Based on a True Story

[Anchor Lead]

Korean Movies based on true stories are growing more and more popular among moviegoers. Today, we will preview two movies: "Battleship Island" and "New Trial." Let’s check it out.

[Soundbite] Song Joong-ki(Actor): I have arrived here after filming the movie "Battleship Island" until this morning. Thanks to lots of sacrifices made by our ancestors.

[Pkg]

Actor Song Joong-ki introduced his new movie "Battleship Island" in a speech at a year-end award ceremony. In addition to his comments, the movie's all-star cast, including actors Hwang Jung-min and So Ji-sub, getting moviegoers excited about its release. With its trailer making its debut, greater attention is being paid to the movie, which is based on a true story. The one-minute-ten-second-long trailer showcases the tough lives of Korean forced laborers on Hashima Island, also known as Battleship Island, during Japan's colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

[Soundbite] "There should be no Koreans who remember what happened here."

The island, the setting of the film, is where Korean people were forced into labor in the 1940s. Hidden stories about the island and Korean forced laborers have begun to be revealed through a popular Korean entertainment show. But Japan continues to claim that the island is a historical symbol of its modernization.

[Soundbite] Song Hae(MC/Aug. 2016) : "Where did all the Korean workers go?"

[Soundbite] Hashima Island Tour Guide : "That was not forced labor. Japanese people were among the laborers."

Expectations are running high for the history-based movie, which stars Song Joong-ki as a Korean independence fighter and will likely be released overseas. The production of the movie "New Trial" has been announced. The film is based on the true story of a taxi driver who was murdered in Jellabuk-do Province in 2000. Actor Kang Ha-neul plays the boy "Hyun-woo" who was wrongly accused and served ten years in prison. Actor Jung Woo plays the role of a lawyer who struggles to clear Hyun-woo of the false accusations. The trial remains open in reality. Maybe, this is why actors feel a special responsibility in their roles.

[Soundbite] Kang Ha-neul(Actor) : "I wanted to express Hyun-woo's emotions in a more profound way, rather than simple, one-dimensional anger about unfairness."

Scheduled to open next month, the movie also features actress Kim Hye-sook who is nicknamed the mom of the nation for her warm and motherly acting style.