Voice of the silenced

Park Chul-min in a scene from "Another Promise" / Korea Times

Director tackles Samsung case 'without fear'

"Another Promise" director Kim Tae-yun

By Baek Byung-yeul

The task for film director Kim Tae-yun was straightforward: to portray the death of a woman, whose family believes she contracted leukemia from working in a semiconductor factory.

But the factory was operated by Samsung Electronics, part of the country's most powerful conglomerate — a fact that might give other filmmakers pause.

"Another Promise," set for release in early February, is the latest film to hold the powers that be accountable for past misdoing. Kim says that such filmmaking requires courage.

"I was told by many acquaintances not to turn my back against the top conglomerate," he said in interview in Hongdae, western Seoul. "But we moved forward without fear."

The film depicts the hardships of parents whose daughter, Hwang Yu-mi, was diagnosed with leukemia two years after she started working at Samsung's semiconductor production. She died four years after starting the job.

After her death, Samsung suggested a one-billion-won settlement, but her father, Hwang Sang-ki, filed a lawsuit against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL) instead.

The Seoul Administrative Court reached a verdict recognizing Hwang as the recipient of compensation in 2011. The ruling was the first case in which an individual won a suit against a Korean conglomerate.

"Big companies try to sweep these kinds of shameful cases under the rug by offering settlements. So the case in the film is a rare one," he said.

"All I was concerned about (in making the film) was that the case be known to the public. Many don't even know that they are victims when they are hurt on the job. I hope the film will set off some alarm bells about our rights."

The film was originally titled "Another Family," which is a well known slogan for Samsung. Kim said he changed the title himself.

"There was no request from Samsung. I changed it because everyone knows that ‘Another Family' refers to the famous catch phrase of Samsung Electronics, and I wanted the audiences more concentrate on the drama itself, not the company," he said.

"Another Promise" is Kim's second film following 2006's "Educating Kidnappers." He also wrote the scripts for "Insadong Scandal" (2009) and "Perfect Number" (2012).

It took about a year for Kim to finish writing the scenario for the film. But that was only the first hurdle.

Kim said the biggest challenge was fundraising, much of which he did through internet outreach.

"Without help from citizens we attracted through social media and by doing podcasts, it wouldn't have been possible to shoot," Kim said. "We collected almost 400 million won from about 8,000 individuals."

Another Promise is the latest film to tackle controversial social issues.

"National Security," a 2012 film depicting the torture endured by late politician Kim Geun-tae; "Jiseul," a 2013 art-house film based on the Jeju uprising of 1948; and "The Attorney," the recent biopic of late President Roh Moo-hyun have all performed well at the box office.

Observers say the films are popular because they shed light on historic events forgotten among the public.

"Another Promise," featuring veteran actor Park Chul-min as Hwang's father and Park Hee-jung as Hwang will be released on Feb. 6.

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