What Disaster Movies Do Active Firefighters Recommend?

Yongsan Fire Station in Seoul Publishes '100 Disaster Books, 100 Disaster Movies'
100 Disaster Movies Curated by Director Yang Woo-seok

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Yongsan Fire Station of Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 15th that it will publish a booklet featuring 100 disaster books and 100 disaster movies recommended by active firefighters.

According to Yongsan Fire Station, as part of the 80th anniversary project of the station's opening next year, this publication project of disaster books and movies was promoted to help citizens better understand disasters and to enhance the humanities and social science literacy of firefighters.

To produce the book, an internal review committee was formed at Yongsan Fire Station starting in August, and over four months, the final selection of 100 books and 100 movies was completed from the staff's recommendation lists.

The newly published "100 Disaster Books and 100 Disaster Movies Recommended by Firefighters" includes a diverse list of books and movies covering well-known disaster literature and films familiar to the general public, various natural disasters, human-made disasters, major global disaster incidents, and disaster-related research and studies.

The 100 disaster books include titles such as "The COVID-19 Pandemic Report," which contemplates solutions in the recent COVID-19 era, "Environmental Disasters and Humanity's Survival Strategies," which deals with major environmental disasters since the Industrial Revolution, and "The World History of Disasters," which considers how to prepare for future disasters based on past ones.

Professor Jeon Chi-hyung of the Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy at KAIST, who recommended the 100 disaster books, said, "Understanding disasters is essentially understanding our lives and society," adding, "I hope these 100 books will help us reflect and make judgments about disasters."

Key disaster movies among the 100 include "COVID21," depicting the struggle to overcome the coronavirus, "Ladder 49," telling the story of firefighters battling flames, and "Geo Tsunami," portraying a global catastrophe caused by climate change. Director Yang Woo-seok, who directed the blockbuster films "The Attorney" and "Steel Rain," visited Yongsan Fire Station on the 23rd of last month to supervise the movie selection.

Director Yang said, "Disaster movies directly chosen by firefighters on the front lines of disaster response seem unquestionably appropriate in their significance," and added, "Providing these to citizens will be very helpful."

Meanwhile, the first edition of the booklet "100 Disaster Books and 100 Disaster Movies Recommended by Firefighters" was published in 1,000 copies on the 13th. Along with promotional posters, it will be distributed free of charge to citizens, universities with fire-related departments, fire agencies nationwide including the National Fire Agency, and volunteer fire brigades, to be used as materials for enhancing disaster understanding and raising safety awareness.

Choi Seong-beom, chief of Yongsan Fire Station, said, "Ahead of the 80th anniversary of Yongsan Fire Station, we published this booklet to help firefighters and the general public improve their understanding of disasters," and added, "I hope this book will be widely disseminated and serve as a foundation for disaster research and education."