The United States of America deploys American soldiers in 144 countries over the world. Although the concept of base is a bit complicated, the 3 major countries among others are Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Germany is the main country of the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the respective status of Japan and South Korea as the same level allies are different. In Japan, 76% of American soldiers are deployed in Okinawa. In South Korea, bases for American soldier are scattered all over the country, such as deep mountains, seashores, small cities, etc. The bases for American soldiers are ‘post’-colonial internal colonies. However, Itaewon located in the heart of Seoul is a ‘queer’ camp town, and stands for ‘Korea in the World (history).’

This documentary opens with the narrative of a female (77 years old, a resident of Itaewon). She says “Americans try to keep the history, but Koreans to clear it away. That is wrong.’ It is a provoking introduction. Even though every locals has some elements glo/cal and hybrid, there would not be many places where those distinct features are clearly visible. This film successes to reveal the temporal-spatial synchronicity of Korean history in the age of post-coloniality.

The biggest significance of this film is that this film is the first genuine problem posing toward colonial debates in Korean society; ‘whether to record the history and traces of stigma’ and ‘whether to liquidate the past.’ The film asserts that subjects of resistance are not Korean-USA government but residents living in that area. Director Kangyu Ga-ram suggests a possibility to shift to the new present without severing Itaewon’s past and present apart. [Jeong Hui-jin]​