Director Choi Yun-jin accuses producer of abuse after ouster from ‘Big Deal’

Director Choi Yun-jin speaks at a press conference regarding her dismissal from the film "Big Deal." Korea Times photo by Jeong Han-byeol

Director Choi Yun-jin broke her silence over her dismissal from the film “Big Deal,” alleging workplace abuse by the production company The LAMP and its CEO Park Eun-kyung.

At a press conference in Seoul Thursday, Choi called for structural reform in Korea’s film industry, stressing the need to protect creators from exploitation and unfair labor practices.

The conflict began when The LAMP announced it had removed Choi from the director’s seat over allegations of script appropriation. Choi filed for an injunction to invalidate the dismissal, but a Seoul court rejected the request, allowing the film to be released domestically without her name in the director credit.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the ruling, Choi said she had remained silent during the film’s theatrical run to avoid negatively affecting the project.

“For a director, a film is like a child,” she said. “Now that the release is winding down, I can finally speak.”

Choi accused Park of long-standing abuse of power. “She once said I should be pushed out of the film industry,” Choi said.

Specific incidents she cited include attempting to fire the assistant director a day before shooting due to formatting issues, withholding promised development funds, excluding her from the editing process in violation of contract terms, unilaterally assigning screenwriting credits and replacing the music director without consultation.

During the press conference, Choi presented what she described as supporting evidence, including emails, phone recordings, debt collection texts and excerpts from her directing contract.

At one point, she was overcome with emotion, saying the ordeal had left her mentally and physically drained. She also revealed she had received a defamatory email, calling the criticism a form of “witch hunt.”

Choi also disputed the company’s claim that she passed off someone else’s work as her own. She said she had legally acquired the original concept from rookie screenwriter Park Hyun-woo, with whom she co-developed an earlier version titled “Enemy.”

When their contract ended by mutual agreement, she said she rewrote the material on her own, transforming it into “Big Deal.”

Director Choi Yun-jin explains the court’s decision to dismiss the injunction request regarding “Big Deal.” Korea Times photo by Jeong Han-byeol

Later, Park requested a screenwriting credit, which Choi said she agreed to. “I responded via email that I would credit the screenplay as ‘Choi Yun-jin and Park Hyun-woo,’” she said. “There was no conflict between us.”

However, Park allegedly rejected the order of names and unilaterally informed Choi that the film would be released with Park’s name listed first. “It was a coercive and unacceptable abuse of power,” Choi said.

She further alleged that Park had pressured her into canceling an existing investment deal with KTH and Megabox in order to secure new funding from Showbox.

Trusting the agreement, Choi signed a settlement and transferred 300 million won ($216,000) in repayment obligations to KTH.

But Park allegedly failed to deliver the remaining 150 million won as promised, leaving Choi’s company, Film Blossom, subject to a court-ordered account seizure and ongoing debt collection.

Attorney Baek Kyung-tae of Shinwon Law Firm, who joined Choi at the press conference, emphasized that the court’s dismissal of the injunction does not mean the dismissal itself was deemed lawful.

“This was only a preliminary decision,” he said. “Damages can still be pursued in the main trial.” He added that the court appeared to have overly accepted the producer’s hypothetical argument that not crediting Park Hyun-woo could raise copyright issues.

Choi called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to conduct an independent investigation into the case and urged the National Assembly to establish effective protections against abuse in the film industry.

She concluded by demanding a public apology from The LAMP and the full restoration of her director credit in all streaming and international versions of “Big Deal.”

Released on May 30, “Big Deal” is set during the 1997 Asian financial crisis and follows two men — Jong-rok, a liquor company CFO played by Yoo Hae-jin, and In-beom, a results-driven investor played by Lee Je-hoon — as they clash over the fate of Korea’s beloved national soju brand.

Poster for "Big Deal" / Courtesy of Coupang Play

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.