BIFF chief steps down over censorship row
By Yun Suh-young
Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo speaks during a press conference in Busan, Thursday. / Yonhap
Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo, also chairman of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), said Thursday that he will step down from the festival’s top post amid a censorship controversy.
His resignation is expected to lay the ground for someone from the private sector to assume the top post of the popular film festival.
“I decided to quit as it seemed that the city’s affiliation with the film festival damaged its independence and was viewed as generating conflict with the film industry,” said Suh during a press conference in the southeastern port city.
He said he resigned to remove concerns that the city hinders the organizing of the film festival.
“The current regulation designating the city mayor as the festival’s chairman will be revised to turn the position over to the private sector. This will help the festival mature.”
The announcement comes amid prolonged protests from the film industry over the city’s supposed regulation and “taming” of the film festival.
The city mayor had been at odds with the film festival’s organizational committee headed by executive director Lee Yong-kwan since 2014, when the city requested the film festival cancel the October 2014 screening of a politically sensitive film, “The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol.”
The BIFF secretariat, however, proceeded with the screening and the city subsequently requested an audit of the secretariat.
The Board of Audit and Inspection said it uncovered mismanaging of funds, raising suspicions that the organization might have pocketed money. BIFF’s executive director Lee was accused of accounting fraud and faced investigation from the prosecution.
The film industry and the BIFF secretariat then claimed the move was an “act of retaliation” from the city government, initially spurred by BIFF’s refusal to cancel the screening of the controversial film.
The documentary looked at the Sewol ferry disaster in 2014 which resulted in 304 deaths. The film was critical of the government’s response to the disaster.
Lee, who had served as BIFF’s executive director for nine years, will step down from his position on Feb. 26. His position, initially a three-year term, had been renewed twice.
“Executive director Lee’s term finishes Feb. 26 and this was decided in the agreement with the BIFF secretariat,” said Mayor Suh. “It is time to innovate and help the festival reach a new level. The chairman position which had been assumed by the Busan mayor for two decades will be handed over to a private and autonomous environment to begin the next 20 years.”