The Korea Film Archive announced the reopening of Korea Film Museum offline on Friday, among other facilities that it manages, after shutting them down due to the spread of COVID-19.

At the Korea Film Museum, “Chaotic Times, Crossed Path: Movie People in Liberation Space” exhibition that was shown online starting July 7 will be opened to the public. The exhibition, which shows movie industry professionals who worked in both South and North Korea until the Korean War, marks the 70th anniversary of the war this year.

“This exhibition, which reflects different paths the movie industry protagonists took after the liberation (from Japanese imperial rule) with the common goal of creating a unified country, reminds people of the 70-year-history of division and the tragedy the Korean War brought on by looking at the crossed path of movies at the time,” said Korea Film Archive.

In the Featured Exhibition Room, 14 films made in the North during the time between liberation from Japan and the end of the Korean War will be shown, of which 12 will be shown for the first time here. In order to watch the North Korea-produced films at the exhibition, viewers must sign a form which is sent to the National Intelligence Service. The films can be seen in their entirety.

The films include drama, record and news films among others. “The Blast Furnace” (1949) by director Min Jung-sik, the second film to be made in North Korea, and “People Protecting Homeland” (1952) by director Yoon Yong-gyu, one of the major films made during the Korean War, are presented in the exhibition.

Notable actors who left for the North such as Moon Ye-bong, Moon Jung-bok and Kim Yeon-sil are among the actors that star in the films.

Movies made for propaganda purposes, such as “38th Parallel” and “Eternal Goodwill” among others as well as four “The Joseon Sibo” news reels are on show at the exhibition.

The exhibition is scheduled to continue until Oct. 18.

By Lim Jang-won (ljw@heraldcorp.com)