Paradox of the routine begins from the realization that what we commonly believe we know is something we don’t really know that well. This includes an event that we assume we know all about but actually live our lives without ever thinking about. Do we know everything about the Korean War that broke out on June 25th? Really? Or do we just think that we do? Isn’t what is remembered about it for the past 70 years only based on the recollections of a specific faction? Memory of Forgotten War, a documentary co-directed by Deann Borshay LIEM and Ramsay LIEM begins with that very question. Most intelligent or well-educated people would be able to give an outline of how the Korean War began. However, this is no longer a simple black and white debate on which side attacked who. The movie borrows the words of Bruce CUMINGS to define the direct cause as the North attacking the South but states the fundamental cause as the numerous regional wars that took place all along the 38th parallel. What makes this documentary stand out is how it weaves together a tight web of testimony from civilians who chose to go to the U.S., a third country, after they made it through the war. It almost appears like a mirage where we meet the protagonist from CHOI In-hoon’s novel The Square in person. Maybe all the memories of this war on both sides are wrong. A distorted memory is no different from a forgotten one. This film truly probes for the truth of memories about the Korean War. (OH Dong-jin)