'Hallan' revisits lingering pain of Jeju's April 3 Uprising

Actors Kim Hyang-gi, right, and Kim Min-chae in a scene from "Hallan" / Courtesy of Triple Pictures

Almost seven months after the Jeju April 3 Uprising archives were added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, a new film about the tragedy is set to hit theaters, inviting audiences to revisit one of the darkest chapters in modern Korean history and to remember its victims once more.

Starring actor Kim Hyang-gi, “Hallan” follows Ah-jin, who struggles to protect her six-year-old daughter Haesaeng (Kim Min-chae) while hiding in the forests of Mount Halla from police and soldiers in the late 1940s. The title, “Hallan,” refers to an orchid native to Jeju Island.

Director Ha Myung-mi said the film was born from her deep empathy for Jeju residents.

“In 2013, I moved to Jeju Island. Every year, I took part in the memorial ceremony for the uprising. But just feeling sad didn’t seem enough — I felt guilty for the islanders,” Ha said during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday.

“I began to wonder how I could truly empathize with them, and realized that understanding their stories could be a way to share that sorrow. That’s why I decided to make this film.”

The Jeju April 3 Uprising began in 1948, when residents revolted against government forces amid mounting tensions over Korea’s division and political repression. The state’s brutal counterinsurgency campaign left tens of thousands of civilians dead. Acknowledgement of the tragedy was suppressed under authoritarian rule, but has since been officially recognized as a state-led massacre. It is a reminder of the human cost of ideological conflict in Korea.

"Hallan" isn't the first movie about the uprising. Last year's "Until the Stones Speak" is among a handful of recent films that address the tragic events.

The director said her childhood memories and the historical documents she encountered inspired the film.

“I once got lost on a mountain when I was about four or five years old,” she recalled. “When I think back to that experience, it reminds me of women and children who hid on Mount Halla during that time. As those memories and emotions overlapped, I felt a deep emotional connection, and that became the inspiration for this project.”

Actor Kim Hyang-gi, left, speaks during a press conference on the upcoming film "Hallan" in Seoul, Tuesday. On the right is director Ha Myung-mi. Courtesy of Triple Pictures

Kim Hyang-gi said the film was an opportunity for her to learn more about the uprising and understand the trauma still felt by Jeju residents.

“I didn’t know much about the uprising before working on the film,” she said, adding that mastering the local dialect was the most challenging part.

Because the Jeju dialect is difficult even for native Korean speakers, the film includes Korean subtitles.

“Fluency in the dialect was our top priority,” Ha said. “Officially, we had five reviewers because the Jeju dialect varies by region. Altogether, about 10 people reviewed our script to ensure accuracy.”

The film was featured at the Aichi International Women’s Film Festival in September and premiered on Jeju Island in late October, honoring the island's history.

“The film was well received,” Ha said. “I was pleasantly surprised by the strong interest from Japanese audiences.”

"Hallan" will be released on Nov. 26.