Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Rise and fall of controversial director Kim Ki-duk
Director Kim Ki-duk speaks during the opening ceremony of the 41st Moscow International Film Festival, in this April 18, 2019, file photo. AP-Yonhap
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Kim Ki-duk, an influential film director whose career was tarnished by accusations that he had sexually assaulted several women, died on Friday at a hospital in Latvia due to coronavirus complications. He was 59.
Kim, whose films won him a Silver Bear in Berlin, an Un Certain Regard award in Cannes and a Golden Lion in Venice, enjoyed his biggest successes at European film festivals. But he failed commercially, leaving audiences divided over his depiction of extreme violence and dark content.
Born in Bonghwa County, North Gyeongsang Province, he grew up in a poor family before dropping out of school at the age of 14 and working in factories for years.
After serving as a petty officer in the Marine Corps for five years, he briefly attended Chongshin University.
At the age of 30, he moved to Paris and taught himself how to paint by visiting museums and art galleries. He got interested in making films after watching the French romance film “The Lovers on the Bridge” (1991) and the American thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991).
Returning to Korea, he won the screenplay contest hosted by the Korean Film Council that granted him an opportunity to direct his first feature “Crocodile” in 1996. The film is about a homeless thug who prevents the suicide of a woman traumatized by gang rape, but then begins to rape and abuse her himself.
His film created a controversy in Korea for its gruesome depictions of violence and rape. However, his subsequent films caused a stir internationally, with “Birdcage Inn” (1998) premiering in the Panorama section of the Berlinale and “Isle” (2000) being presented in the competition section of the Venice International Film Festival.
Buoyed by international acclaim, Kim's next film “Bad Guy” (2001) became commercially successful in Korea, attracting about 700,000 moviegoers. His 2003 film “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring,” which revolves around a Buddhist monastery in the middle of a lake in a pristine forest, won the best film awards at Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards.
In 2004, he won the Silver Bear for best director at Berlin for “Samaritan Girl,” a drama about teenage prostitutes. The same year, he won the Silver Lion for best director at Venice for psychological horror drama “3-Iron.”
Despite the excessive violence and misogynistic portrayals of women that provoke uncomfortable feelings among audiences, his career continued to thrive. He was awarded the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes with “Arirang” in 2011 and won the 2012 Golden Lion for best film at Venice for “Pieta” in 2012.
However, his accomplishments were tainted with news reports in 2017 alleging he had sexually assaulted several women.
The women ― some actresses in movies he had directed and others who had worked for him ― recounted instances of abuse, including being groped or forcibly kissed by him. One said he had raped her; another said he had forced his hand down her pants. Charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.
Kim, responding to the accusations, said he had a different memory of some of these events. Instead of apologizing, he sued the accusers and MBC, a local broadcaster that reported on the sexual assault allegations. However, the Seoul Western District Court dismissed his claims last month.
Facing harsh criticism from Korea, he found that his works had particular appeal in Russia. He then moved to Kazakhstan to direct his latest film “Dissolve” before moving to Latvia to apply for permanent resident status. He was reportedly in the middle of a divorce suit with his wife.
The Korean film industry remained largely silent over Kim's death as he had been ostracized and ignored after the allegations came to light. None of the film-related associations released an official statement regarding his death. Only a few of Kim's close acquaintances shared short condolence messages on social media.
“I'm saddened by the news. It's a big loss to the Korean film industry,” Busan International Film Festival director Jay Jeon posted on Facebook.
Critics said that Kim's legacy should be measured at the cost of the women he was accused of abusing.
“Rather than apologizing to the victims, Kim sued them for harming his reputation. This could be another form of violence. It's unethical to mourn such a man,” film critic Park Woo-sung tweeted.
“If someone does such awful violence to people in real life, it's just wrong to celebrate him. I don't care if he's a genius (and I don't think he was),” film critic Darcy Pacquet tweeted.