by Lily Alice, January 17, 2024
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The production company Hive Media Corp, which released the first-ever Korean film depicting the 12.12 Military Insurrection, 12.12: The Day, is confirmed to be preparing a series based on the Battle of Lake Changjin.

Battle of Lake Changjin (working title) takes place in 1950 when the U.S. 1st Marine Division under the US X Corps clashed with China's People's Volunteer Army (PVA) 9th Army while advancing north of Changjin Lake (North Korea). The battle lasted for 17 days. 

The series will focus on the evacuation operation of the U.S. forces. 

In the United States, it was made into a film in 1952 under the title RetreatHell! (directed by Joseph H. Lewis). In China, the movie The Battle at Lake Changjin (directed by Chen Kai GeDante Lam, and Tsui Hark) was released in 2021 and became the highest-grossing film at the Chinese box office.

In June 2017, during the ROK-US summit, the 12th President of South Korea Moon Jae In visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia. He expressed high regard, stating, "If it weren't for the soldiers of the Changjin Reservoir and the success of the Hungnam evacuation operation, my life would not have begun, and I would not be where I am today." 

In October 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol (current) attended a ceremony to mark the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Lake Changjin, and stated, "Because of the Battle of Lake Changjin, 100,000 civilians in the Hungnam region could embrace freedom."

Kim Won Guk, the CEO of Hive Media Corp, stated, "It can be said that Battle of Lake Changjin is my destiny. It is a project I must complete before I retire." 

He further stated, "The Battle of Lake Changjin was the first battle between the United States and China in the 20th century." "It is considered one of the battles that the U.S. 1st Marine Division proudly recalls."

Regarding the series, CEO Kim said, "It is a project to be prepared in collaboration with a U.S. production." 

He added, "In the past, such attempts might not have been possible, but now, with the presence of global OTT platforms and collaborations between foreign and domestic production companies, we believe it can be achieved, and we are preparing for it."

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