Escape from Mogadishu
Escape from Mogadishu
A 2021 drama about the escape of South and North Korean embassy staff during the Somali Civil War.
OVERALL TRUTH BASIS · Fact-based dramatization
Based on the true story of embassy personnel from South and North Korea escaping Mogadishu together during the Somali Civil War in 1991; the character names and some actions and action sequences were dramatized.
1991 Joint Escape from Mogadishu by South and North Korean Embassy Personnel
An incident in which South and North Korean embassy personnel escaped Mogadishu together during the Somali Civil War in 1991.
FACT / FICTION
Verification 7
Fact / Fiction verification
7 recordsThe incident in which South and North Korean embassy personnel escaped Mogadishu together during the Somali Civil War in 1991 actually happened.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- The joint escape of South and North Korean embassy personnel at the time was an actual event, confirmed by testimony from former ambassador Kang Shin-seong and news reports.
View 2 sources
- 이역만리에서 쓴 남북의 뜨거운 드라마…영화 '모가디슈'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- '모가디슈' 류승완 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →
The film's Ambassador Han Shin-seong is modeled on Kang Shin-seong, former South Korean ambassador to Somalia.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- Former ambassador Kang Shin-seong was introduced as the real-life model for Han Shin-seong in the film.
View 2 sources
- 이역만리에서 쓴 남북의 뜨거운 드라마…영화 '모가디슈'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- '모가디슈' 류승완 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →
The North Korean embassy officials' taking refuge at the South Korean embassy and living there together actually happened.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- A director's interview confirms that South and North Korean embassy personnel stayed together at the South Korean embassy compound for a certain period.
View 2 sources
- 이역만리에서 쓴 남북의 뜨거운 드라마…영화 '모가디슈'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- '모가디슈' 류승완 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →
The actual events continued from December 1990 to mid-January 1991, but the film condensed them.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- Director Ryoo Seung-wan explained that he shortened the recurring events and the lengthy period of time to fit a two-hour film.
View 2 sources
- 이역만리에서 쓴 남북의 뜨거운 드라마…영화 '모가디슈'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- '모가디슈' 류승완 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →
The process of North Korean embassy staff arriving at the South Korean embassy was simplified compared with what happened in reality.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- The director said they did not all arrive at once in reality, but that the film reduced the repetition.
View 2 sources
- 이역만리에서 쓴 남북의 뜨거운 드라마…영화 '모가디슈'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- '모가디슈' 류승완 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →
The specific car-chase and gunfire scenes during the escape were cinematically reconstructed based on the actual events.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- Various sources and cinematic reconstruction were used to make up for the lack of actual records.
View 2 sources
- 이역만리에서 쓴 남북의 뜨거운 드라마…영화 '모가디슈'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- '모가디슈' 류승완 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →
Those involved at the time lost a considerable amount of documentary material during the escape, so the available information was limited.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- The director said he also used records from Somali state broadcasting personnel and declassified U.S. embassy materials.
View 2 sources
- 이역만리에서 쓴 남북의 뜨거운 드라마…영화 '모가디슈'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- '모가디슈' 류승완 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →
CHARACTER ↔ PERSON
Characters and real people
한신성
Fictionalized real personBased on a real personKang Shin-seong →
Sources used
- 이역만리에서 쓴 남북의 뜨거운 드라마…영화 '모가디슈'연합뉴스 · Major news · Grade BOpen source →
- '모가디슈' 류승완 감독 인터뷰씨네21 · Creator interview · Grade BOpen source →