kviff.com
News
Festival Guide
  • Tickets and Festival Pass
  • Accommodations
  • Transportation
  • Festival cinemas
  • No Barriers project
  • Kids at the festival
  • Festival Shop
Program
  • Catalogue of films
  • Accompanying programme
  • Archive of films
  • Audience award
  • KVIFF Talks
  • Film Entry
Film Industry
  • Industry accreditation
  • Film Industry at KVIFF
  • Industry Days Programme
  • KVIFF Eastern Promises
  • KVIFF Talents
Press
  • Press accreditation
  • Press Service
  • For download
  • Press releases
  • Photogallery
  • Videogallery
About the festival
  • Festival description
  • Programme sections
  • Awards
  • History
  • We support non-profits
  • Photogallery
  • Partners
  • Why We Support the Festival
  • Contacts
CZ
Sign in
Film Archive

Black Republic

New Korean Cinema 2001 / Keudeuldo Inooli Chuhlum / South Korea 1990

Black Republic Black Republic

Synopsis

A young man with the assumed name of Kim Ki Young arrives in an old mining town covered in blackish-grey dust lying far from civilisation; he is being hounded for his part in the political unrest of the 1980s. He finds work at the local briquette factory and gradually gets to know the inhabitants of this godforsaken place. The town bully is the ill-tempered drunk Lee Sung Chol, son of the mine owner, who imagines he can run roughshod over all the employees. He also terrorises his attractive gal, Song Young Sook, who works as a waitress at a small tea room. Long ago she lost her illusions about the future, but when she meets the gentle and cultivated Kim, undiscovered emotions begin to surface within her. The lonely young man would also like to begin again in a new direction and it seems that their tender ties of love are a good starting point for both of them. But the insolent Lee Sung Chol has no intention of giving up the beautiful girl so easily and he harshly attacks her in Kim’s presence. Song Young Sook has made up her mind to leave with Kim, but shaking off the past is more difficult than either of them thinks.

About the film

100 min / Black & white, 35 mm

Director Park Kwang Soo / Screenplay Yun Dae Seong, Park Kwang Soo, Kim Seong Soo / Dir. of Photography Yu Young Kil / Music Kim Soo Cheol / Editor Kim Hyun / Producer Lee Woo Suk / Production Dong-A Export Co. / Cast Moon Sung Kyun, Park Joong Hun, Sim Hye Jin

About the director


Park Kwang Soo (b. 1955) studied sculpture at National University in Seoul and film at ESEC in Paris. Filmography: Chilsu and Mansu (1988), Black Republic (1990), Berlin Report (1991), To the Starry Island (1994), A Single Spark (1995).

Other partners
Newsletter

First-hand brews throughout the year.
Be among the first to learn about upcoming events and other news. We only send the newsletter when we have something to say.

Follow us on the web:

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
is part of the KVIFF Group family, which covers other projects as well:

© 2025 KVIFF GROUP

Rules for Visitors / Website visitors privacy policy / GTC / Personal Data Protection / Rules for Claim / Rules and Regulations / Contacts