Kang Won-rae, Unable to Watch 'Geon-guk Jeonjaeng' Due to Wheelchair... Han Dong-hoon Responds?

Unable to Enter Alone While Trying to Watch a Movie with Family
Wheelchair Access Difficult at Entrance Stairs

Singer Kang Won-rae, who became paraplegic due to an accident, visited a movie theater with his family to watch the film Geon-guk Jeonjaeng (The Founding War), but was unable to see the movie because the theater’s structure did not allow his wheelchair to enter. In response, the People Power Party has decided to push for a revision of the enforcement decree to designate at least 1% of seats in each screening room as accessible seats for people with disabilities.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, February 9, Kang Won-rae went to Gangbyeon CGV to watch Geon-guk Jeonjaeng, a film depicting the life of former President Syngman Rhee. However, he ultimately could not watch the movie. The screening room his family had booked was a special theater with higher ticket prices than a regular theater, but it required using stairs to access, so Kang’s wheelchair could not enter.

Singer Kang Won-rae, who became paraplegic due to an accident, visited a movie theater with his family to watch the film Geon-guk Jeon-jaeng but had to leave without seeing the movie because the theater's structure did not accommodate wheelchairs.
[Photo by Kang Won-rae Instagram]

On that day, Kang posted on his SNS, “There were no accessible seats in the screening room, and all entrances had stairs, making it difficult to enter. I asked the staff if they could carry me in the wheelchair, but they replied, ‘It’s dangerous because of the stairs. You absolutely cannot watch the movie.’” He continued, “The staff asked if I could stand up for a moment, and I said I couldn’t, so they said, ‘Then you can’t watch it.’” He added, “While waiting alone in the car, I thought maybe I should have canceled all the tickets and gone to another theater, but I regret why I was the only one who canceled. When they said the wheelchair couldn’t enter the entrance, I guess I was flustered,” expressing his disappointment.

Director Kim Deok-young of Geon-guk Jeonjaeng also shared Kang Won-rae’s post on his SNS on February 10, expressing his sorrow and saying, “I feel sorry for this. I hope I get a chance to meet him and apologize in person someday.”

People Power Party Chairman Han Dong-hoon’s Office: “We Will Revise the Enforcement Decree” in Response to Kang Won-rae’s Story

On the afternoon of the 12th, Han Dong-hoon, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, answered questions from reporters after watching the documentary film "Geon-guk Jeonjaeng," which highlights the life and politics of former President Syngman Rhee, at a movie theater in Yeouido, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

After Kang Won-rae’s story became known, the People Power Party announced plans to revise the enforcement decree to ensure that at least 1% of seats in each movie screening room are accessible to wheelchair users. Kim Ye-ji, a member of the People Power Party’s Emergency Response Committee, stated at the committee meeting on the morning of the 13th, “People with disabilities often face situations where they cannot watch movies in their preferred seats. Movie theaters are supposed to provide at least 1% of seats as accessible for people with disabilities, but most theaters apply this standard to the entire cinema rather than to each individual screening room.”

Kim also pointed out, “Even if wheelchair seats are provided, many places have stairs or high steps at the entrance of the screening room, making wheelchair access impossible.” She announced plans to revise the enforcement decree to improve structural accessibility within movie theaters. Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon emphasized, “There are interpretive blind spots in the regulations regarding access to theaters for people with disabilities. The People Power Party will work to improve this, including revising the enforcement decree, to create a more reasonable society.”

The current enforcement decree of the Act on the Promotion of Convenience for the Disabled, the Elderly, and Pregnant Women requires that at least 1% of all seats in performance halls, assembly halls, auditoriums, libraries, and similar venues be designated as accessible seats for people with disabilities. Previously, the National Human Rights Commission judged that the legislative intent of the law is better served by requiring at least 1% of seats in each individual screening room, not just the total seats in the entire cinema. Accordingly, in May 2021, the commission recommended that CGV provide convenience facilities for wheelchair users and others with disabilities, including this requirement.

Meanwhile, Geon-guk Jeonjaeng is currently ranked third at the box office, with a cumulative audience of approximately 330,000. Politicians affiliated with the People Power Party, including current lawmakers and metropolitan government heads, have posted “viewing confirmations” on SNS from February 4 through the Lunar New Year holiday. Chairman Han himself watched the film on February 12. Having appeared in the movie, he evaluated former President Syngman Rhee’s 1950 land reform and the 1953 Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty as decisive moments in the establishment and development of the Republic of Korea.