Yeongwon Trading "Providing 50,000 KRW per 'Geon-guk War' Movie Ticket"
Busan Seo-gu and Ulsan City Hall Organize Group Viewing for Officials
Ruling Party Figures Use This to Rally Supporters Ahead of Next Month's General Election
Youngone Trading Group, which imports overseas clothing brands such as The North Face, is encouraging its employees to watch the movie Geon-guk Jeonjaeng (The Founding War), sparking political controversy surrounding the film.
Geon-guk Jeonjaeng is a documentary film about the life of former President Syngman Rhee, which surpassed 1 million viewers within a month of its release. However, it has ignited ideological debates with mixed evaluations, being seen both as a "reappraisal of Syngman Rhee" and as "glorification of Syngman Rhee."
According to the distribution industry on the 12th, Youngone Trading Group posted an internal notice last month stating that employees who submit movie tickets after watching Geon-guk Jeonjaeng would receive 50,000 KRW in cash. The company initially announced that it would support 10,000 KRW for meal expenses upon submitting movie tickets and receipts, but a few days later, it raised the amount to 50,000 KRW per movie ticket. The stated purpose was to support employees' cultural activities.
The problem is that no support was provided for other movies screened during the same period. Considering that weekend movie tickets cost about 15,000 KRW, employees could interpret this as the company offering an additional 35,000 KRW if they watch Geon-guk Jeonjaeng. The increase in support from 10,000 KRW to 50,000 KRW per movie ticket is also seen as the company's attempt to boost low participation rates. Regarding this, a Youngone Trading Group representative denied any coercion, saying, "It is an internal event that individuals can choose to participate in," and added, "Support has also been provided for certain plays or musicals in the past."
However, as cases of employees certifying their viewing of the film continue, political controversy is spreading. A representative example is the Busan Metropolitan City Seo-gu Office, which organized a group viewing of Geon-guk Jeonjaeng with its employees at the end of last month.
The Seo-gu Office holds a "Culture Day" event twice a year, once in the first half and once in the second half, where movies are screened for free. This year, they selected Geon-guk Jeonjaeng for the first half and organized a group viewing. On the Seo-gu Office labor union bulletin board, posts criticizing the "political neutrality obligation of public officials" were reportedly posted. The film’s co-producer, Truth Forum, ran an event where viewers aged 10 to 40 could get a full refund in cash upon submitting their movie tickets as proof of viewing.
Conservative ruling party figures are actively encouraging viewing of Geon-guk Jeonjaeng, seemingly using it to rally their support base ahead of the general elections. President Yoon Suk-yeol, Emergency Response Committee Chairman Han Dong-hoon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon, and Minister of Unification Kim Young-ho have all praised the film. Meanwhile, incumbent lawmakers and candidates within the ruling party continue to certify their viewing of the film on social media platforms even a month after its release.
Meanwhile, since its release on the 1st of last month, Geon-guk Jeonjaeng has attracted a total of 1.14 million viewers as of the 11th of this month. Its box office revenue has reached 10.6 billion KRW, and with a production cost reportedly at 300 million KRW, it is considered a commercial success.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
