The Journals of Musan

The Journals of Musan Hangul RRMusanilgi is a 2011 South Korean film by Park Jungbum, based on the experiences of Parks friend Jeon Seungchul, a North Korean refugee he met while attending Yonsei University Jeon was diagnosed with stomach cancer and died in 2008, less thanyears after he defected to South Korea. The film received several major awards, including the Tiger Award at the 40th International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Jury Prize at the 13th Deauville Asian Film Festival, the New Currents award at 15th Busan International Film Festival, the grand prize at Off Plus Camera Festival in Krakow, Poland. along with the Golden Star at the Festival International du Film de Marrakech.

At the start of the film Seungchul has a job pasting advertisements for sex shops throughout his neighborhood he is repeatedly beaten up by thugs. Seeking more stable employment he applies for other jobs but is rejected when employers see his citizen registration number, which marks him as a North Korean defector. Finally he gets a night job at a karaoke bar the bar owners daughter, it turns out, is a woman named Youngsook who he recognizes from church. However, she asks him to pretend not to know her at church, because shes ashamed of working at a karaoke bar and doesnt want members of her congregation to look down on her Seungchul agrees not to say anything. Later in the film, when there are no customers at the bar, some of the female employees hear him singing church hymns as he works after laughing at him for being out of tune, they offer to teach him to sing. However, when Youngsook walks in, she is angry and demands an explanation, asking why he would sing church hymns with karaoke girls. He tells her he doesnt know any songs other than hymns the implication is that he doesnt know South Korean pop songs and it would be frowned upon to sing North Korean songs. Not realizing hes a defector, she assumes he is lying, and fires him.The climax occurs at a prayer meeting which Seungchul attends with Detective Park, the police officer assigned to help him adjust to life in South Korea. Up till now, viewers have known he is a defector only due to the numbers on his ID card now they learn the details of his story. Born in Musan, in impoverished North Hamgyong province he became severely malnourished and got in a fight with a friend over food. The next day he saw his friend lying on the ground, exactly where they had been fighting the day before Seungchul realized he was dead, and assumed the fight had killed him. He became wracked with guilt the pastor assures him that God will forgive him. ........

Source: Wikipedia