The details of the island, meanwhile, were reconstructed based on historical evidence," said the director.

Hwang Jung-min, working with Ryoo for the second time on this film, applauded the director's unfaltering vision throughout the filming process. "When we wrapped the final shoot on the island's 'Stairs of Hell,' the crew, over 200 of us in total, gave ourselves a round of applause. We would not have been able to shoot this film, without any major accidents, had it not been for Ryoo, with his precise direction," he said.

"I definitely felt the significance of playing a member of the Korean Liberation Army, but because the film is based on real events, I felt the gravity of the subject matter even more," said Song Joong-ki. "As an actor, and as a Korean citizen, I am proud to have been a part of a meaningful project."

"The Battleship Island" will be released in theaters nationwide at the end of July.





hlee10@korea.kr