Escape from Mogadishu (2021) Movie Ending Explained: Did the Korean Diplomats Overcome their Differences and Survive?

Escape from Mogadishu (2021) Movie Ending Explained: Ryoo Seung-wan’s Escape from Mogadishu is based on the real story of the South and North Korean diplomats stranded in Somalia during the rebel uprising. It is a political thriller that keeps the viewers on the edge. The movie has everything: diplomacy, action, drama, humanitarian acts, and more. The narrative goes beyond chronicling a survival during a crisis story and takes on an emotional and humanitarian angle. In times of crisis, humanity prevails.

This article contains spoilers.

Escape from Mogadishu (2021) Plot Explained:

Escape from Mogadishu opens with a history of North and South Korea trying to make its place in the UN in the 1980s. For this to occur, both the embassies sent their diplomats to Somalia, as Africa had the maximum number of states in the UN. The task at hand for the diplomats was to win over the Somalian government to make its place in the UN.

Kang Dae-jin, a South Korean Intelligence Officer, arrives in Somalia to meet the ambassador of South Korea there. When he arrived, he was met with a funny taxi driver who was waiting for him until the South Korean diplomats arrived. He was met with Ambassador Han Shin-Sung and his secretary Gong Soo-cheol, who had asked Counsellor Kang to bring presents for President Barre.

They leave Counsellor Kang with the funny driver to find his way. Han and Gong waited many months to get an appointment with President Barre. As they were trying to get to the President, the thugs of Somalia attacked them, and they stole the presents brought to Barre, and their Somalian driver, Swama, was attacked. They get late to the meeting, and Barre’s men tell them they lost their chance to meet with him. Han notices North Korean Ambassador Rim Yong-su chatting with Barre and wonders if they had anything to do with their attack.

North Korean Intelligence Officer Tae Joon-ki was the one who had ordered the thugs to attack the South Koreans. He meets them, pays them, and takes the presents from South Korea. Meanwhile, Counsellor Kang meets with a Western reporter and tells him that North Koreans were selling weapons to the Somalian rebels. Han tries to use this to win over Barre but is not met with a great response. Han sees Rim talking to Barre again and decides to confront him, and Rim refuses any foul play.

As the confrontation is at play, the rebels start to get out on the streets to protest. Barre promises to take care of the situation, and with a lot of difficulty, the diplomats reach the embassy. All the foreign embassies received a letter about General Aidid of the United Somali Congress, who had started a rebellion against the dictatorship of Barre. Since it was a state emergency, the diplomatic privileges were lost, and all the diplomats were stuck in Mogadishu.

While Han and Kang were trying to find a way, Swama, bloodied, came to the South Korean embassy. The others in the embassy realized Swama was wearing a rebellion scarf. Just then, the police arrived looking for a rebel and assumed South Koreans were hiding them. Han and Kang arrive, and Kang gets into a brawl with the police, but they must leave since they are diplomats in a foreign country. They all head back, but Swama is missing. The police eventually find him trying to run on the streets and kill him.

Han was trying to send his wife back to Korea as he thought rebellion in such states was common. But when he tried to get travel certificates, he realized his agent had fled. All the communication was cut off, and the South Korean government could not get in touch with their government. Kang comes up with an idea and reaches the police headquarters and is unfortunately met with the same police officer whom he had a brawl with, who tells him that he doesn’t have diplomatic privileges anymore. Kang finds a solution and gets police protection at the South Korean embassy.

They were trying ways to get out of the country but were informed that unless their country had sent aid, they could not fly out, and they were stuck in Mogadishu without any communication. The rebel uprising gets more violent as there is continuous gun violence between the Somalian government and the rebels, which also puts the civilians’ and diplomats’ lives at risk.

Meanwhile, the North Koreans had plans of their own. Counsellor Tae had tried to find travel passes through illegal means to get them out of Somalia and to Kismaayo Port. From there, they would take a boat to Kenya. The men he had sent to get the travel passes arrived, but unfortunately, the diplomats were tricked by the rebels. They entered the embassy and started looting them so much so that they didn’t leave medicines behind. Tae and one of the rebels get into a fight, but the leading rebel stops him and tells the North Korean diplomats that their debt is paid and asks them to flee the country.

Rim and Tae take refuge at the Chinese embassy, and everyone is packed and ready to leave. They watch their step as there could be a rebel anywhere. With a lot of difficulty, they reach the Chinese embassy only to find it attacked by the rebels. With a heavy heart and for their safety, they decided to get help from the South Korean embassy. They reach the embassy, and Kang and Han discuss about the situation, but rebels come through. Luckily, the South Korean embassy had police protection, and they scared the insurgents away.

Subsequently, South Koreans decided to let them in. They were thoroughly checked before they were let in. From the beginning, Kang and Tae are not getting along. During dinner, the North Koreans suspected the South Koreans of poisoning, and Han ate the food that was kept for the North Koreans to prove no foul play. The Somalian police started demanding more money as there were more people. Eventually, they left, leaving all of them at risk.

Kang secretly starts to make conversion certificates to make North Koreans arrive in Seoul, but Tae catches him, and they start to fight. Tae informs about the police leaving the ambassador, and Kang tells them they could not afford it as they were charging money per head. Meanwhile, Han and Rim decided to reach out to the embassies they had good diplomatic relations with to help take both North and South Koreans out of Mogadishu. South Koreans chose to seek help from the Italian Embassy, and North Koreans sought help from the Egyptian embassy.

They leave and are met with the rebels, but they somehow escape. North Koreans don’t have much luck with the Egyptian embassy. Han succeeded as the Italian ambassador Mario informed him they had a medical plane arriving and could take them out of Mogadishu, but they would not bring North Koreans. Han and Kang came up with an idea and told the ambassador that the North Koreans with them were defectors, and the Italian embassy agreed.

They take a car on loan and reach the South Korean embassy, and North Koreans get a car on loan from the Egyptian embassy and reach the South Korean embassy. They tell the good news to the others and decide to leave immediately. The North Koreans are still determining if the rebels can catch them, but Han tells them that they will take the risk and leave, and it is safer than staying and waiting. Rim decides to make the cars bulletproof and plaster books and rags to the vehicles so they can temporarily be safe.

The Adhan started, and Kang asked them to get in the car and leave as they had to reach the embassy before the prayer finished. They drive by the rebels who were praying but, in a short while, were met by the police. Kang is showing them their passport. But Tae, to show the white flag, puts the stick outside, and the police assume it to be a gun and start firing. Now, the chase begins, and Kang tries to stop the police as much as he can. With a lot of difficulty, they reached the Italian embassy, but the guards there needed to open the gates. They ran towards the gate as the rebels were following them.

Escape from Mogadishu (2021) Ending Explained:

Did Korean Diplomats Overcome Differences for Survival?

They all hid behind the cars, and as the rebels came closer, the Italian guards started shooting. The Somalian police were chasing Tae’s car, and somehow Kang and Han stopped everyone by saying they were Korean Diplomats and begged them not to shoot. They opened the car doors, but Tae had died. The Italians opened the gates for them, and Tae was buried inside the Italian embassy. The plane arrived the next day, and they boarded the flight. On the flight, The North Koreans thanked the South Koreans for their help.

Han tells Rim that the South Korean embassy had arranged stay and travel for North Koreans as well in Kenya. But Rim told him the North Korean embassy had sent their men to take them. As they arrive in Kenya, Kang sees both the embassy diplomats waiting. He announced that the South Koreans would leave first, and then the North Koreans would come out with the foreigners. He asks them to tell their final goodbyes inside the plane and not to address each other once they leave. The South Korean diplomats were under the impression that the North Koreans had defected, but Kang handled the situation. Both sides of the Koreans didn’t look at each other until the end but, in their hearts, said their farewell.

The ending of Escape from Mogadishu is filled with many emotions as humanity triumphed over any personal differences, but political games and security had to go on. At the time the North Koreans reached the Chinese embassy, kids of the same age were either sheltered or with guns. The kids from the rebels used the guns like toy guns and played with the children from North Korea, almost saving their lives. It goes out to show the innocence of children and the generations that are ruined. Humanity prevailed over everything else in this film.

The South Koreans are letting go of their differences and helping the North. They went out of their way to keep them safe. The Italian embassy helped the South and, indirectly, the North Koreans to flee to safety. The rebels also showed a tiny bit of empathy when they refused to harm the North Koreans to pay their debt and give them a chance to flee. We also see the South Koreans blatantly ignoring the fact that Swama might have been a rebel, and yet, seeing his injuries, let him stay at the embassy.

Also, Read: Parasite (2019) Movie Ending Explained & Themes Analyzed

Escape from Mogadishu (2021) Trailer

Escape from Mogadishu (2021) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes

Escape from Mogadishu (2021) Cast: Kim Yoon-seok, Zo In-sung, Joon-ho Huh, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Kim Jae-hwa