[Focus] Lee Seon-gyun Has Left, but the Movie Remains

Two Posthumous Works Cost 30 Billion Won Each... Not Released This Year
Penalty Fee 3 to 5 Billion Won... About Half of the Expected 10 Billion Won

Although actor the late Lee Seon-gyun has passed away, his films remain. The pain has become the burden of his bereaved family, and colleagues in the cultural and artistic community, engulfed in guilt, have collectively raised their voices demanding a thorough investigation. While drug allegations have not been proven true, there is also public opinion that he deserves moral condemnation. We take a look at the space he left behind.

300 Billion Won Films, Can They Be Released in Theaters?

There are two posthumous works that he filmed during his lifetime. CJ ENM's film Escape: Silence (directed by Kim Tae-gon, hereafter 'Escape') and NEW's Land of Happiness (directed by Chu Chang-min). The combined investment in these two films amounts to 30 billion won. Distributors CJ ENM and NEW have no plans to release these two films this year. The financial burden of production costs will be jointly borne by the production companies and distributors.

Escape is a film depicting people trapped on an airport bridge on the verge of collapse, shrouded in thick fog so dense that one cannot see an inch ahead, struggling to survive against unexpected threats lurking within. It was invited to the Midnight Screening section of the non-competitive category at last year's Cannes Film Festival. The production cost invested in making the film was about 18 billion won. Including marketing expenses, the total expenditure exceeds 20 billion won. A large amount was spent on special effects (CG) depicting the disaster. Lee Seon-gyun plays the lead role and carries a significant portion of the story, making editing and reshooting practically impossible.

Land of Happiness, which cost about 9 billion won, is a film portraying the intense story of a soldier (played by Lee Seon-gyun) caught up in an event that shook modern history and a lawyer (played by Jo Jung-suk) who devotes all efforts to save him. Lee Seon-gyun played the role of soldier Park Tae-joo. Since Jo Jung-suk’s role is larger, there was once discussion about editing and reshooting. After careful consideration, it was decided to complete the film with Lee Seon-gyun’s footage, and post-production is underway, expected to be finished by the end of March.

Escape has completed post-production and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and since Land of Happiness will also be completed this spring, Lee Seon-gyun’s two posthumous films can ultimately be released in theaters. However, CJ ENM and NEW have not included these two films in their release plans for this year. Typically, distributors roughly set the release schedule at the beginning of the year and prepare marketing accordingly, so the possibility of these two films being released this year is very slim.

The release of the film starring Lee Seon-gyun’s wife, Jeon Hye-jin, has also been postponed. A representative from the film Cross stated that the release date, originally scheduled for February in theaters, has been delayed. Although the specific release date has not been set, since other scheduled releases are already planned, it will be difficult for the postponed film to be released in the near future.

Screening of the film 'Escape: Project Silence' at the Cannes Film Festival
Photo by Lee Iseul

Penalty Fees Are 2-3 Times the Appearance Fee... Estimated at Half of 10 Billion Won

Celebrities bear penalty fees whenever they become embroiled in controversies. Generally, penalty fees amount to 2 to 3 times the appearance fee. This is why the penalty fees skyrocket astronomically for celebrities with many works. The late actor Lee Seon-gyun, who was under investigation for drug use before his death, is no exception.

Lee Seon-gyun was one of the most successful actors in the film industry. With the film Parasite (2019), he became known worldwide as the first Korean film to sweep the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and four Academy Awards (Oscars). He was in the ideal age range, had a neat appearance, and a family-oriented husband and father image, which broadened the range of roles he could take on. He also appeared in several commercials. He starred in a telecommunications service commercial and a health functional food brand commercial, but when drug suspicions surfaced under his initials, the companies immediately pulled the ads and made viral videos private. Since a model’s image directly affects sales, the standards are stricter. Therefore, it is industry practice to quickly terminate contracts and claim penalty fees whenever a celebrity is involved in controversy.

Under civil law, penalty fees refer to damages. Since penalty fees are based on confidential contracts, the exact amounts are unknown, but when laws are violated or social controversies arise during advertising or work contracts, penalty fees amounting to about 2 to 3 times the contract value are imposed. Contracts typically include clauses stating that one must not violate laws or cause social controversies, engage in morally reprehensible acts, or damage the brand image.

The drama No Way Out, in which Lee Seon-gyun was scheduled to appear, consists of 8 episodes. Considering that he received an appearance fee of about 200 million won per episode for the SBS drama Law Money last year, about 1.6 billion won was allocated just for the drama. The two unreleased films he left behind differ in scale and importance, but it is believed he received special treatment worth about 1 billion won per film. Based on this, penalty fees for film contracts and advertisements are estimated to be in the 10 billion won range.

However, the industry expects the actual penalty fees to be only about 30-50% of the estimated 10 billion won. In fact, there have been no cases in the film industry where penalty fees were claimed from actors who caused controversies. Since the films have completed shooting, they can be released at an appropriate time later, and various stakeholders are involved. The unreleased film Escape starring Lee Seon-gyun has already been screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and since post-production for Land of Happiness will be completed this spring, it is difficult to impose penalty fees as the films can be released at a suitable time.

On the 12th, at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, directors Bong Joon-ho, Jang Hang-jun, Lee Won-tae, singer Yoon Jong-shin, actors Kim Eui-sung, Choi Deok-moon, and other popular culture artists attended the statement announcement titled "The Demands of Cultural and Artistic Figures Facing the Death of the Late Actor Lee Seon-gyun." Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

‘Lee Seon-gyun Prevention Act’: Cultural Sector Rolls Up Sleeves in Grief

Lee Seon-gyun, who was under investigation for drug use, was found dead last month on the 27th in a parking lot of a park in Jongno-gu, Seoul. At the peak of his acting career, he made an extreme choice at the age of 48. He had been booked under the Narcotics Control Act for marijuana and psychotropic substances and was under police investigation. He was summoned by the police three times and requested a polygraph test during the investigation shortly before his death. He denied the charges, claiming that the only evidence related to drug use was the testimony of A, a 29-year-old female manager of a Gangnam room salon. Although Lee Seon-gyun has passed away, many stories continue to circulate around him.

His colleagues donned black clothes and took the microphone after his passing. On the 12th, cultural and artistic figures, including director Bong Joon-ho who worked with him on Parasite, issued a statement titled ‘Cultural and Artistic Community’s Demands Facing the Death of Actor the Late Lee Seon-gyun’ at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, calling for a thorough investigation. They urged the police and media to awaken and announced plans to enact the so-called ‘Lee Seon-gyun Prevention Act.’ They demanded a thorough investigation by the authorities related to the Lee Seon-gyun case, deletion of articles violating journalistic ethics, and revision of current laws to protect the human rights of cultural and artistic figures. Directors Park Chan-wook and actress Youn Yuh-jung also delivered related statements to the National Assembly. The statements included demands for ‘a thorough investigation of the police investigation process,’ ‘deletion of articles not aligned with reporting purposes,’ and ‘enactment and revision of current laws to protect the human rights of cultural and artistic figures.’

On the other hand, there are voices pointing out fundamental issues. They argue that the actions of these groups are unlikely to gain sympathy from the vast majority of the public and that colleagues should not grant absolution regarding the moral issues and illegal allegations that arose during his lifetime.