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Inter-Korean relations are headed for another chill, just a year or two after they seemed to be thawing. The situation was aggravated by a June 4 statement by Kim Yo-jong, first deputy director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), which sharply criticized the balloons attached to propaganda leaflets that defector groups launch into North Korea.

For more than 70 years now, the Korean Peninsula has seen a cycle of enmity and confrontation, and then reconciliation and overtures. Shortly before the 20th anniversary of the Inter-Korean Joint Declaration and the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, a significant film is being screened before South Korean audiences. “Korea, A Hundred Years of War” was released on June 11.

“Korea, A Hundred Years of War” is a documentary that covers a century of Korean history, from the Japanese colonial occupation to the present. After Korea’s liberation and division, the film deals with what happened on both halves of the peninsula.

One striking aspect of the film is that it was directed by a Frenchman. The director, Pierre-Olivier François, has shown consistent interest in inter-Korean issues ever since he reported on the inter-Korean summit in 2000 while working as a reporter for Arte, a public broadcaster in Europe. Previous documentaries that he’s made on this topic are “North Korea, the Border and the War” (2003) and “Korea, the Impossible Reunification?” (2013). His latest documentary builds upon the two previous ones by incorporating the most recent developments.

François doesn’t speak Korean, but he takes advantage of his status as a foreigner to hop across the border. He’s been on 15 trips to the South and 8 trips to the North. François said that it took him a full three years just to convince the North Korean authorities to let him shoot a film there.

The director does his best to remain neutral and provide an objective perspective in “Korea, A Hundred Years of War.” He deliberately applied a mechanical neutrality to the format as well. To take one example, the film shows North Koreans visiting a statue of founder Kim Il-sung and his birthplace before shifting to South Koreans visiting a statue of former president Park Chung-hee and his birthplace.

A scene from the documentary “Korea, A Hundred Years of War” showing South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un approaching each other across the Military Demarcation Line to shake hands on Apr. 27, 2018. (provided by the Korean Association of Arthouse Films)

The film juxtaposes interviews with a number of officials and experts from South and North Korea. The way the clips are edited together creates the impression that South and North Korean interviewees are engaged in conversation. Particularly fascinating are interviews with typically aloof high-ranking North Korean officials. These interviews offer a glimpse into how the officials view South Korea and what they think about unification. One striking idea in the film is its use of taekwondo poomsae (a choreographed sequence of defense and attack moves) to divide each of its sections.

A scene showing then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung shaking hands in Pyongyang on June 13, 2000. (provided by the Korean Association of Arthouse Films)

The film is neither optimistic nor pessimistic in regard to unification. It offers a clear-eyed reminder that unification is still a distant prospect, its difficulty resulting from the complexity and unpredictability of international affairs. But the film doesn’t give up hope, as suggested by two evocative interviews that conclude the film.

“I think that unification will definitely come in the future. I think that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will live in a unified Korea,” said Lee Hee-ho, wife of former president Kim Dae-jung. “I’ve basically spent my entire life under the ceasefire. We’ve never known lasting peace in our lives. If possible, unification needs to happen in our generation,” said Ri Jong-hyok, director of North Korea’s Unification Research Institute.

“I’d hoped my film would be released in Korea, but I didn’t know it would actually happen. I’m really touched,” François said in a video interview shortly after the film was previewed on June 5.

“I hope the film will contribute in some small way to helping South and North Korea understand each other and communicate with each other. As complicated as regional affairs may be, I hope there will be direct dialogue between the two sides —not only between politicians, but also between ordinary people.”

“Korea, A Hundred Years of War” is the first film that South Korea’s National Art House Association has imported and distributed. The association worked to release the film based on a consensus that this is a film that needs to be screened despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film will rotate through 15 art houses in the association, including Emu Cinema in Seoul’s Jongno District.

By Suh Jung-min, music correspondent

Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]