‘Operation Chromite’ garners interest in both Koreas

A growing number of North Koreans, skeptical about state propaganda and increasingly exposed to counternarratives, are greatly anticipating the upcoming premiere of a South Korean movie depicting the Korean War. The driving force behind the interest is said to be a desire to get closer to the truth behind shared historical events by glimpsing the opposition’s depiction of them. 
The film, “Operation Chromite,” is a war blockbuster based on an amphibious invasion conducted during the Battle of Inchon, which handed the United Nations a large victory and was integral in shifting the tide of the Korean War in favor of the South. 

“Rumors have spread about the movie, and we see people saying they’re absolutely going to watch it,” a source privy to North Korean affairs in China told Daily NK. People commonly gain access to foreign movies through pirated copies smuggled in from China. 

According to a source in North Hamgyong Province, domestic political lectures in North Korea cautioning residents of the film’s “anti-Republic scheme” did a great deal to catalyze public curiosity rather than quash it.

Indeed, marketplaces across North Korea are buzzing with chatter that the South Korean movie seeks to convey the other side of the story depicted in the North Korean film “Wolmido.”  “People are getting really excited about the movie’s release, especially because they know the visual effects will be far superior to that of North Korean films,” added the North Hamgyong Province-based source.

The North Korean film “Wolmido” was produced in 1983 and remains an important fixture within the North’s propaganda arsenal. An underdog narrative, the film weaves the tale of a lone Korean People’s Army artillery squadron defending Wolmido Island in Inchon City, west of Seoul, for three consecutive days. Their exceptional valor, the story goes, earned other North Korean units near the Nakdong River, located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula, enough time to safely retreat. 

Through the medium of film, North Korea sought to promote the spirit of “heroic warriors” by emphasizing the importance of sacrifice and realizing the Party’s policies. However, then as now, questions surround the accuracy of the plot. Much of this skepticism centers on the feasibility for one squadron with four cannons to fight off 50,000 soldiers, as portrayed in the film. This is coupled with assertions that “nobody would choose to hold out for three days in the face of such a critical imbalance in forces,” said the source currently in China. 

“People who think the state’s propaganda is nonsense are in pursuit of the truth. They want to know what really transpired [during the battle],” he said. More to the point, “they want more information to pit the North’s claims against the South’s and arrive at their own decision.”

“Operation Chromite” is a South Korean blockbuster that tells the true story of a major operation during the Battle of Incheon led by American General Douglas MacArthur (played by Liam Neeson), who led the United Nations Forces during the Korean War. The movie is set to premiere on July 27.