By The Straits Times | Created at 2024-12-14 00:04:29 | Updated at 2024-12-14 02:50:13
3 hours ago
SEOUL - The documentary film First Lady, which delves into the controversies surrounding Ms Kim Keon Hee, the wife of President Yoon Suk Yeol, is drawing sold-out crowds nationwide following its release on Dec 12.
According to the Korean Film Council, the film attracted 4,822 moviegoers on Dec 12, ranking eighth at the box office. The film’s cumulative audience count stands at 7,048, as of Dec 13.
First Lady, by director Ae-mong, is currently running at major cinema chains including CGV, Megabox and Lotte Cinema, as well as independent theaters like Dongducheon Munhwa Theatre in Gyeonggi Province and Andong Jungang Art Cinema in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province.
CGV Sinchon Artreon in Sinchon, Seoul, reported all 132 seats sold out on Dec 12, with near-capacity sales reported at other cinemas as well.
A teaser clip from First Lady uploaded on Dec 12 on the YouTube channel VoiceOfSeoul had also garnered over 900,000 views within 22 hours and accumulated more than 2,800 comments as of Dec 13 afternoon.
The film examines multiple controversies surrounding Ms Kim, including her alleged acceptance of a luxury handbag as a gift, involvement in a route change on the Yangpyeong Expressway and meddling in state affairs.
The documentary features appearances and commentary by figures such as Mr Lee Myung-soo, the reporter who revealed a recording of a conversation with Ms Kim; Rev. Choi Jae-young, who allegedly gave her the luxury handbag; and Mr Ahn Hae-wook, a former chairman of the Korea Elementary School Taekwondo Federation who testified regarding a document referred to as “Yoon’s X-file”.
The document spread on the internet in June 2021 and claimed that Ms Kim had worked as a hostess, nicknamed Julie, at a hotel nightclub in southern Seoul, before marrying Mr Yoon in 2012.
The film has been promoted as a “problematic documentary on the issues surrounding the ‘Yongsan VIP”, a term indirectly referencing President Yoon.
The trailer includes provocative dialogue such as, “Have you heard of ‘VIP 2’ (referring to the first lady)?” and “I don’t think Yoon Suk Yeol is really the president. That fool is just a puppet.”
The trailer concludes with an excerpt from Ms Kim’s recorded conversations, in which she says, “If I gain power, they won’t go unscathed,” followed by Ms Kim’s laughter. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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