'Spirit's Homecoming' tops 1 million viewers
/ Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
The Korean film “Spirit’s Homecoming” topped the 1 million mark on Sunday.
The film, based on a true story, is about women forced by the Japanese Army to become sex slaves during World War II.
“Spirit’s Homecoming” / Courtesy of Daum Movie
According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), 296,524 tickets were sold on Saturday alone, taking the total to 756,665 since the film’s release on Feb. 24.
The film is based on the testimonies of the “comfort women,” who were forced into sexual servitude at Japanese military brothels. It took its cinematic inspiration from “Burning Women,” a drawing by Kang Il-chul, one of the victims, during her therapy sessions.
“Spirit’s Homecoming” / Courtesy of Daum Movie
Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly Korean, were forced to work in the front-line brothels during the war. Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910-45.
“Spirit’s Homecoming” / Courtesy of Daum Movie
It took 14 years to make the film, because of a lack of finances.