1980 Gwangju Incident Film

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Ko - production in Busan

The upcoming film Hwaryeohan Hyuga will be about the Gwangju massacre in May 1980. The project includes director KIM Ji-hoon (Mokpo Gangster's Paradise) and the actors AHN Sung-ki (Silmido) and LEE Joon-ki (King and the Clown). The film is scheduled for a release next year March and filming starts this May. The tragic May 1980 Gwangju massacre is one of the most significant incidents in South Korea's modern history. The citizens of the city Gwangju protested en masse against the military junta of CHUN Doo-hwan. CHUN responded by sending tanks and paratroopers, they took control of the city with violence and bloodshed. May 18, 1980 was the first day of the uprising and May 18 is now a National memorial day in South Korea. The whole incident was more politically explosive because the military units CHUN dispatched were under shared South Korean and American command; therefore it's believed that the American military gave its consent to CHUN for using military force against citizens. For South Korean standards, Hwaryeohan Hyuga will be a big budget ($10 million) film. Korean major film company CJ Entertainment and Keyweck Shidae are collaborating on this project. Keyweck Shidae also produced A Single Spark, another political themed film. A Single Spark is about JEON Tae-il, who was a leading figure of the labor movement protesting against the exploitation of workers under a military regime. Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)

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