[Exclusive] The Pig That Was Fertilized... Controversy Over Animal Abuse in the 10 Million Viewer Film

Kim Go-eun's Dae-salgut Scene Faces Criticism
Dog and Chicken Abuse, Five Piglets Mutilated
'Unpleasant to Watch...anachronistic Direction' Criticized
Animal Group Kara: "'Pamy?' Silent for 19 Days"
Producer Showbox: "Will Confirm with Production Team"

Movie 'Pamyo' Still [Photo by Showbox]

“I want to ask the director and production company of ‘Pamyoo’ whether it was impossible to portray and film animals as living beings rather than as sacrifices or props.” (Animal protection organization ‘KARA’)

The movie ‘Pamyoo,’ which was recorded as this year’s first ‘10 million viewer film,’ has been embroiled in controversy over animal abuse.

A representative from the ‘Animal Cast Media Monitoring Headquarters’ (hereafter, Animal Monitoring HQ) of Korea’s largest animal protection organization ‘KARA’ told Asia Economy on the 1st, “There have been eight opinions registered about ‘Pamyoo’ within a month,” and pointed out, “Various animals such as pigs, chickens, sweetfish, and dogs appeared to be in danger in some scenes.” They continued, “There is doubt whether the numerous animals were models, CGI (computer graphics), or real animals. I want to ask the director and production company whether it was absolutely necessary to feature animals, whether they could have been portrayed and treated as living beings rather than sacrifices or props, and whether proper efforts were made to minimize the use of animals,” raising their voice.

On the 12th of last month, KARA’s Animal Monitoring HQ sent a letter containing seven inquiries to the production company Showbox via email and fax. The criticized scenes include: ▲ repeatedly slaughtering five pig carcasses used in the Daesalgut ritual ▲ pigs fleeing in panic from the pigsty ▲ pigs brutally attacked and killed ▲ placing live sweetfish wriggling on the ground as bait ▲ a dog (Baekgu) wearing a 1-meter leash at a temple ▲ threatening a chicken with a knife, among others.

In particular, the scene where the shaman Hwarim (played by Kim Go-eun) performs the Daesalgut ritual and stabs five piglets with a knife was pointed out as problematic. This ritual is also called ‘Tasalgut,’ where animals are offered as sacrifices to ancestral spirits. In the scene, the shaman slashes piglets about six months old.

Animal Monitoring HQ confirmed that Showbox read the email and sent a follow-up email requesting a response, but as of the afternoon of the 1st, no reply had been received. A representative of Animal Monitoring HQ expressed regret, saying, “Even films that have won awards at overseas film festivals or dramas airing on tight schedules have responded quickly. We gave them time since the film is currently screening, but they did not respond.”

When Asia Economy began related coverage, a Showbox representative sent an email to Animal Monitoring HQ stating, “We will review the inquiry and send a response.” The Showbox representative told this publication, “Due to internal circumstances, we had not checked Animal Monitoring HQ’s email until now,” and added, “We will verify the matter with the production team and respond.”

Movie 'Pamyo' Trailer Screenshot [Photo by Showbox]

Movie 'Pamyo' End Credits
Photo by Kim Taehwa Eun-eo Classroom

Previously, Animal Monitoring HQ pointed out issues with the soft-shelled turtles used in the film ‘Decision to Leave’ (director Park Chan-wook), which won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival, and the chickens used in the film ‘Marui Video,’ receiving meaningful responses. When Animal Monitoring HQ inquired with the production company ‘Moho Film’ about the filming of soft-shelled turtles in the film, they received a reply that three of the turtles died after filming. It was revealed that a farm owner, not a veterinarian or expert, was assigned to the filming site.

The low-budget film ‘Marui Video’ was criticized for a scene where a live chicken’s neck is held up. The production company apologized, saying, “Due to budget constraints, we used chicken carcasses and will consider guidelines next time,” regarding the scene where actors stab near the chicken’s neck with a knife to drain blood.

The pigs and sweetfish used in ‘Pamyoo’ also appear not to be CGI or dummies. The ‘Kim Taehwa Sweetfish Classroom’ blog promoted that live sweetfish were brought to the ‘Pamyoo’ filming site. Kim Taehwa, a professional, wrote, “Director Jang Jae-hyun was extremely reluctant to use CGI and needed live sweetfish, so they transported them to the mountain summit by vehicle equipped with oxygen tanks.” The company that managed and supplied the sweetfish is also credited in the ending credits of ‘Pamyoo.’

KARA activist Kwon Nami pointed out, “‘Pamyoo’ is an impressive film about the value of nature, but if animals were used as props during filming, that value would be compromised.”

Actor Kim Go-eun, who filmed the scene where the shaman slashes pigs, has shown interest in animal issues by adopting a stray dog and appearing in the recently released animal film ‘Dog Days.’ Im Soon-rye, a founding member of ‘Areumpum,’ the predecessor of KARA, and KARA’s executive director from 2014 to 2021, advised, “Actors should resist by refusing to film in response to frequent animal abuse on set, just like in Hollywood.”

Director Jang Jae-hyun’s previous works also sparked controversy: the pig scene in ‘The Priests’ (2015) and a scene in ‘Svaha’ (2019) that appeared to be filmed at an illegal dog farm. There were criticisms that scenes showing dozens of dogs confined in small cages and howling constituted animal abuse.