The Mirage Market on the wave
Korea | Film 90min, TV 60min | HD | Color
Logline
Tracing the vanished floating market “Pasi” across the sea, this documentary revives the forgotten memories of coastal communities and the lives shaped by the ocean.
Synopsis
In the small port town of Heuksando, grandmother Heo Bobae lives in a quiet alley where the floating market, “Pasi,” once thrived. Sixty years ago, she married into the island from Dochodo and witnessed the golden age of the sea — when thousands of boats and tens of thousands of people filled the harbor. Now, following her memories, we trace the vanished footsteps of Pasi from Heuksando to Wido, Yeonpyeongdo, Beopseongpo, and Ulleungdo. As the sea changed and the people left, the market disappeared. Through her stories, we gather what remains of a lost community shaped by the waves.
Director's Statement
“Pasi” was more than a fish market — it was a sea-bound community where life, labor, and nature converged. At its peak in the 1970s, over 2,000 boats and 20,000 people gathered daily in Heuksando, forming a city on the sea. As modernization swept in, Pasi faded away, leaving behind forgotten memories. This documentary revives the lost echoes of maritime life, tracing vanished ports and asking: What memories has the sea left us, and how do we carry them forward?
Director CHOI Hyunjung
A documentary writer and director exploring the meaning of connection between people through works like The Blooming Rice Flower and The Island: Seasons on the Stove, focusing on the subtle mediums that bring human lives together.
Producer KANG Jeyoon
Author of The Golden Age of the Sea: Pasi, he is also a poet, essayist, photographer, island traveler, and the head of the Island Research Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to the study and preservation of island cultures.