Deep in the coal face, six miners from the Jangseong Coal Mine's Unit A share a life defined by shared peril. Though they swore to work only three years, their tenure spans two decades to forty. Each accident was a catalyst for leaving, yet they remained until the mine itself was finally closed. Meanwhile, others keep alive the memory of activist miner Seong Wan-hee, who self-immolated 35 years prior. The young men and women of twenty who fought for miners' rights are now approaching sixty. From Ryu Tae-ho, running for Taebaek Mayor, to Jeon Mi-young and her miner husband Cheon Sam-yong, the head of a research institute Won Ki-joon, Ahn Jae-seong who missed Seong Wan-hee’s last phone call - all remain under the mine's persistent shadow. Lee Yeon-bok, who left Taebaek long ago, has buried his eight years of mining deep in his soul. The five friends who witnessed Seong Wan-hee's final act are scattered, their current locations unknown. They parted only with a pledge to live conscientious lives. Some seek resolution through work and responsibility, some hide in guilt, and some have simply been forgotten. They yearn to gather once more to visit their friend’s grave, but the means to reunite are lost. Can these lives, brought together and dispersed by the closing coal town of Taebaek, ever find each other again?

Taebaek holds the history of South Korea's coal industry. By 2025, the miners, once known as "Industrial Warriors,"will vanish from the professional landscape. With the closure of the mines, their harsh and repetitive lives will survive only in personal memories. But does the vanishing of the coal industry mean nothing is left? Is there truly nothing that we must preserve? These questions initiated this project. In 2024, the Jangseong Mine, the last remaining coal mine in Taebaek, was slated for shutdown, creating the final group of working miners. I aimed to document the present-day lives of these last workers, whose efforts once fueled this brutal labor; to share the stories of those who left Taebaek but carry the mines in their hearts; and to reveal the lingering effects of the closure and the hidden histories buried beneath the shadow of the decommissioned coal mine.

2025 제30회 부산국제영화제 비프메세나상