"Trade Issues with Han"... Trump Criticizes 'Parasite' Academy Award Win

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 20th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticized the Korean film Parasite for winning four Academy Awards (Oscars) during a campaign rally.

According to Fox News and others, President Trump said at a rally in Colorado Springs, "How terrible was this year's Academy Awards? Did everyone see it?" He added, "A Korean film became the winner," and sarcastically asked, "What on earth is it about?"

President Trump criticized, "We have many trade issues with Korea. On top of that, they (the Academy) awarded the Best Picture this year," and said, "Is that movie really that good? I don't know." He continued, "I was expecting a movie like Gone with the Wind (1939). There are many great films like Sunset Boulevard (1950), but the winner was a film from Korea."

President Trump also said, "At first, I thought it was the Best Foreign Language Film. But it wasn't," and asked, "Has this ever happened before?"

Additionally, President Trump criticized Brad Pitt, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He said, "Brad Pitt also won an award this year," and added, "I'm not a big fan of his." This appears to be in response to Brad Pitt's acceptance speech remarking, "They say you get 45 seconds to speak on stage here, which is more time than the U.S. Senate gave John Bolton."

After President Trump's remarks, the U.S. Democratic National Committee tweeted, "The film Parasite is a foreign movie that shows how the ultra-rich are unaware of the conflicts with the working class," and sarcastically added, "Of course Trump would dislike this."