The `six brave men` in the battle of Yeonpyeong revived as a movie

The `six brave men` in the battle of Yeonpyeong revived as a movie. June. 03, 2015 07:39. hnbhang@donga.com.

June is a month of deceased patriots and veterans. Many military conflicts between the two Koreas including the Korean War happened to be in June. The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong on June 29, 2002 confirmed that North Korea always betrays South Korea when the South is deceived by the North’s peace offensive. Pyongyang repeatedly escalates tensions with provocations and seeks a compromise and gets compensation, and then makes provocations again. This year, it proposed a joint event marking the 15th anniversary of the June 15 north-south joint declaration. However, when it did not work as it intended, it broke the deal, criticizing Seoul.

Being indulged in the reconciliatory mood of the inter-Korean talks in 2000, the former Kim Dae-jung administration forced the military forces to respond to North Korea’s invasion of the Northern Limited Line in the West Sea with a “warning -> demonstration -> pushing back” strategy. The navy’s 357 Chamsoori-class patrol boat was attacked by a North Korean high speed boat that crossed the Northern Limited Line while pushing back it with its side exposed. It is all the more regrettable that six lives including Lt. Col. Yoon Young-ha were sacrificed. As if it was no big deal, President Kim Dae-jung, the commander-in-chief, left for Japan to see the final match of the Korea-Japan World Cup next day.

The tragic Battle of Yeonpyeong was made into a movie in 13 years and will be released next Wednesday. Bereaved families and survivors cried in the preview of the movie on Monday. The 31-minute long intense battle between the two Koreas was revived in the movie. Lt. Col. Lee Hee-wan who was a vice captain during the battle, said he could not hold back tears while watching the movie, saying, “It depicted the fact as it was and reminded me of my fellows who fought the enemy without fearing death.” Guided missile patrol gun boats are named after the six brave men’s names and now crisscross the sea. Yoon Doo-ho, the father of late Lt. Col. Yoon Young-ha, said, “I felt like our six brave soldiers revived.”

The public showed a great interest in the movie as a third of the net production costs or six billion won (5.39 million US dollars) were raised through crowdfunding and donations. The navy said it provided vessels and forces and even shooting places including a naval base in Jinhae to inform the people of the battle. June is a month in which we have to remember the selfless sacrifice of the six brave soldiers of the battle of Yeonpyeong.