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‘Battleship Island’ re-creates site of forced labor

  • Published : Jun 20, 2017 - 16:45
  • Updated : Jun 20, 2017 - 16:45

“Battleship Island” almost entirely re-created Japan’s Hashima Island in an enormous set located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.

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The set of “Battleship Island” located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province (CJ Entertainment)
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The set of “Battleship Island” located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province (CJ Entertainment)
The film’s director Ryoo Seung-wan, who visited the island prior to filming, aimed to portray the overwhelming size and ambience of the place, the film’s distributor CJ Entertainment said Tuesday.

The island was a site of forced labor during World War II and abandoned concrete buildings still remain.

The Chuncheon set was created after three months of design and six months of construction, at a 66,000 square-meter site. Two-thirds of the actual concrete buildings on the island were re-created, according to CJ Entertainment. Perilous staircases, cramped living quarters and the inside of mines were all built as accurately as possible according to existing records.

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The set of “Battleship Island” located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province (CJ Entertainment)
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The set of “Battleship Island” located in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province (CJ Entertainment)
The upcoming historical flick features top stars including Song Joong-ki, So Ji-sub, Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-hyun.

It tells the story of Korean captives attempting to escape after being drafted to Hashima Island by force during the Japanese occupation of Korea.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)


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