I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
2018 in Review Long live Queen; casting couch scandal cuts some filmmakers' careers short
Actor Rami Malek plays Freddie Mercury in the box-office hit “Bohemian Rhapsody.” / Courtesy of 20th Century Fox
By Kang Hyun-kyung
By Kang Hyun-kyung
The year 2018 was turbulent from the very beginning. The #MeToo campaign spread fast throughout show business, ripping apart the film industry. The drive to bring down sexually abusive men has cut some filmmakers' careers short.
The unprecedented success of the second “Along with the Gods” film in summer, however, turned the tide. Together with the stunning success of its 2017 edition, “Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days” became a game changer in Korean film history by breaking several records.
The late British singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury was resurrected through the biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” 27 years after his 1991 death.
Queen rocks Korea
Freddie Mercury rocked South Korea.
The biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which depicts the rise and fall of Mercury, the frontman of the legendary British rock band Queen, has attracted over 8 million viewers as of last week, since the film hit local theaters in late October.
What's interesting is the younger generation born after Mercury died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991 was the main audience of the film. About 43 percent of viewers were in their 20s, causing many to wonder how the post-Mercury generation came to be enthusiastic about the film. “Bohemian Rhapsody” became music enthusiasts' top pick. Many viewers watched it multiple times.
Thanks to the popularity of the film, some of Queen's songs have made the top 100 music charts every week nearly three decades after Mercury's death.
#MeToo deals blow to show business
The #MeToo campaign, which erupted in the literary circle in late 2016 after an unnamed staffer of a publishing house accused best-selling author Park Bum-shin of sexual harassment, spread to the film industry earlier this year.
Several actresses revealed they were victims of the “casting couch” practice in the film industry. Filmmaker Cho Geun-hyun, who directed the 2018 film “Heung-boo: The Revolutionist,” was brought down following an unnamed aspiring actress' revelation of her conversation with the director during an audition to cast the female role of his film.
In her social media post, the actress claimed Cho encouraged her to build her skills to seduce men and told her directors select actresses based on their seduction skills, not acting skills. Cho later confirmed her allegations.
Award-winning director Kim Ki-duk was hit hard by the sexual injustice campaign.
In MBC's investigative program “PD Notebook,” three actresses claimed on condition of anonymity that they were sexually harassed and some said they were raped by the director while shooting films with him. One actress said she was eliminated in the cast selection after she rejected Kim's sexual offers.
Filmmaker Kim Ki-duk speaks at a news conference in this May 2014 file photo. / Korea Times file
Kim denied the allegation and said his relationships with some actresses were consensual. He took legal action against one of the actresses, claiming she defamed him and spread groundless rumors about him. Actor Cho Jae-hyun was also brought down as several women disclosed the actor sexually abused them. He denied some allegations and took legal action. The #MeToo campaign has dealt a blow to several others' career in show business.
'Along With Gods' sequel roars
Director Kim Yong-hwa's fantasy action film “Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days,” a sequel to the 2017 box-office hit “Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds,” broke several records in Korean film history.
Since it premiered on Aug. 1, the film, which revolves around three grim reapers who guide their 49th soul underground for a trial and is based on the namesake webtoon by Joo Ho-min, has attracted 12 million to the box office and broke the daily viewer record with 1.47 million per day. It also became the movie that attracted the biggest audience (1.24 million) on its opening day.
Together with the 2017 edition, the “Along with the Gods” sequel attracted a domestic audience of 20 million in total. “Along with the Gods” also became the first South Korean sequel to attract over 10 million viewers.
In a media interview, director Kim said he learned a lot from his failed 2013 film “Mr. Go,” about a gorilla who became a baseball superstar. The sports comedy film, based on Huh Young-man's 1984 piece, was the first South Korean film to be fully shot in 3D but failed to attract viewers despite massive investments.
In the wake of “Along with the Gods,” Kim said he was willing to shoot further sequels if this is what audiences want.
People flock to a theater screening “Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days” in Seoul in this August 2018 file photo. / Korea Times file
Left-wing films soaring
Filmmakers held a magnifying glass to three historic events that shaped Korea's modern history ― the milestone 1987 pro-democracy uprising, the spy scandal in the late 1990s and the Asian Financial Crisis that hit Korea in late 1997.
The films are left-wing filmmakers' interpretations of contemporary Korean history.
The film “1987: When the Day Comes” describes the late activist Park Jong-cheol who was tortured to death in 1987 and later triggered the pro-democracy uprising. The film made a moderate success with 7 million viewers.
“The Spy Gone North” directed by filmmaker Yoon Jong-bin revolves around a South Korean spy in the North and conservative politicians' plot to fan the red scare to drive voters to the right ahead of the 1997 presidential election. The critically acclaimed film drew 5 million viewers.
“Default,” which was released on Nov. 28, followed the moderate success of two previous films featuring liberal filmmakers' endeavor to “unearth truth.” The film deals with the greed of some self-serving bureaucrats and a private fund manager striving to make money amid the unprecedented financial crisis that swept the country and led to the painful bailout program from the International Monetary Fund.
'Burning' shortlisted for Oscar
Lee Chang-dong's critically acclaimed film “Burning” was nominated in the foreign-language category of the Academy Awards. The drama thriller film starring actor Yoo Ah-in won the FIRRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.