<Rice>

Director : Shin Sang-okk
Starring : Shin Young-kyun, Choi Eun-hee, Kim Hee-gap,Choi Nan-kyeong
Location Sites : Naedo-ri, Muju-eup, Muju-gun, Jeollabuk Province

Film Information

The movie <Rice (Ssal)> deals with the making of a waterway for a village to solve its food problem. A man returning from the Korean War enlightens the conventional villagers. Critics today link the instructive aspects of this movie with the beginning of the Park Chung-hee government. Even when this movie was released, it was evaluated as "an educational movie having the intention of enlightening people in the form of a feature movie." It considered the abolition of old customs and positive development as the most important tasks of early 1960s' Korean society. It is thought to have reflected post-war society in that wounded soldiers and working woman played the leading parts.

Synopsis

All year round, the poor farmers in Mujugucheon-dong can barely eat even a grain of rice because they have no water to irrigate their rice field. A determined young man begins to excavate a mountain to draw water from the Geum River. But it is not so easy to penetrate the mountain and the project fails over and over again despite his strong will. Finally, with the strong support of the 5.16 government and the strenuous efforts of the villagers under their leader, the waterway is completed. Finally, they can eat rice in Mujugucheon-dong.

Location of Shooting

<Rice>(Ssal) was shot at Namak village near Mujugucheondong. A disused mine was used as the waterway that villagers used to dig out. Currently, large rice fields exist in front of the village, and it seems that the last scene of <Rice>(Ssal) was filmed here. <Rice>(Ssal) is a movie based on a true story. The shooting location of the movie corresponds to the original location. During the Japanese occupation (1910-1945), construction took place for creating a waterway for the Geum River that flows in the shape of a gourd around Naedori, Mujueup, Mujugun, Jeolabuk Province and Bangwuri, Buri-myeon, Geumsangun, Chungchengnam Province. When construction took place, the expectation was that the swamp area of Bangwuri could be transformed into fertile soil at the end of the construction project.

General Information

Namak is a tiny village that can be reached by driving about 10 minutes on No. 30 National Highway. The Geum River flows in front of the village, and the disused mine where the Japanese used to dig for coal during the Japanese occupation still remains. In front of the mine, you can still see the framework of the house where the Japanese officer who used to oversee mine operations lived.

Directions

Muju I.C through Highway between Daejeon and Tongyeong-> Take a left turn passing the Najetongmun, Seolcheon-myeon on the No. 30 National Highway. Drive 10 minutes more, then you will see the milepost of Namak village on the right side-> Take a right turn following the milestone. Namak village is located at the end of the road.

Nearby Attractions

There is Mujugucheondong, Najetongmun and Mt. Deokyu National Park.