Jiseul

The book looks back at one of the darkest pages in Korean history: the 1948 massacre of tens of thousands of Jeju Islanders, marking the establishment of the authoritarian regime of Syngman Rhee, supported by the American occupation forces. Jiseul is based on the true story of 120 villagers, islanders, who hid in the caves of Seogwipo, after the American occupation authorities designated all residents within a 5 km radius from the coast as "rioters" and ordered them to be executed. The word "Jiseul" in Jeju dialect means potato and is the symbol of the islanders' hope for survival.