''The Coast Guard'' (, ) is a

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

South Korean film directed by

Kim Ki-duk Kim Ki-duk ( ; 20 December 196011 December 2020) was a South Korean film director and screenwriter, noted for his idiosyncratic art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit, rendering him one of ...

. The film deals with military atrocities and the absurdities of borders and conflicts.

Plot

Private Kang is a South Korean marine guarding the South Korean coastline near the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone (Korean: ; Hanbando Bimujang Jidae) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in ha ...

, overly eager to shoot a North Korean spy during his time on duty. On one dimly-lit night, a drunk local couple sneaks into the fenced-off demilitarized zone to have sex. Kang spots the man on his blurry night-vision scope, and mistaking him for a North Korean spy, kills him with his rifle and grenade. Kang and the girlfriend of the dead civilian both have mental breakdowns. The woman believes the members of the coastal guards are her dead lover, and engages in sexual affairs with them. She eventually becomes pregnant and is forced into a botched abortion by the unit's incompetent medics. The woman's brother, enraged, attempts to stab members of the unit but is subdued and arrested by local police. Kang is commended for his action and is granted leave as a reward, during which he shows signs of

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...

. His friends consequently ostracize him and his girlfriend leaves him. Upon return to his post, he is cornered and beaten by the dead civilian's friends, and his PTSD worsens. After several episodes, the military deems Kang mentally unfit for service and honorably discharges him. Kang refuses to leave, and after several failed attempts to return to service, resorts to stealing military equipment and killing members of his unit. He then goes to Myeongdong in Seoul, where he stabs people at random with his bayonet before being confronted by armed policemen. Gunfire then erupts.

Cast

Jang Dong-gun Jang Dong-gun (born March 7, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films ''Friend'' (2001) and '' Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War'' (2004). Jang is one of the highest-paid actors and celebrity endorsers in ...

as Private Kang *Kim Jung-hak as Private Kim *

Park Ji-a Park Ji-Ah (; born February 25, 1972), is a South Korean actress. She is a recurring actress in Kim Ki-duk's films, having appeared in five of his works from 2002 to 2008. Her performance in ''Breath'' was described as "terrific" by ''Variety'' a ...

as Mi-young *

Yoo Hae-jin Yoo Hae-jin (born January 4, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Career As a child, Yoo Hae-jin would often slip in through the backdoor of a cultural center near his home to watch events that were being held there. After seeing a play in eighth gra ...

as Cheol-gu *Jeong Jin as So Cho-jang *Kim Ku-taek as Sergeant Jang *

Kim Kang-woo Kim Kang-woo (born July 11, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He is best known from his roles in '' The Taste of Money'' and '' The Missing''. Career Kim Kang-woo majored in Theater and Film at Chung-Ang University. In early, Kim work as singer in ...

as Private Jo *

Park Yoon-jae Park Yoon-jae (born January 14, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for starring in the television series ''Indomitable Daughters-in-Law'' (2011), ''Your Lady'' (2013), and ''Shining Romance ''Shining Romance'' () is a South Korea ...

as Private Yoon * Kim Tae-woo as Private Seo * Kim Young-jae as medic *Kim Mi-sung as tourist woman #1 *In-seong as agent 2 * as man stabbed with bayonet *Won Deok-hyun as kid *Shim Hoon-ki as coast guard 2 *

Jung Hee-tae Jung Hee-tae (Korean: 정희태, Jeonghuitae, born 5 July 1974) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in ''My Mind's Flower Rain'' (2016), ''My Father Is Strange'' (2017) and 2018 drama series '' Radio Romance''. He has appeared i ...

as agent 7 *Jeon Sung-ae as Young-kil's mother *Park Sung-il as Private Kang's friend *Choi Min as provost

Production

Filming took place around Jeonju and Seoul, South Korea from June 18, 2002 to July 19, 2002. The actors playing the marines went through a mini-boot camp to help them get into the roles of South Korean marines, the director himself a veteran of the South Korean marine corps. One day of filming was interrupted due to viewing of the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

quarterfinals between South Korea and Spain.

Awards

Wins

38th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The 38th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival took place from 4 to 12 July 2003. The Crystal Globe was won by '' Facing Windows'', an Italian drama film directed by Ferzan Özpetek. The second prize, the Special Jury Prize was won by '' Babus ...

2003: * FIPRESCI International Critics Award: "For the strong and innovative depiction of the illusion of power which destroys humanity on both sides of the fence." *

NETPAC The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) is a worldwide organization of 29 member countries. It was created as the result of a conference on Asian cinema organized by Cinemaya, the Asian Film Quarterly, in New Delhi in 1990 at the ins ...

Award * Town of Karlovy Vary Award

Nominations

2003: * Crystal Globe

Notes

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coast Guard, The 2002 films 2000s action drama films Films directed by Kim Ki-duk South Korean independent films 2000s Korean-language films Films about the Republic of Korea Marine Corps South Korean action drama films 2002 drama films Films about post-traumatic stress disorder Films set in 2002 2000s South Korean films