Kuwŏn ŭi kisŭk

The Shore of Rescue

This was the last DPRK/USSR co-production, and is based on a true story. This is an epic taking place during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. It involves four parties. The first is a group of five Russian sailors who are marooned on the Korean peninsula after their ship, the Svetlana, is destroyed. Their objective is to hike north to Vladivostok, so they can return home. The second is a group of Japanese bandits who want to pillage the tomb of a local king. The third is a Korean village who are angered by the death of a local. They presume that the Russians killed him. The last party involved is a female hermit, who wishes to return to the village after being banished because her father is believed to be a traitor.