The very first Korean monster, Yonggari is born from a nuclear explosion test carried out by a foreign country. As his destruction commences in the midst of Seoul, the city declares martial law and some people flee while others get drunk in despair. The confusion brings a nation-wide crisis and calls for a hero to save the day. Salvation comes from two bourgeois families whose members include a space station captain, a young scientist, a pilot, and a boy dreaming to become a scientist. Their heroic actions against the threat of a destructive monster provide quite an exciting story. The monster emerging from DMZ reminds us of the tragic history of Korea and memory of the war. However the dream of space adventure based on the scientific development into a modern time makes a bigger impression and shows the promise of a future unhindered by geographic division. Japanese visual effects caused the production budget to set the record at the time, and although these might seem impressive to today’s viewers, [Monster Yonggari] has influenced every science fiction film made in Korea, up to the present. (KANG Sowon)