뉴스레터

Curtain raised for production of Dokdo Day special documentary

He was humble and had a surefire goal. “I am a retailer of knowledge delivering our history in easy ways, based on studies by various researchers. This time around, I'd like to simply convince the public of why Dokdo is our land.”

It occurred to me, though, that Mr. Seol's appearance could be confirmed only when the day of filming came. Lately a growing number of celebrities have expressed hopes to “visit Dokdo” through mass media, riding the social atmosphere triggered by the centennial of the March 1st Independence Movement and Japan's history distortion and economic reprisal. But given my years of experience as the producer of Dokdo programs, I thought that their wishful thinking would likely end in an empty talk.

The first reason was that it would not be easy to make a voyage to the distant sea, which is influenced greatly by weather conditions. Landing on Dokdo and Ulleungdo on the desired date is not only difficult, but also you cannot tell when you would leave the islands once you've arrived. This means more monetary vulnerability for celebrities with greater fame. Second, even if celebrities want to go, management agencies often discourage them. In 2014 when Korea-Japan relations were not strained as much as now, singer Lee Seung-chul had trouble with entry into and departure from Japan. In the case of Hallyu stars, in particular, the chance of being cast is close to zero because they have to perform economic activities in Japan.

A planning meeting was achieved during the first meeting with Mr. Seol. He recommended Foundation President Kim Do-hyung, the great scholar of modern Korean history and my teacher, expressing the hope that he would “like to work with a 'genuine history scholar',” not one like me. He said it would be better for Kim to tell viewers about the history on Dokdo in person. Seol also wanted a young student, the future of Korean society, to take part and recommended English prodigy Jeon Gi-beom (a sixth grader at Aewol Elementary School, Jeju), who had been leading a movement to publicize the issue of the Japanese military comfort women.

Ideas followed one after the other. Participants in the meeting scrambled to add ideas, recalling those who had something to do with Dokdo. Among the candidates to be chosen to appear were grandma Lee Yong-soo, a victim of Japan's sexual slavery, who is in the habit of saying, “I wish to go to Dokdo, which is similar to me in circumstances,” despite her advanced age of 92; billionaire dentist Kim Han-il (representative of the U.S. non-profit group the Kim Jin-deok-Jeong Kyung-deok Foundation) who has been campaigning to tell the world about Dokdo and the comfort women along with northern California, centering on San Francisco in the U.S.; and the Lee Chan-jae and An Gyeong-ja couple, social media influencers in their 70s who communicate with readers.

What is more surprising is that all those mentioned in the meeting agreed to be present. However, the weather was not something to be overcome by human efforts. The first itinerary scheduled for early October was called off because of the northward movement of a typhoon, and all of the seven guests had their schedules readjusted. This was the moment where I realized why a television program in which people with diverse characteristics get together in Dokdo had not been broadcast thus far.

EBS' 7-member Dokdo expedition team standing against the backdrop of Seodo

From left in the front row: An Gyeong-ja (painter, social media influencer); Lee Yong-soo (victim of Japanese military sexual slavery); Jeon Gi-beom (elementary school student and social media creator)

From left, back row: Lee Chan-jae (painter, social media influencer); Kim Do-hyung (president of the Northeast Asian History Foundation); Kim Han-il (Korean-American in the U.S. and activist in the comfort women movement); Seol Min-suk (history lecturer)

Truth and sincerity expressed in a Dokdo documentary

Our D-Day was rescheduled for October 17. The situation was so desperate that we had to bet on one day's luck to meet the broadcasting timeline on Dokdo Day. Yet such circumstances were not embarrassing. That has always been the case when it comes to filming. Producers failing to remain aloof about things beyond human power are never able to create good Dokdo programs.

The advance team of the production crew crossed over to Ulleungdo aboard a ship at dawn on October 16 and waited for the following day to come. On the fateful 17th, the main team of the production crew and cast members left Seoul at daybreak for Yeongdeok in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, where a helicopter bound for Dokdo was waiting. I could smile with relief only after seeing the morning sun rise in a circular shape dividing the darkness from a car bound for the east.

At 9:30 AM, we finished the light opening shooting and boarded a helicopter. The helicopter landed safely near Sadong Port of Ulleungdo after a 50-minute flight. Grandma Lee Yong-soo shouted while looking down on the open sea, “We can see Dokdo!” We were able to see Dokdo that day, which is usually visible for only 40 days a year. Foundation president Kim Do-hyung persuasively explained the relationship between being able to see Dokdo from Ulleungdo and Korea's sovereignty over Dokdo. The first phase of this project, which is intended to enable people to easily understand why Dokdo is our land, was resolved smoothly thanks to heavenly aid.

After finishing breakfast, served along with Dokdo shrimp, our guests stepped up to the heliport for Dokdo for the first time. The guests, including representative Kim Han-il, the Lee Chan-jae and An Gyeong-ja couple, and student Jeon Gi-beom, who made their first landing in Dokdo, could not conceal their momentous feelings. The passion brought by their first visit to Dokdo is proof that they are real Koreans themselves. Grandma Lee Yong-soo repeated, “I no longer have any regrets,” making a deep bow before the “Korean territory” rock carvings. Then all of us went silent, and the heads of all those present there became cooler. At a time when the Japanese government's history distortion is worsening and the two countries consequently wage economic warfare, we had reached our territory that the Japanese Empire had taken away about 100 years ago. Furthermore, we arrived there with a 92-year-old witness of history who endured the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese Empire. Each guest was realizing the importance of strenuous efforts, standing upright in the scene of history itself. President Kim's explanation that “sovereignty can exist only when 'knowledgeable people' can defend” was not only the historical mission that Dokdo bestowed upon our compatriots, but also this program's sense of the subject. The special documentary entitled “Seol Min-suk's Dokdo Road” was produced thanks to the guests' commitment to our history, the Foundation's unsparing support, and the blessing of heaven. It was a gamble that has never been attempted by other TV programs, but the result was successful; many viewers were able to learn the most basic common sense about Dokdo without being bored. The program focused on popularity rather than scholastic depth. As its next work, EBS's history documentary production crew aims to produce a documentary combining cinematic quality and scientific perfection by embodying the Northeast Asian History Foundation's latest studies through high-quality images. The production crew has begun to open the Foundation's books again for that day.