Mogadishu (SD) – There has been a lot of talk in recent days about a film depicting the story of two Korean diplomats captured in Mogadishu after the 1991 civil war broke out in Somalia.

The issue came to light when the action film ‘Escape from Mogadishu’ became the most watched film in South Korea.

The film, starring two of the country’s most famous actors, Kim Yun-Seok and Zo In-sung, is about the true story of North Korean and South Korean diplomats in Mogadishu during the civil war started in 1991.

Kang Shin-sung, a former South Korean ambassador to Somalia, recalls the day he raised the Korean flag in front of the Italian embassy in Mogadishu in 1991, accompanied by North Korean diplomats.

“We were all there, South Koreans and North Koreans, waving the flag of South Korea,” said Kang. “It was a moment of life or death for all of us, and in such a moment, people forget about the ideological differences.” He told Korea Daily.

The film depicts how two Korean diplomats survived the war, ignoring the political animosity between their two countries.

Finally, the Italian government chartered a plane for the two Koreas to leave Mogadishu.

The ongoing civil war then destroyed much of Mogadishu. Anti-government armed militias attacked homes, embassies and government buildings. The sound of gunfire could be heard in every street.