''Over the Border'' (), also known as ''South of the Border'', is a 2006 South Korean melodrama film. It is Ahn Pan-seok's feature film directorial debut.

Plot

Kim Sun-ho is a horn player for the Mansoodae Art Company,

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

's state orchestra. He comes from a well-to-do family in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

and is about to marry his sweetheart, War Memorial guide, Lee Yeon-Hwa. One day, Sun-ho's family receives a letter from his grandfather in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

, whom they had thought was dead. They begin to exchange letters, but when the authorities discover their correspondence, this puts the Kim family in grave danger. They decide to flee North Korea and

defect A defect is a physical, functional, or aesthetic attribute of a product or service that exhibits that the product or service failed to meet one of the desired specifications. Defect, defects or defected may also refer to: Examples * Angular defec ...

to the South, where they are initially penniless and friendless. Devastated that he had to leave Yeon-Hwa behind, Sun-ho works hard to save enough money to help her escape North Korea and join him. But one day, news reaches him that Yeon-Hwa has married another man. Slowly he emerges from his heartbreak and despair to find a way to adapt to life in the South, and eventually marries a kind South Korean woman named Seo Kyung-Joo. But his peaceful life is again disrupted when he learns that Yeon-Hwa has defected to the South, and contrary to what he had heard, she isn't married at all.

Cast

* Cha Seung-won as Kim Sun-ho *

Jo Yi-jin Jo Yi-jin (born Jo Bo-hyun on December 26, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the films '' The Aggressives'' (2005) and '' Over the Border'' (2006). Filmography Film Television series Music video Awards and nomination ...

as Lee Yeon-Hwa *

Shim Hye-jin Shim Hye-jin (born February 6, 1967) is a South Korean actress and model. She was one of the leading actresses of the 1990s in South Korea. Shim started her career as a model and achieved stardom with a Coca-Cola commercial in the late 1980s. D ...

as Seo Kyung-Joo *

Song Jae-ho Song Jae-ho (born Song Jae-eon; 10 March 1937 – 7 November 2020) was a South Korean actor. Career He made his acting debut in 1959, and became best known for his work in 1970s and 1980s Korean cinema, notably ''Yeong-ja's Heydays'' (1975). S ...

as Sun-ho's father *Won Mi-won as Sun-ho's mother * Yoo Hae-jin as Sun-ho's brother-in-law *

Lee Ah-hyun Lee Ah-hyun (born April 13, 1972) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in the television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than ...

as Sun-ae *Kim Cheol-Yong as Guide *Jo Mun-Ui as Broker *Lee Sang-Ju as Conductor *

Park Hyuk-kwon Park Hyuk-kwon (born July 11, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Park began his acting career in 1993 as a member of the theater troupe Sanulrim. He later became a well-regarded supporting actor in films such as '' Chaw'' (2009) and ''Secret Reunion ...

as Detective in charge of Yeon-Hwa *Son Jin-ho as Photographer *Boom as Reporter *Choi Dae-Woong as Grandfather *Yang Ji-Woong as Driver *Gu Bon-Im as a Chinese restaurant owner * Kim Sang-ho as Drunk ( cameo) *Son Beom-soo as Announcer (cameo)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{North Korean defectors 2006 films South Korean drama films Films about North Korea–South Korea relations Films about North Korean defectors 2000s South Korean films