Actor Choi Min-sik, "Lower Theater Prices" Harsh Criticism
Professor Lee Byung-tae, "Have You Even Looked at the Financial Statements... Pathetic"
"Not a Personal Attack, but an Issue with the Illogical Nature of the Remarks"
Recently, actor Choi Min-sik publicly criticized the need to lower movie theater ticket prices, which led KAIST professor Lee Byung-tae to openly target him as "ignorant." On the 22nd, Professor Lee explained the background of his remarks in a post titled 'Why Did I Target Choi Min-sik?' on social media, stating, "I am not attacking Choi Min-sik's freedom to express his 'convictions,'" and added, "What I criticized was the baseless attack on prices."
Actor Choi Min-sik speaking on MBC's "Son Seok-hee's Questions" on the 17th. [Image source=MBC News YouTube channel capture]
He argued, "The reason Korean cinema has grown this much and actors are treated as they are today is undoubtedly because large corporations have operated theater businesses that match the income levels of the public," and continued, "If there were no companies incentivizing consumers to watch movies, there would be no film industry, no high actor incomes, and no Korean Wave fever." He further stated, "What always makes me uncomfortable about his remarks and many politicians' comments is the anti-corporate agitation and lack of appreciation for companies," and criticized, "Before shouting that movie ticket prices are expensive, have you even looked at the financial statements of the companies currently running theaters? It’s pathetic to claim they are raising ticket prices to earn monopoly excess profits without knowing how profitable they actually are."
He added, "Let's assume you don't know how to read financial statements. Then you should at least be interested in the stock price of CJ CGV, the leading company in the movie theater market and an important player in the industry you work in. By looking at that stock price, you should know better than ordinary citizens the difficulties the theater business has faced due to the pandemic, the rise of online streaming services, minimum wage increases, and inflationary pressures," he pointed out.
Professor Lee said, "This is a typical mindset of what we call the 'Gangnam Left.' They make statements to win favor with other people's money, hoping to receive applause and attention," and added, "Demanding that theater companies lower prices means asking the shareholders of those companies to pay, but they act as if they themselves are the ones being generous. This is a typical example of the hypocrisy in the language of the Gangnam Left." However, he emphasized, "I did not target Choi Min-sik personally, but pointed out the illogical nature of his remarks."
Earlier, on the 17th, Choi Min-sik appeared on MBC's 'Son Seok-hee's Questions' and criticized the high ticket prices, saying, "Movie theater prices have gone up a lot. They should come down. Even I wouldn't go." While acknowledging, "I understand emotionally because we barely survived COVID-19," he argued, "People will judge that it's better to watch OTT with that money." In response, Professor Lee rebutted on the 20th, "Has Choi Min-sik ever donated his appearance fees to theaters that screen his films? Does he think the movie theater business is a charity?"
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