In this blog post, I will discuss the reasons for selecting the KBS-produced documentary “That Day 10 Years Ago: The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong,” as well as its structure, reenactment style, and my impressions of the work.

Reasons for Choosing This Work

June 29, 2002. A North Korean patrol boat violated the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea and launched a preemptive attack. I was 12 years old at the time. It was an event I wouldn’t have known about even if I’d wanted to, and even if I had known, I would have forgotten it because I was so young. As time passed, during my senior year of high school, I went to the library during a break in evening self-study and stumbled upon a book titled ‘The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong’. As a fan of war movies, I ignored my assigned studies and read the book during self-study, feeling a surge of anger. I still vividly remember spending that time researching and organizing information about the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong and writing a scenario, rather than preparing for the college entrance exam. I even mentioned in my college application essay that I had written a scenario about the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong. As time passed, the event faded from people’s memories, but it recently became a hot topic with the production of the movie ‘The Battle of Yeonpyeong’. Since I’d always been interested in the subject, I wanted to watch a documentary about the Battle of Yeonpyeong this time. The documentary I watched was ‘That Day 10 Years Ago: The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong’, produced by KBS.

Summary

Between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m., as Yeonpyeong Island residents were heading out to fish, the Navy, which had been idling its engines in anticipation, began its operation. On June 29, 2002, while monitoring the residents as usual, the fleet detected a target on radar at 9:37 a.m. and ordered a high-speed boat to “intercept the North Korean patrol boat heading south.” The high-speed boat was dispatched. After spotting the North Korean patrol boat and attempting to intercept it, at 10:01 a.m., the North Korean patrol boat violated the NLL, ignoring the warning broadcast. The North Korean patrol boat was equipped with a tank-mounted cannon instead of a standard ship’s gun and, while moving parallel to the Chamsuri 357, had its gun trained on the vessel. It was also reported that there were more personnel on board than usual. While the two vessels were locked in a standoff at close range, at 10:25 a.m., the North Korean patrol boat No. 684 aimed all its guns at the bridge and launched a preemptive surprise attack. The Chamsuri 357 descended into chaos, and Major Yoon Young-ha was killed in the first volley of fire. Under continuous concentrated fire, our Navy personnel immediately returned fire, and Staff Sergeants Han Sang-guk, Jo Cheon-hyeong, Hwang Do-hyeon, Seo Hu-won, and Master Sergeant Park Dong-hyeok were also killed in action. High-speed boats and patrol ships in the vicinity immediately joined the engagement, and at 10:43 a.m., one North Korean patrol boat was engulfed in flames while the other retreated. At 10:50 a.m., one of the North Korean patrol boats retreated north of the NLL, and the engagement ended. As a result of this incident, ROKS Chamsuri 357 was completely destroyed and sank while being salvaged; six personnel were killed in action, and many others were injured. This incident also sparked debate regarding the rules of engagement at the time. Critics pointed out that the existing rules of engagement were ineffective in responding to a preemptive attack by North Korean forces, so the passive five-stage rules were revised to a more aggressive three-stage system. Although the incident was referred to as the “West Sea Skirmish” until April 2008, it was officially renamed the “Second Battle of Yeonpyeong,” and memorial services were elevated to government-sponsored events.

Documentary Structure

“That Day 10 Years Ago: The Second Battle of Yeonpyeong” is not merely a documentary about a single event, but a portrayal of a highly sensitive social incident at the national level. Given the nature of the incident, subjective information is strictly excluded; objectivity is maintained, and factual accuracy is prioritized. Therefore, to provide the public with reliable information, the documentary features narration delivered in a calm voice, vivid interviews with soldiers who experienced the actual combat on the high-speed boats and officers still serving in the military, and subtitles to maximize realism. Additionally, footage depicting the incident and archival materials from that time were created based on the interviews and narration. Furthermore, the program uses reenactment footage to ensure understanding is not limited to words alone but is also visually accessible. It is structured chronologically, indicating precise times and locations. Additionally, the documentary incorporates family perspectives—such as how the parents of the six soldiers who died in the line of duty following North Korea’s provocation are coping and what they think of their fallen sons—to help viewers empathize with the story.

Narrative Reconstruction Style

This documentary employs the narrative reconstruction style known as the “Voice of God.” While it is difficult to characterize the narration as purely authoritative, it directly appeals to the viewer with a specific message (in this case, the damage caused by North Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island provocation). The content of the narration is so crucial that it constitutes the entirety of the documentary; it must be careful, factual, and precise. The visuals serve an evidential function to supplement the narration and are used as a means to aid understanding. Furthermore, the narration must be logical, clear, and concise. As mentioned earlier, since this is a highly sensitive incident at the national level, it could spark political controversy. While there may be mixed styles in addition to the six representational styles, this documentary can be considered to be nearly 90% expository representation.

Impressions

To briefly share my thoughts after watching this documentary: it feels a bit odd to suddenly bring up national security, but given the nature of the content, it can’t be helped. North Korea must be thoroughly isolated from the international community. We cannot tolerate their repeated preemptive provocations and attacks, followed by denials. I believe that if they do something, they must face corresponding punishment. Among documentaries, I prefer those that are factual and centered around specific events. This documentary fits that description, and I also enjoy shows like ‘That’s What I Want to Know’ and ‘The Northeast Project’. I’m not sure why, but I like it when a documentary focuses on a single theme, analyzes it, and reveals new facts. That’s what sparks my interest. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever watched any other kind of documentary. Since I haven’t been interested in documentaries before, watching different styles might be helpful, but I’m not interested in them yet. I also like documentaries that focus on historical events. I get excited when I see historical events I already knew about in greater detail or discover interesting facts I didn’t know before. While I should probably take an interest in documentaries that focus on other formats, given the subject matter I’ve chosen this time, I still find explanatory and reenactment-style documentaries easier to watch and more interesting.