'Operation Chromite'
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By Lee Sun-ho
Since I was 10 going on 11 during the three-month Seoul occupation by North Korean troops from June 28 until September 28 in 1950 upon the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War, I had a keen interest in watching the action-packed film “Operation Chromite” released by CJ Entertainment on July 27, commemorating both the 63rd anniversary of the Korean Armistice and the 66th anniversary of the participation of the United Nations forces in the invasion.
Together with 14 contemporary university classmates of my alma mater on July 28, at Jamsil’s Lotte Cinema World Tower in Seoul, I enjoyed watching the 110-minute movie depicting the behind-the-scenes action of the story of unsung heroes and the American hero, General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964, starring Liam Neeson), during a time when South Korea and the United States banded together in war against North Korea.
Directed by John H. Lee, the movie follows a 17 man team (including Ham Myeong-soo who later served as Korea’s 7th Navy Chief of Staff) of the South Korean Navy Special Forces based on Youngheung Island off the West Sea, with the help of their U.S. ally, General MacArthur, they infiltrated a North Korean command center in Incheon by disguising themselves as North Koreans. The film features striking cinematography, violence, boldness, sweat and tears. Lee Jung-jae stars as South Korean Captain Jang Hak-soo who risks it all to protect his country. Lee Bum-soo portrays North Korean Commander Lim Gye-jin, and Jin Se-yun as Han Chae-sun, a woman fighter who stays alive even after the dangerous landing.
Aside from a sequence of air raids, bombardments and battles from the Incheon landing through the recapture of Seoul, I vividly remember living under the atmosphere of the fighting horrors as a child at that time, the film deals with the fierce battles of the brave Korean navy commandoes inside Incheon, occupied by the North Korean army led by Lim Gye-jin. The successful U.S.-led Incheon landing on September 15 is, I admit, credited with changing the tide of the Korean War, and often noted as one of the most brilliant 20th-century military operations along with the Normandy “D-day” landings. Some critics reported that MacArthur’s crazy idea to land 75,000 troops on 261 vessels in the port of Incheon had one chance in 5,000 for the operation to succeed because of many unfavorable strategic reasons.
Director Lee wanted to depict a mortal hero with real, human flaws in a genuine way. He thinks a hero is someone who can realize the impossible; not someone who is perfect, but someone like MacArthur or Lee Jung-jae’s spy character, who overcomes obstacles in dire situations and makes great sacrifices. Inspired by Hollywood spy movies focusing on a particular spy mission, he wanted to make a spy movie that translates to contemporary viewers, not only in Korea but also in 50 other regions across the globe in various languages after July 27.
I think this action film is a wonderful piece of entertainment that young people will learn something from, as Liam Neeson was concerned in the movie about the very possible North Korean threats against MacArthur. The future generations should remember correctly, I am sure, all the Incheon landing veterans and local supporters, sacrificed or alive, Koreans and foreigners alike, their proud and dedicated service, the legacy they continued, and the peace and freedom they preserved.
With MacArthur’s statue overlooking Incheon Harbor where he landed on September 15, 1950, the hero commander MacArthur’s marvelous X-ray scheme operated by a special squad of the Korean Navy should be well commemorated by Koreans, as well as the MacArthur Museum at the Arkansas Military History, where I visited in 1989, and other memorials to him all over the U.S.
The writer is an ombudsman columnist to The Korea Times in Seoul. Contact him at kexim2@unitel.co.kr.