Director Kwak Kyung-taek expressed his stance on the absence of his vote in the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol. The movie 'Firefighter' was released on the 4th of this month. However, news spread that Kwak's younger brother, Kwak Kyu-taek, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, did not participate in the impeachment vote. This led to a boycott movement of the film among netizens.
On the 12th, Director Kwak Kyung-taek released a statement. "There have been many twists and turns before our movie could meet the audience, including COVID-19, an actor's DUI, and even martial law on the eve of the release," he began.
'Firefighter' also suffered a blow from the DUI controversy involving its lead actor Kwak Do-won. Martial law even broke out the day before its release. Director Kwak wrote, "Honestly, my heart still races when I think about the night of the 3rd."
Despite various controversies, the movie surpassed 1 million viewers. The director said, "Fortunately, we are receiving love from many audiences, but that anxiety still envelops my entire being."
He added, "Recently, some people have come to see the film as a target of criticism because my youngest family member, Kwak Kyu-taek of the People Power Party, did not participate in the impeachment vote following party policy."
He further emphasized, "I am also greatly disappointed and angered by the members of the National Assembly who didn't even participate in the group vote." He then shared his position on the impeachment of the president.
The director stated, "Frankly, a president who causes great chaos in Korea and brings shame to the world should step down voluntarily. If not, impeachment is definitely appropriate."
He added encouragement to the public. "Our country has overcome politically tumultuous times in the past by uniting all its people wisely. I believe we will overcome this difficult time as well," he hoped.
Lastly, he expressed his aspirations, "I sincerely hope that in the future, we will continue to have a world where we can freely express stories we want to tell through movies or books."
'Firefighter' is a disaster film. It is based on the 2001 Hongje-dong fire disaster. It tells the story of firefighters who are deployed with the goal of putting out the fire and rescuing everyone in adverse conditions.
<Photo courtesy of BAFILM Studio>
