Heaven's Soldiers

Did You Know?

• The film was financed with a comfortable budget by South Korean standards.
• It was a relative commercial success in 2005.
• Its theme is intended as a plea for Korean reunification.

Plot

The story kicks off when top military brass from North and South Korea meet to arrange the handover of a 50-megaton nuclear warhead, secretly built together in an underground bunker near the DMZ. International pressure forces both sides to close the facility and surrender the device. But North Korean Major Kang Min-gil, angry at this conciliatory move, steals the warhead with a handful of loyal troops. In response, both Koreas send a South Korean Naval Special Forces platoon led by Major Park Jung-woo. They intercept Kang’s squad by boat, and a firefight breaks out. Mid-battle, a comet swings dangerously close to Earth, creating a time rift linked to its 433-year cycle. Three modern Korean soldiers—one from each side—plus a kidnapped female scientist, Dr. Kim Su-yeon, are thrown back from 2005 to 1572. They land in the middle of a clash between Joseon-era Koreans and Jurchen invaders. A grenade blast scatters the Jurchens, and the locals dub the newcomers “Heavenly Soldiers” for their seemingly magical powers. The group then meets a foreigner in the region: a young Yi Sun-sin, the future legendary admiral. But this version of Yi is nothing like the history books. He’s a petty thief and ginseng smuggler who just flunked his military Gwageo exam and turned to crime to survive. Shortly after their arrival, Yi swipes and buries the modern soldiers’ small arms. A peasant girl spots him hiding the weapons, later retrieves one of the handguns, and is captured by two Jurchen spies sent to investigate the Heavenly Soldiers.