Silmido is a 2003 South Korean film, directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is loosely based on a military uprising from the island of Silmido in the 1970s. At the end of its run, the film was the most watched film ever in South Korea, and the first film to attract an audience of 10 million viewers in the country. Taegukgi later broke its record in 2004, and then The King and the Clown with additional 2 million in 2006.
Silmido is based on a true story of events happening from 1968 to 1971, although the details surrounding the event did not go public until 1999. When a group of North Korean commandos infiltrate the South to assassinate then Korean president Park Jung-Hee, the South Korean and US military barely intercept the would-be assassins before their mission is completed. As the North-South tensions reach their breaking point, the South decides to secretly train its own Special Forces codenamed Unit 684, to exact revenge and kill North Korea’s premier, Kim-Il Sung. Thus the story of Silmido Island and Unit 684 begins.
Director: Kang Woo-Suk Writer: Kim Hie-Jae Genre: Drama, Action, True story Release Date: December 2003
