In Korea, not much difference is there for movies or TV shows where a soldier or an intelligence agency appears. They’re melodramas, consistently.

A story of romance in military, a story of romance in an intelligence agency, a story of romance during an operation in a foreign territory… Like the funnel theory, the tendency to make any intelligence or military work into a melodrama is strong.

Shiri did, Iris did, and The Berlin File did. Any other themes are buried under a romance.

I don’t remember a single proper military story in Korea, no matter movies, TV shows, or comics. Nambul: War Stories by Lee Hyun-se was actually disappointing in many points: its military detail, military theories, and the story.

The neighboring country to Korea, Japan, has many military otakus. In Korea, the military otakus are called milduk, and the word refers to a person who has abundant knowledge on military weapons like firearms or tanks than an ordinary person. Maybe based on such cultural basis, fictions on military or espionage are traditionally doing better in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Japan.

However, 70, which I’m going to introduce today, is the work which can quench our thirst. If you have felt sorry like ‘why Republic of Korea, which has about 600 thousand people as its regular army and always has a place within the top 10 in world’s military ranking, does not have a proper military fiction?’, then you should read this. You’ll be satisfied.

The author, Kim Jae-hee, who must be a world-class military otaku, is now writing an answer to the question single-handedly. The work is historic.

 

“After 70 years of ceasefire, my home country is gone - The first military realistic comic.”

 

The above line is its introductory remark; and it has no point to be disappointed as a military espionage fiction. It shows what an espionage war is, with its directing and research more precise than Iris. Its combat scenes and chemical warfare scenes are so realistic that it lessens its cruelty. The story is shocking as well. In the future world of 2023 where the United States pulled back from Korea and Korea reinforced its own military force, North Korea and Republic of Korea in 70th anniversary of ceasefire run toward a war, manipulated from espionage operations by US and China, and eventually they choose to go into a war.

Chemical terrorism and hijacking against the president, occupying the capitol building and combat scenes in China give the readers the thrill.

As it’s a military fiction, many weapons, vehicles, and equipment appear in the work. But as it passed a faithful research by a milduk, it doesn’t look strange at all. The work is not overdoing it; it develops its theory-based story. It is developing in an orderly fashion with a scenario of Korean War: initial stage suppression using the NNEMP ammunition, consecutive chemical warfare, and urban warfare.

I felt shame and sadness when National Intelligence Service agents, who worked for their home country, by risking their lives, only to be abandoned by the home country, are being used as a pawn by Chinese Public Security to spark a war. I wonder, in reality, if our government is compensating them properly. If they did, in the work, the group of North Korea deployed agents shouldn’t speak against the government and cried out of anger.

Actually, I saw a lot about unspeakable truth as I have been working in corporations. Truth which must not be revealed resides anywhere, and they’re maintained as a secret by any mean. The reason why Korea can’t be free from the US must be not very simple. The people responsible for the work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense must be elites and professionals who have a long career on the field. And as they are Korean nationals, they must have been doing their best. Nevertheless, they choose to cooperate with the US, and there must be a proper reason for it.

Many Korean nationals and university students cry out self-reliance of national defense, but in reality, Korea is not even strong enough to revise status of forces agreement. In addition, China, the world’s No.2 country, laughs at Korea as ‘one who practices Kungfu in a teahouse’, revealing their displeased feelings.

The United States says Korea is a traditional ally, but they don’t treat Korea as important as they treat Japan. Korea is a shrimp stuck between two whales, China and the US. And the shrimp’s is going to be crushed. It is shown in the recent diplomatic strife regarding deployment of THAAD missiles. Currently, Korea’s hands are tied between the US and China. The history of exploitation repeats. We have to keep our eyes open.

70 is currently on season 2. In the work, finally Korean War broke out. It gives much regret: people’s skin melts from chemical warfare, metropolitan area burns… The drawing is too realistic, so I felt like the war is happening for real. However, in some places, links between stories are a bit disappointing as too many contents are blended into it.

If you’re looking for a proper military and espionage fiction, I recommend 70 in Daum Webtoon. Korean milduks do quite well.