Praise of Death

This historical drama, set in 1905, depicts the difficult plight of Korean henequen field laborers in Mexico. The story follows the love between the daughter of an aristocratic family fallen on hard times, and the son of a butcher.

Chang-su recalls the girl whom he loved before he entered the military. At that time she had been working as a housemaid. They meet again years later at a police station and the girl, Yeong-ja reveals that she quit her job after being raped by the son of her employer. Her life got steadily worse until finally she lost an arm in a car accident and had to work as a prostitute to pay for an artificial limb.

A bank employee dissatisfied with the casualness and secrecy of her relationship with her boyfriend, a superior at work, is suddenly given a few days of vacation.

Yi-su, a 37 year-old professor, can't forget her first love Joon-ho who's missing in action in Vietnam. She meets Hyun-woo one day, who look surprising like Joon-ho. Hyun-woo investigates Yi-su who lives in the past and discovers that her pain stems from the Vietnam war. Hyun-woo can't help falling in love with her even though he's a student. On a trip to Busan, he confesses his love for her. But he soon realizes that the only man for her is Joon-ho. Min-cheol who fought along with Joon-ho sells his belongings to Yi-su at a high price. He tells her that Joon-ho died in a fire and they argue aggressively. Min-cheol commits suicide afterwards and Yi-su is also found dead in the campus pool.

Yu-ra yearns for money and fame while Jun wants to go back to his hometown. Yu-ra scolds Jun. Jun helps Yu-ra in her efforts to become a star. In her reach for stardom, Yu-ra is unaware that a person is helping her out from behind the scenes.

Based on a serial novel by Cho Hae-il, "Winter Woman" deals with the sexual awakening of Yi-hwa, the daughter of a prosperous Christian preacher who has been raised to be morally and sexually conservative. The book and film earned the condemnation of conservative critics, however the author's leftist subtext went unchallenged overshadowed by the sexual themes. The film was the best selling Korean film of the 1970s and made a star of its female lead, Chang Mi-hee.

Jong Sil, a sound effects director, is awarded a carte blanche for his ingenious invention of a coke bottle opener sound used in a commercial film for an Arab client. Ecstatic, drunk, he heads home to his wife and kids, only to end up spending the night in an apartment unit one floor above which belongs to a single woman. The preposterous one-night-stand snowballs into a major event, for which he is reported gone missing on TV. Lost, Jong Sil becomes more involved with the woman, discovering things about her, as their relationship takes an unexpected turn.

College boxer Jin-kyu falls in love with a college girl Min-hye while chatting on the phone. Min-hye gives him her virginity but her family forces her to get engaged to In-myung and get rid of the baby with Jin-kyu. Broken hearted, Jin-kyu fights as a professional boxer while seeing Yeon-hi who runs a salon. He loses the match on the verge of championship and suffers failure. Min-hye feels sympathy for him who struggles and embraces life.

Yu-ri, a 16-year-old model student, runs away from home one day. She is reprimanded at school and her parents find out about their daughter's deviation. Yu-ri's parents conclude that it is because of Yu-ri's relationship with a juvenile delinquent named Jun. But Jun and Yu-ri are just innocent friends. Jun protects Yu-ri and her friends from society's violent organizations. When his mother is tormented by her lover, Jun stabs him. Afterwards, Jun, Yu-ri, and their friends take off together in search of an island where their dreams can come true. No one holds out a forgiving hand driving them into desperation. They are about to give up when Jun meets with death and the rest of the youngsters are reconciled with their parents.

Keun-Ok, a barmaid, has been brought up in an orphanage after losing her parents in her early childhood. One day, Cho Yong-Jin, the teacher in charge of the bar owner's son, visits the bar to see his pupil. Seeing him Keun-Ok feels love for him and begins to seek his attention. He doesn't dislike her but keeps away from her for several reasons. In the long run, he quits the school and makes every effort to change her life for better one. In the meantime, he finds her working in a hotel as a cleaner. Yong-Jun hugs her tight and decides to marry her.

Li-hwa graduates college and becomes a reporter. On a rainy day, she remembers an old boyfriend, Suk-gi. She goes to Eroika to look for him. Instead, Li-hwa meets Suk-gi's friend, Su-hwan, and she falls in love with him. On the other hand, while on a story, Li-hwa meets Kwang-jun who is a night teacher. She is drawn to his sincere humanity. As time passes, Kwang-jun comes to know Li-hwa's feelings. Together, they help children and offer guidance to prostitutes. Kwang-jun and Li-hwa have true love for each other but they part when Kwang-jun's non-permitted building is demolished. Hyun-wu ended up as a mental patient from the shock he received from his mother's scandalous behavior. He meets Li-hwa and receives her devoted care. Finally, Hyun-wu recovers completely and the two confirm their love. And the next day, Hyun-wu returns to society as a healthy man.