kdrama1-5, Exercise 2: Shiri and Joint Security Area

Model answer:

Shiri (13 February 1999), directed and written by Kang Je-gyu: a North Korean sniper lives in the South as a sleeper agent, and a plot to bomb a soccer match with leaders from both Koreas must be stopped. Budget estimated at US$8.5 million; called the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster in the new Korean film industry. Uncited claim: that 6.9 million people saw it, beating Titanic at 4.3 million.

Joint Security Area (9 September 2000), directed by Park Chan-wook, based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang-yeon: two North Korean soldiers are killed at a guard house, and an investigation shows the soldiers had secretly become friends. The article says it became the highest-grossing Korean film by early 2001 (an estimated 5.8 million nationwide), later passed by Friend, Silmido and Taegukgi. Contradiction: the lead and the body give different counts of award nominations; also, it is his third film but he prefers it to be regarded as his debut.

Sources: Wikipedia, Shiri; Joint Security Area (film). The figures are the articles' own.