Park followed up Chilsu and Mansu with a sweeping drama about a student protester whose life takes a dramatic turn when he hides out in a remote mining town in order escape from the police. An intensification of Chilsu and Mansu‘s working-class theme, Black Republic boldly pushed the censorship limits with its depiction of exploited labor, mine strikes and police brutality. Co-written by Park, the film subtly uses melodrama to give human dimensions to its vision of a South Korea torn asunder, following the fragile romance that blossoms between the student and a young prostitute struggling for survival in the small village. – HG