Stills from "Real Tail Island"
In December 2003, South Korea released a movie about the confrontation between the North and the South, "Shio Island".
The film was released for 58 days and received more than 10 million viewers, making it a phenomenon-level film at the time and the first film in the history of Korean cinema to exceed 10 million viewers. As a result, Korean society has sparked a discussion about the Shimijima incident.
The reason why "Real Tail Island" has such a big impact is because it breaks through a big forbidden area.
Historically, the Shimi island incident has been deliberately covered up by the South Korean government, the relevant information has been sealed, and the relevant personnel, the living people, have been forced to sign a confidentiality contract for 25 to 30 years, and the violators will be punished most severely.
After the democratization of South Korea in 1987, although the private sector was allowed to discuss the Semijima incident, the authorities remained secretive, and due to the lack of information, the public knew little about the specific circumstances of the Sewei Island incident.
Stills of "Shio Island" Sergeant Cao's prototype is Kim Il-tae
It was not until 1993, when Kim Il-tae, the island's instructor, sent the relevant information to New East Asia magazine for disclosure that the Shio Island incident was gradually known to the South Korean people.
In 1999, South Korean writer Baek Ho-dong created a novel based on the real Shio Island incident.
In 2003, South Korean director Kang Yoo-suk, combined historical data and the novel "Shio Island", created the movie "Shio Island", which triggered a strong response from Korean society.
In February 2004, the South Korean government, under the pressure of public opinion and public opinion, first admitted to the long-hidden incident, and then published the list of death squads and published the report of the Shio Island incident, but the relevant files are still top secret.
At the same time, the families of the death squads at that time fought a lawsuit with the production company of "Shiwei Island" and the South Korean government, demanding that the production company apologize (in the movie, the death squads are all from criminals, and the real situation is that there are also law-abiding people in the death squads) and demand compensation from the South Korean government.
Compared with the "Real Tail Island" movie itself, the history behind the film is extremely follow-up and equally exciting.
Today, the "Real Tail Island" movie has been released for 18 years, and 50 years have passed since the Real Tail Island incident, and everyone may be tired of watching the film, film reviews and related articles.
Today I will say something different - from the background of the Cold War, we can see the real tail island incident.
01
The movie "Shio Island" is created twice on the basis of historical events, and the plot is different from historical events.
The film's foreword explains this: "The film is based on Unit 684 on Shio Island in 1968. Since the exact information of the squad has not been made public, the detailed description of the squad in this film, including the background of the team members, is the creation of the choreographer. ”
Therefore, it is necessary to briefly talk about the historical Shimijima incident.
On January 21, 1968, 31 commandos from the north of the peninsula crossed the 38th Parallel into Seoul in an attempt to infiltrate the Blue House and assassinate South Korean President Park Chung-hee.
During the march, the assassination operation was discovered, the commando team was almost completely destroyed, and a commando named Jin Xinchao was captured and the entire plan of action was explained.
Captured Captives Stills from "Real Tail Island"
Park Chung-hee was furious and instructed Central Intelligence Minister Kim Kyung-wook to treat him as a human being.
In April, the CIA and the South Korean military secretly formed the "684 Northern Force" (named after April 1968) on Sewei Island (off the coast of Incheon), with 31 members.
The members of the "684 Northern Force" are complex, including hooligans, thieves, prisoners, marathon runners, circus performers, and martial arts masters, who are recruited, not as the movie says, to atone for their sins.
On Shio Island, the team members have been trained in a demonic way, and their combat skills have almost reached the limits of humanity. During this period, 7 people died of various causes.
Devil Training Stills from "Solid Island"
After July 1968 (the specific time is unknown), the training was completed, and the CIA ordered a 9-person detachment selected from the "684 Northern Dispatch Force" to carry out the task.
The plan was to set off from Baekjeong Island and, under the cover of night, take a hydrogen airship to the skies over Pyongyang and assassinate Kim.
After the squad boarded the airship, the latest order came: terminate the operation and wait for the order.
The squad lingered on Bailing Island for about a month, but there was still no new order, and returned to Shio Island.
The direct reason for the termination of the order is that the United States is opposed, and the fundamental reason is that the tension between the North and the South has gradually eased and the dawn of peace has come.
There is no need for assassination, and naturally there is no need for the "684 Northern Dispatch Force".
No action date Stills from "Real Tail Island"
The "684 Northern Force" who stayed on Shio Island became an outcast, and the allowances they deserved were either less paid or embezzled by the middle departments, the treatment was not as good as before, the target had been revoked, but the training was still cruel, the team members felt that they would be tortured to death in the long run, and dissatisfaction spread.
On August 23, 1971, the "684 Northern Force" rioted, killing the instructors and guards on the island (not finished, losing 1 member of the team), landing in Incheon by boat, hijacking a bus, and rushing to the Blue House to ask the government for an explanation.
The South Korean government mobilized a large number of military police, surrounded them, and surrounded them in front of the Seoul Special City-Yeongdeungpo-Dafang-Yoohan-foreign building, and the two sides engaged in a fierce gun battle.
Detonation grenade suicide Stills from "Real Tail Island"
During this period, 4 team members abandoned the car and fled (they were quickly arrested and sentenced to death), and 19 team members who were in a desperate situation committed suicide by detonating grenades.
The South Korean government misled the public by calling them guerrillas infiltrated by North Korea, and in order to avoid North Korean dissatisfaction, it later changed its name to a "special criminal in military management" riot.
After the riots, the information of the "684 Northern Force" was artificially dispelled, as if they had never been to this world.
In the era of Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan, the South Korean media was controlled by the government, and no one dared to pursue the truth.
Incident report Stills from "Real Tail Island"
Since then, the Shio Island incident has become a forbidden area.
02
In the Shiwei Island incident, two major events promoted the development of the whole incident: first, the north launched the 1.21 Blue House attack, and the south formed the "684 Faction North Force" in retaliation; second, the North and the South eased up, and the South terminated the assassination operation, indirectly leading to the "684 Faction North Force" riot and destruction.
It can be seen that whether the North attacks the South or the South attacks the North, the behavior of the two sides depends on the relationship between the two sides - in times of tension, when they attack each other, when they ease, when they restrain each other.
The question arises: What depends on whether the Relations between the North and the South are good or not? Is it random, or is it something else?
In the context of the Cold War, the changes in the north-south relations on the peninsula depended on the confrontation between the two camps led by the United States and the Soviet Union.
In the 1950s and the first half of the 1960s, North Korea was still relatively moderate and wanted to achieve the reunification of the peninsula by peaceful means.
After the Korean War, with the assistance of major powers, the DPRK quickly recovered the wounds of the war, and various constructions steadily advanced and flourished.
North Korean shops in the 60s
On the contrary, South Korea is in turmoil, economically weak, and an absolutely poor and backward country. Although there is American aid, the mud cannot support the wall.
Compared to the two, South Korea dwarfs each other.
People don't really believe in slogans, and they often vote with their feet and go to places where the standard of living is higher.
At this time, the socio-economic achievements of North Korea are more attractive to the people, and if it is unified, the people's hearts will inevitably fall to the north.
In addition to self-confidence, there are external reasons for North Korea's choice of peaceful reunification.
At that time, the United States was not involved in other wars, and it had sufficient energy to deal with various crises on the peninsula, and North Korea had no gap to take advantage of.
The Soviet Union, in the Khrushchev era, pursued the policy of "three and one less," sang a quill of moderation, and reduced arms assistance to the DPRK.
Without the support of the Soviet Union and the United States, North Korea would not have been able to use force if it wanted to.
In 1959, Khrushchev visited the United States
By around 1965, things had changed.
After the Park Chung-hee coup in 1961, South Korea ended the political turmoil, the economy was on the right track, and with the "First Five-Year Plan" in full swing, the South Korean economy began to take off.
At the same time, in order to enhance South Korea's military strength, the United States has proposed a five-year military assistance program for South Korea, planning to provide $250 million in military assistance to South Korea every year, which means that the South Korean army will receive a large number of advanced equipment from the US military.
Not only that, the United States has also vigorously coordinated the normalization of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan and stepped up the deployment of various advanced weapons in South Korea.
Under such circumstances, the peaceful reunification that the DPRK expects cannot be achieved.
Obviously, with the passage of time, south Korea's economy and military development are rapid, north korea's relative advantage is disappearing day by day, and when south Korea catches up with or surpasses north korea, north Korea will be very passive.
Park Chung-hee and Chiang Kai-shek
On the other hand, the United States was deeply involved in the Vietnam War and had no time to take care of the peninsula, which provided an opportunity for North Korea to do things.
And North Vietnam's struggle against US reunification has also greatly stimulated North Korea's desire to fight -- the same north and south are divided, and North Vietnam dares to fight, why can't North Korea do it?
In addition, in 1964, China successfully tested the atomic bomb, Brezhnev replaced Khrushchev, increased military assistance to North Korea, and provided Soviet submarines, missile boats, tanks, radars, surface-to-air missiles, MiG-21s, and so on.
Various factors are intertwined and superimposed, making North Korea change its previous moderate attitude and begin to become fierce and aggressive.
North Korea's strategy was to vigorously aid North Vietnam while speeding up the South Korean revolution.
It is understandable that South Korea sent troops to aid South Vietnam, and North Korea naturally wanted to aid North Vietnam.
Emphasis will be placed on the promotion of the South Korean revolution.
In the absence of the support of the great powers (which support it, but do not support it in starting a war, which are two different things), a large-scale invasion of the south is not feasible.
The way north Korea has come up with is to infiltrate and strike south Korea in the form of guerrilla warfare – and if the infiltration is successful, it will establish a base area and form a situation like the South VietnamEse National Liberation Front. Unsuccessful infiltration can create tension and oppression, shake the morale of South Korea's military, and contribute to the collapse of the Park Chung-hee government.
Posters
South Korea could reduce or even withdraw its troops to Vietnam in the face of serious threats, which would reduce pressure on North Vietnam and create discord between the United States and South Korea, which believes that the provocations from the north do not pose a real threat to South Korea and that South Korea should strengthen its anti-infiltration capabilities and oppose South Korea's withdrawal from Vietnam.
Provoking South Korea will inevitably anger South Korea, Park Chung-hee has always been tough on the DPRK, it is likely to fight back, the United States is deeply mired in the quagmire of the Vietnam War, will not support Park Chung-hee to fight back, which will in turn intensify the contradictions between the two countries.
The United States and South Korea are not at peace, the alliance relationship is weakened, and the US troops in South Korea may withdraw and enter the Vietnam battlefield. When the time comes, the north will single out South Korea, and the victory will be in hand.
Beginning in October 1966, the number of north-south armed conflicts surged, and in just two months, the number of firefights caught up with the total since the 1953 armistice.
Park Chung-hee Stills from "The Ministers of Namsan"
Cold guns, barracks, checkpoints, and gunboats have become the norm, and when the intensity is intense, the two sides will shell each other.
While creating tension on the front line, the North also selected elite soldiers from the army, formed commandos, conducted special training, and sent to the south to engage in guerrilla warfare.
After infiltrating South Korea, these people carried out attacks everywhere and incited the people to rise up and revolutionize. In 1967 alone, the commandos had at least 215 armed clashes with south Korean military police, and more than 200 commandos were killed.
1968 was the year of the most intense conflict. The Blue House incident, the Pueblo incident, and the armed invasion of Weizhen-Sanzhi incident all occurred in this year. Over the course of a year, South Korea arrested 1,245 commandos.
Park Chung-hee
This kind of conflict and confrontation is the general trend of this period, and the Blue House incident and the Shiwei Island incident are only one of the points.
Just looking at a point, just knowing it, linking it, exploring the reasons behind it, the development context, is to know why it is so.
03
Let's look at the second question: Why did the operation stop?
Immediately after the Blue House incident, Park Chung-hee summoned U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Porter and demanded that the United States support South Korea in retaliation. However, Porter said the United States did not want war on the peninsula and refused to support South Korea, a move that disappointed Park Chung-hee.
At that time, the command of the South Korean army was in the hands of the United Nations army, the United States did not nod, and Park Chung-hee could not mobilize the army to fight back, so he could only secretly form a death squad and play some small actions.
Two days after the Blue House incident, the Pueblo incident broke out, and Park Chung-hee believed that it was necessary to fight back hard, otherwise the north would gain inches.
In stark contrast to its indifference to the Blue House, the United States did everything it could to resolve the Pueblo crisis — which concerned more than 80 American hostages.
During this period, the United States abandoned South Korea and began negotiations with the DPRK, Park Chung-hee asked for the Blue House incident to be included in the negotiations, the US military directly refused, in order to avoid provoking the DPRK, the United States also repeatedly warned Park Chung-hee: Do not act rashly, do not unilaterally attack the DPRK.
In order to appease Park Chung-hee, the United States made concessions in other aspects, such as increasing aid to South Korea and expanding the autonomy of the South Korean military.
After receiving the benefits, Park Chung-hee promised U.S. Envoy Vance that South Korea would not retaliate against the Blue House and the Pueblo incident, and would consult with the United States in advance even if it retaliated against other provocations.
Formation of the "684 Northern Troops" stills from "Shiwei Island"
Park Chung-hee promised that it would take place in February, and the formation of the "684 Northern Force" would take place in April, which shows that Park Chung-hee was not persuaded by the Americans.
Retaliation is not retaliation, it can be put aside for the time being, but the preparation for retaliation cannot be stopped, so the CIA is still secretly training the "684 Northern Troops".
The Pueblo crisis lasted from January to November, almost throughout 1968.
In the Shiwei Island incident, the "684 Northern Force" received the order to terminate the operation after July, when the "Pueblo" crisis had not yet been resolved, and the two sides launched a fierce war of words around the "separate signature", and the negotiations entered the most critical period.
At this time, if the "684 Northern Troops" were to go to Pyongyang to do something, what would be the consequences?
Park Chung-hee, of course, understood that the consequences were unimaginable, so he terminated the order.
The above is the direct cause.
Of course, the film does not show this, only that the relationship between the North and the South has eased, so the action has stopped.
04
From the lifting of the Pueblo crisis in November 1968 to the "684 Faction North Force" riot in August 1971, there were nearly 3 years in between, why did Park Chung-hee never use the "684 Faction North Troop"?
Because the international situation has changed.
In his inaugural address in January 1969, Nixon sang of eastern-western détente, sending a signal of contraction in the U.S. global strategy. The following year, Nixon unilaterally decided to cut back 20,000 U.S. troops in South Korea and put the U.S. Second Division, which was stationed near the 38th Parallel, in its place with South Korean troops at the forefront.
Not only that, but the United States also suggested that South Korea and North Korea start dialogue.
South Korea is very dissatisfied with this, feeling that the United States is gradually abandoning itself, and the US umbrella is unreliable.
Park Chung-hee and Nixon
In the eastern camp, Sino-Soviet relations deteriorated to the peak, a series of border conflicts broke out, both sides saw the other as the most serious threat, and then both began to ease relations with the United States, and neither supported North Korea's hard-line behavior.
The Soviet Union, in particular, repeatedly hinted at dissatisfaction with North Korea's "unauthorized actions" and "excesses."
On the other hand, north Korea's hard-line policies over the past few years have not had the desired effect, the Park Chung-hee government has not only not collapsed, but has become stronger, and the US-Rok alliance has not collapsed. This has forced North Korea to adjust its policy again.
At this time, South Korea's national strength has caught up, the overall military strength of the north and south is basically balanced, and without the support of external powers, neither side can completely defeat the other.
The great powers behind the North and the South do not support the peninsula conflict, and the two sides are equal in strength, and neither can eat the other.
If the confrontation continues, it will not only be unnecessary, but will anger the big powers behind it.
In this case, and, is the general trend.
Since shooting down U.S. helicopters and capturing U.S. pilots in August 1969, North Korea has significantly reduced its cross-border provocations. In June 1970, North Korea again advocated peace-reunification.
After North Korea signaled de-spite, Park Chung-hee reacted quickly, issuing a declaration of North-South dialogue and peace-reunification.
On August 6, 1971, Kim expressed his willingness to engage with all political parties, social groups, and individuals in South Korea.
On the 12th, the Korean Red Cross Society proposed to hold talks with the Korean Red Cross Society to solve the problems of postal mail and meeting with separated family members. This proposal won the approval of Park Chung-hee and the response of the north.
The First Contact Between the North and The South Red Cross
On August 20, representatives of the North and South Red Cross Societies made initial contact at Panmunjom.
At this critical time, any factor affecting the peace talks between the North and the South must be subordinated to the overall situation, and the "684 Northern Troops" have become a factor of instability.
Three days later, the "684 Northern Troops" rioted.
In the movie "Shio Island", the South Korean Central Intelligence Agency ordered the person in charge to dispose of the "684 Northern Force", and the troops rioted.
In real history, whether there is such an order is unknown.
However, it is in the interest of the South Korean government to dispose of them, and it makes logical sense.
05
The "684 Northern Troops" were a victim, and they could not help themselves.
In fact, South Korea is not a victim, in the chess game of great power competition, it is also involuntary.
Those small things on the peninsula are only a projection of the global confrontation between the two camps, and whether the north and the south are advancing or retreating depends on the general trend.
What is the general trend?
The Americans sentenced Park Chung-hee to death stills from "The Ministers of Namsan."
The result of the multi-party contest between the big countries determines the trend of world politics, and this trend is the general trend, and the small countries can only follow the trend.
【References】
Film Studies on Korean Political Events
A Study of the Crisis on the Korean Peninsula in the Mid-to-Late 1960s
1968: Tensions on the Korean Peninsula and the Crisis of Confidence in the United States and South Korea
"The Détente of Inter-Korean Relations in the Early 1970s and Their Impact"