Joint Security Area

Joint Security Area (JSA) is a film by acclaimed Korean director Park Chan-wook. It centered around an investigation by United Nations officials of a fatal shooting incident that occurred in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. When released, it was the highest grossing Korean film of all time.

Tropes used in Joint Security Area include:

• Cold War / Civil War / The Korean War: All still going on the border between the Koreas.
• Driven to Suicide
• Faux Fluency: The United Nations investigator unraveling the mystery at the DMZ is a Korean actress who obviously learned her English lines phonetically.
  • Later versions completely dubbed her lines with a native English speaker.
• Foregone Conclusion: The friendship between the soldiers will end badly.
• Framing Device: The main story is told in a series of flashbacks as the UN investigator tries to find out the truth about a murder.
• How We Got Here
• North Koreans With Nodongs
• Not So Different
• Park Chan-wook: The Korean filmmaker that directed the film.
• Shown Their Work: With a highly accurate recreation of the Joint Security Area.
• South Koreans With Marines
• Take It to the Bridge: The famed "Bridge of No Return"
• Translation Convention: The Swiss and Swedish members of the United Nations stationed in Korea speak English instead of Korean or their native language. A Swiss character of Korean nationality speaks English with a heavy Korean accent rather than a Swiss one.