INTERVIEW 'Steel Rain 2: Summit' offers cinematic imagining of 2 Koreas' future

Jung Woo-sung, left, and Shin Jung-geun in a scene from the film “Steel Rain 2: Summit” / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Director Yang Woo-suk said he wanted to explore possible futures for the Korean Peninsula, the Cold War's last divide, through his new action blockbuster “Steel Rain 2: Summit.”

“In recent years, think tanks and security analysts have presented four possible scenarios on the future of North Korea ― going to war with South Korea, signing a peace treaty to end the Korean War, a military coup or natural calamities,” Yang said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.

“I personally believe the North Korean regime is more likely to collapse due to a military-led coup rather than nuclear weapons. However, South Korea is not really prepared for a crisis within North Korea ― a coup and a civil war among warring factions. Therefore, I wanted to offer a cinematic simulation on the future of the two Koreas.”

A sequel to “Steel Rain” (2017), “Steel Rain 2” dramatizes a tripartite summit among South Korea, the U.S. and North Korea to officially end the 1950-53 Korean War and sign a peace treaty.

The film follows South Korean President Han Kyung-jae, played by Jung Woo-sung, taking part in the historic summit with U.S. President Smoot (Angus Macfayden) and North Korean leader Cho Seon-sa (Yoo Yeon-seok).

Amid a summit-driven peace mood, a North Korean general (Kwak Do-won), who strongly opposes Cho's appeasement policy, launches a military coup and abducts the three leaders in a nuclear-powered submarine.

Director Yang Woo-suk poses after an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, Friday. / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

Like the first “Steel Rain,” “Steel Rain 2” starts with a military coup in North Korea, which intensifies the risk of an all-out war on the Korean Peninsula. However, the movie plot and characters are completely different from the earlier film, according to Yang.

“Compared with the 2017 film that shows the outbreak of the war between the two Koreas, the upcoming film shows a more realistic approach to the situation on the Korean Peninsula that involves more than just the two countries,” he said.

“It also shows that we can't create peace from our free will because we didn't win it ourselves. Even today, the fate and stability of the Korean Peninsula are determined by other countries. I wanted to present that reality in the film.”

In “Steel Rain 2,” the abduction of the three leaders disrupts the balance of power in Northeast Asia. South Korean President Han participates in the three-party talk as a mediator, but his role is limited because the country was not a signing party of the 1953 Armistice Agreement.

Director Yang explained that the story is divided into three parts. It begins with the historical background and international politics behind the conflict, and later includes some black comedy elements. As the film nears its end, the battle scenes between submarines and missile attacks taking place deep underwater showcases the fast-paced action.

“I was worried that long lines of dialogue in the beginning could bore audiences, but they were necessary in order to explain the complexity of inter-Korean relations,” Yang said.

“The power struggle inside the submarine metaphorically illustrates the inter-Korean conflict. In addition, the North Korean leader's cigarette stands for nuclear weapons while the U.S. president's fart symbolizes U.N. sanctions,” he laughed.

Director Yang hinted that a future sequel may be about families.

“While Korean society has witnessed dramatic changes in the forms of families, we have not given proper thought to it. The number of single-person households and children who live with single-parent families is growing. I want to address this issue with a warm, comic touch,” he said.

“Steel Rain 2: Summit” will hit local theaters July 29.