In 1983, some 30 years after the end of the Korean War, a unique event in television history had unimagined consequences. In association with the Red Cross, KBS-TV in Korea undertook to unite relatives separated by the war, broadcasting descriptions of missing people and the often
heartrending family reunions. This highly emotional series was viewed by nearly 90 percent of the country's population and captured much international attention as well. GILSODOM is a fictional account of one of those reunions, an eloquent statement that explains why the past is sometimes best
left buried.
Hwayong (Kim Ji Mi) is a Korean housewife who lost her illegitimate son during the war. After viewing the program, her understanding husband urges her to try to locate her now-grown child. In flashback the woman recalls the events leading up to this tragic incident. After her real parents die from
an illness that is sweeping the country, Hwayong (played by Kim Sang-A as a young girl) is adopted by another couple. These benefactors have a boy, Tongjin (Kim Jong Sok), who is Hwayong's age. Although they risk parental disapproval, the two teenagers fall in love and begin an affair. When
Hwayong becomes pregnant, she is sent to live with an aunt. The war further separates the young lovers, and Hwayong later gives birth in the town of Gilsodom. She and her lover try to reunite, but their efforts are in vain. Later, when her music teacher is arrested for illegal activities, Hwayong
is jailed as his accomplice for seven years. She loses touch with her son, who is placed in an orphanage. In the meantime Tongjin becomes a beggar and then marries a blind woman who helps him forget the past. Flashing to the present day, the adult Hwayong accidentally runs into her old lover (now
played by Sin Song-Il) at the television station. The two exchange stories about the divergent paths they have taken over the years. Despite this uncomfortable gap, Hwayong and Tongjin agree to work together to find their boy. Having seen a tape of someone who could possibly be their child,
Hwayong and Tongjin drive out to meet him. Both are shocked to meet a brutal, drunken oaf who lives with his family in a ramshackle hut. Blood tests and other indications suggest that he may very well be the son for whom the two have been searching. Nothing can be proven, however, so Hwayong
decides not to accept the man as her son. Putting this painful episode behind her, she returns to her husband and children, recognizing them as her one and only family.
Kim Ji Mi is excellent in a role that requires her to express a broad range of highly charged emotions. Her performance is remarkable, a studied portrait of a woman able to mask deep pain. For its tender dealing with an unusual subject, GILSODOM was awarded the Getz Peace Prize at the 1986 Chicago
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