Local media even reported that Kim Jong Il — a known film buff — had seen it.

The film is set in the eponymous Joint Security Area, located inside the Demilitarized Zone, the 250-kilometre (155-mile)-long strip of land that divides the Korean peninsula.

It is among the most heavily fortified areas on the planet — and the only place where soldiers from the North and South stand face to face.

The tragic film tells the story of secret friendships that form after two North Korean troops assist a South Korean soldier who accidentally steps on a landmine, leading them to bond over South Korean pop music and chocolate desserts.

Breaking barriers

“Before ‘Joint Security Area’, portraying North Korean soldiers in South Korean cinema was somewhat considered taboo,” Nam Dong-chul, a film critic and chief programmer at the Busan International Film Festival, told AFP.

“This film broke that barrier by depicting ordinary and relatable North Korean soldiers,” he said.

“At the same time, it was a successful and well-crafted blockbuster, marking a significant advancement in the history of Korean cinema.”

South Korea has since established itself as a global cultural powerhouse.

Some credit “Joint Security Area” with laying the groundwork.

The film was a “driving force behind the creation of films in the Korean cinema industry that combine the director’s artistic vision with commercial viability,” said Jerry Kyoungboum Ko, head of film business for CJ ENM, the South Korean studio that distributed the movie.

The real-life JSA has since been a site of both reconciliation and tragedy.