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Jangsung Geumgok Movie Village
Has Only the Signs of Location for Movie Shooting
 
By Ryu Seunghyi, Guest Reporter
 
 In this rural town, children fly their kites and play at seesaw. Thatched-roof houses with a low stone wall surrounding the kids show a typical scene and atmosphere of the 50s and 60s in Korea. Jeon Do-yeon, the protagonist, runs away to the cypress woods to avoid being scolded after mom found out about her mistake. And then, she eventually comes across with Lee Byung-hyun, another main character, in front of ‘Jangseung’at an entrance to a village.
These are the first scenes of the movie, The Harmonium in My Memory (1999), which was set in Jangsung Geumgok Movie Village. The whole view of this village, located to the east with Mt. Chukryong in the background, was beautifully shown in this film. After The Taebaek Mountains (1994) was shot by director, Im Kwon-taek, in the village at the foot of the mountain, Geumgok Village is known for the filming locations of movies and TV dramas. Chimhyang, Underground Rendez-vous and a drama titled Boss were filmed here, too.
The day that I visited Geumgok Movie Village was during the Indian summer. A big ginkgo tree with yellow leaves planted at the parking area for the visitors was splendid. I stood there and turned around in a full circle, taking a deep breath. The colorful autumn trees, fresh air and calm village were more special than I expected. I thought that someone may feel nostalgia from here.
While walking along a side path to look around the village, I found an old water mill and saw a small lot of rice-paddies where dolman sparsely stood. And I could only hear the sound of the water of the brook and insects. I felt it was true that this village was an optimal place for filming with good sunlight levels and absolutely no noise. I walked into the street corner of the village, and shortly after noticed that people lived in every house. Smoke rose up from a chimney in one of them. It is heartwarming to see a low stone wall and jars standing in a row under the roof. These houses looked just as they did in the old days. However, the thatched roofs that I saw in the movies were replaced with tile-roofs here. It was a great pity and it should not have changed.
To look around the outdoor set built in order to film a movie, I followed the direction sign. When I reached a certain spot, I was completely at a loss. Every house looked similar and there was no direct sign on any gates. Even, the outdoor set for Underground Rendez-vous that I found on the left side of the village was deserted, so I could not take a closer look around. Actually,I could easily find some lodging which was built after Jangsung County designated this village as a visitor attraction.
During the entire visit, I did not think beautiful features which symbolized and represented Geumgok Movie Village were in a good state of preservation. It would be better to maintain the village as it was in the 50s and 60s and to manage the outdoor film set more carefully. The way to give life to the village is not development but preservation.
저작권자 © Chonnam Tribune 무단전재 및 재배포 금지