In “Steel Rain”, we get a glimpse into the ordinary life of an average North Korean family. They are just like any other ordinary average family in any part of the world, except … their conversation at the table must be guarded.
Killed? The child humbly apologizes and explains that she didn’t listen to the music. She only said that the Chinese and the Russians listen. At the tender age of 8 years old, his daughter has to be made to understand the danger of making what should be a casual unthreatening remark in the privacy of their own home.
The purpose of that scene was to show the viewer that Eom Chul-Woo is a family man who just wants to live peacefully and keep his family safe. But he has also served in the North Korean military and has proven himself to be trustworthy, reliable, and most of all, a loyal patriot. That’s why he was called back to duty and given a secret mission.
Eom Chul-Woo is informed that top military officials are planning a coup. Number one (i.e. The North Korean president, also referred to as “The Great General”) doesn’t know anything! Others want to warn him but access to him is being blocked.
The North Korean president is going to be at the Kaesong Industrial Complex on a certain day. His mission is to get to Number One and let him know what’s going on and also to take out the top military guys who are the ones instigating the coup. Simple mission? NOT!!
The actions of the military officials planning the coup might remind you of an event in America’s history, the Boston Tea Party. In “Steel Rain”, the North Korean military officials planned to attack the Kaesong Industrial Complex, hopefully killing Number One in the process and … BLAME THE AMERICANS! Did that work? Well it would have except … Eom Chul-Woo was there. The best-laid plans often don’t work when an unexpected variable gets thrown into the “mix”.
Number One gets shot and badly wounded but thanks to the quick thinking of Eom Chul-Woo, he manages to get him into a van and escapes. Escapes to where? To South Korea. Where else? There were non-citizens in North Korea who requested South Korea allow them safe entry to get away. The gates were opened and Eom Chul-Woo was in line with the other vehicles and drove directly into South Korea with the wounded North Korean president.
So South Koreans, Americans, and other people around the world are listening to “(questionable) Breaking News” about what’s happening in North Korea. The CNN news reports say: “US military rocket attacked Kaesong in North Korea”.
How dare the Americans!! Of course, you know … THIS MEANS WAR!!
However, Eom Chul-Woo knows what’s really going on because he was there.
While the news is being reported, the political officials at The Blue House (South Korea’s White House) are being briefed: “An MLRS from the US Army Second Division went missing at dawn, and about 20 minutes ago the seized MLRS fired two Steel Rain bombs, at the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The ROK-US Combines Forces Command wants us to issue DEFCON Three.”
The Blue House officials are also told the NK president is missing! Yeah. That part of the report is correct. They did not know that the missing president was now in South Korea. Eom Chul-Woo drives the wounded general to a doctor’s office. He didn’t care that the doctor delivered babies. She was a doctor! He demanded that she treat the general and promised he would not hurt her.
The doctor did the best she could but told him the general had a bullet in his brain and there was no way she could perform surgery. When she got a chance she tried to make a phone call to get help. Eom Chul-Woo also made a phone call to let the NK commander he was working for know the status of Number One and his whereabouts. He was told to stay put and people would be sent to get him and the Great General.
Of course, people were sent but their mission was to kill him and the general. They failed because Eom Chul-Woo was a trained soldier who knew better than to trust anybody. When the NK team showed up, he overpowered them and escaped with the general.
The baby doctor took him to another doctor who was a surgeon. It turns out that the surgeon was the ex-wife of Kwak Chul-Woo, Chief of Foreign Security Affairs in South Korea. He tried to contact her but she did not answer the phone. He knew that was unusual so he went to her office. He walked right into Eom Chul-Woo’s gun being pointed at him.
But what a coincidence! While everybody is trying to find out what’s going on, Kwak Chul-Woo, ends up meeting the man who can give him the answers they need to try to STOP A WAR! Of course, they had to learn to trust each other in order to work together through this dangerous political turmoil. But when they finally parted ways, Eom Chul-Woo and Kwak Chul-Woo had come to respect each other.
My personal rating is 9 out of 10 stars.
The two male leads ~ Jung Woo-Sung and Kwak Do-Won ~ were awesome! In one scene, Eom Chul-Woo wanted to know about the kind of music his little girl mentioned and Kwak Chul-Woo turned the radio so he could listen. Eom Chul-Woo was in disbelief. This K-pop music is a global phenomenon?
But then Kwak Chul-Woo started singing along and dancing in his seat while he was driving and Eom Chul-Woo looks at him as if he’s insane. Amid a declaration of war, South Korea’s Chief of Foreign Security Affairs is singing and dancing to K-pop music. That scene was priceless.
Rex. “Steel Rain Korean Movie Trailer.” YouTube Video. YouTube, October 4, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xqDFSFHJFY.
In the sequel to “Steel Rain”, the South Koreans want to engage in Peace Talks (i.e. hold a Summit) with the North Koreans. But once again it seems the Americans want to have everything their way.
“Steel Rain 2: Summit” begins with a historical note: “After the end of the Cold War, 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Korean Peninsula missed a chance to build a Peace Regime. The peninsula remains the last Cold War system in the world.” After that note, there is a quick geography lesson: There is a place called Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands located between Taiwan and Okinawa Island.
QUESTION: Why are these history and geography notes important? ANSWER: Operation Kagemusha.
Here’s the current situation. The US and Japan want to conduct a naval exercise. South Korea usually never particpates in this exercise. But on short notice, South Korea is asked to join.
Initially, Han Kyeong-Jae, the president of South Korea refused. For one thing, they never required South Korea to participate before. For another thing why ask now, on such short notice, when they know the Peace Talks between South and North Korea have been scheduled?
Later, Han Kyeong-Jae, against his better judgment, is persuaded to agree to particpate in the naval exercise and put the Summit on the backburner. The leader from North Korea is asked to attend a meeting with the US president: President Smoot.
The scene of the exchange between the North Korean leader and POTUS Smoot was priceless. President Smoot was probably supposed to be President Trump. The scriptwriters probably should have named the character President Schmuck!!
Instead of discussing the possibility of peace between North and South Korea, and possibly even reunification, President Smoot acts a like a schmuck! Hey! Politics is all show buisiness. He’s not there to talk peace. He wants to try to make some money!!
I mean he’s a US president so he can’t do everything he wants. But North Korea has a dictator who only has to say the word. So why don’t they agree together on a matter that will make them a lot of money? I mean … who doesn’t want to make money?? (O.o)
Needless to say, the American president’s behavior was so shameless that even the North Korean leader was insulted and disgusted and stormed out of the meeting. That left the South Korean president wondering if it was even possible to have a sensible discussion about anything with President Schumck … I mean Smoot!!
OK. So this is the gist of what’s going on. There are some in South Korea and there may be some in North Korea who would like the division between North and South to be erased. They used to be one country. Why can’t they be one country again? However, it appears that the USA and Japan don’t really want reunification, and China does not see the benefit either.
One thing became crystal clear. Some in North Korea don’t want peace or reunification and don’t want to be pushed around by other nations. What’s their solution?
Oh! But what about Operation Kagemusha?
You know what? That’s a truly excellent question. What about it?
My personal rating is 9 out of 10 stars.
Jung Woo-Sung and Kwak Do-Won switched up in this sequel. This time Jung Woo-Sung is South Korean and Kwak Do-Won is North Korean. They performed their roles as if they were the real people.
Kmoovy. “Steel Rain 2: Summit (2020)ㅣKorean Movie Trailer.” YouTube Video. YouTube, October 5, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSg4Tla51H0.
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