Salangeul chajaseo


Salangeul chajaseo is a 1929 Korean film written, directed, produced, edited by and starring Na Woon-gyu. The film premiered at the Choseon Theater in April, 1929. More than one thousand extras from Na's hometown Hoeryong were employed in the filming of Salangeul chajaseo, making the film into a symbolic epic national exodus as a protest against the Japanese occupation of Korea. Originally entitled Crossing the Duman River, the film was banned and censored by the Japanese occupying authorities after its first showing. Popular demand caused it to be re-released, though in a heavily edited form, and renamed In Search of Love. As with the vast majority of Korean films of this era, Salangeul chajaseo is a lost film.

Plot summary

The plot concerns three characters who have lost hope in continuing their lives in Korea—Kokosu, an old man who has lost his farmland; Dong-min ; and Jong-hui, who had been betrayed by her boyfriend. Kokosu had been a bugler in the Korean military during the last days of the Joseon Dynasty. Seeking a better life in northeast China, the three are attacked by bandits and the Japanese while attempting the ice-covered Tumen River crossing of the China–North Korea border. With his last breath, Kokosu blows the army bugle he had carried with him all his life. Dong-min takes the bugle and continues playing it.