Controversy surrounds film ‘Firefighters’ following impeachment rejection of president Yoon Suk Yeol.
The rejection of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk Yeol has ignited a boycott movement against the film ‘Firefighters’, directed by Kwak Kyung Taek. The controversy arose after it was revealed that Kwak’s younger brother, Kwak Kyu Taek, a People Power Party lawmaker, was among the 105 members who abstained from voting on the impeachment motion.
‘Firefighters’, which depicts the struggles of firefighters during the 2001 Hongje-dong fire tragedy, has been a box-office leader since its release on December 4th KST. Starring Kwak Do Won, Joo Won, Lee Yoo Young, and Yoo Jae Myung, the film is based on a moving true story and marks the latest work of director Kwak Kyung Taek, known for his previous hits ‘Friend’, ‘The Classified File’, and ‘The Battle of Jangsari’.
Despite its initial success, with over 910,000 cumulative viewers as of December 11th, the film faces backlash. Kwak Kyu Taek’s role in boycotting the impeachment vote, which led to the motion’s failure, has drawn public ire, with anger spilling over to his brother’s film.
Online communities have called for a boycott of ‘Firefighters’, pointing to director Kwak Kyung Taek’s involvement in his brother’s election campaign earlier this year. Comments such as “Don’t forget that Kwak Kyung Taek’s brother abstained from the impeachment vote” and “I refuse to watch a movie linked to such betrayal” have circulated widely.
This is not the first controversy surrounding the film. Prior to its release, the movie faced difficulties due to actor Kwak Do Won’s DUI incident. Despite calls to edit out his scenes, director Kwak Kyung Taek chose to keep them, stating, “Removing Kwak Do Won’s scenes would compromise the other actors’ performances.”
With mounting public backlash tied to current political turmoil, it remains to be seen whether ‘Firefighters’ can weather this storm and regain its momentum at the box office.
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