Director Kwak Kyung-taek‘s younger brother, People Power Party member Kwak Kyu-tae, walked out of the plenary session during the vote to impeach President Yoon Seok-youl, and regarding the signs of a boycott online of the film ‘Firefighter, Director Kwak stated his position, saying, “I am also disappointed and angry at the National Assembly members who did not participate in the vote.”

Director Kwak Kyung-taek stated in a press release on the 12th that ‘Firefighter, which was released after many twists and turns, including COVID-19, lead actor Kwak Do-won’s drunk driving, and President Yoon Seok-youl‘s declaration and lifting of martial law on the 3rd, the day before its release, “Fortunately, it is receiving love from many viewers, but the anxiety still surrounds me.” ‘Firefighter’, which was released on the 4th, is doing well, maintaining the top spot at the box office as of the 11th, attracting a cumulative audience of 1.01 million.

In the meantime, regarding the fact that some public opinion has formed that even ‘Firefighter’ is a target of criticism because his youngest brother, People Power Party member Kwak Kyu-taek, did not participate in the impeachment vote in line with the party line on the 7th, Director Kwak said, “I am also deeply disappointed and angry at the members of the National Assembly who did not even participate in the vote as a group.” He then said, “Honestly, I think that the president who has caused great chaos in the Republic of Korea and embarrassed the world should step down of his own accord. If not, he should definitely be impeached,” he added.

Finally, Director Kwak said, “In the past, our country has overcome times of political chaos by gathering strength and wisely overcoming them together, and I believe that we will overcome this difficult time at the end of 2024 as well,” emphasizing, “That is why I sincerely hope that in the future, we will be able to freely express the stories that I, that we, want to tell through movies or books.”

Meanwhile, the film ‘Firefighter’ depicts the situation of firefighters who were deployed with only one goal: to put out the fire and rescue everyone in the harsh environment during the 2001 Hongje-dong fire disaster, in which six firefighters died. Kwak Do-won, Joo Won, Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Yoo-young, and Kim Min-jae appear.

＜Full official statement＞

Hello, this is film director Kwak Kyung-taek.

There were many twists and turns and circumstances before our film finally met the audience. COVID-19, the actor’s drinking, and now martial law the day before the release. Honestly, my heart still pounds when I think about the night of December 3rd.

And fortunately, the film is receiving love from many audiences, but that feeling of anxiety still envelops me. I think many people feel the same way as I do.

Recently, some people are criticizing the movie “Firefighter” because the youngest member of my family, Kwak Gyu-taek of the People Power Party, did not vote in the impeachment vote in accordance with the party line.

I am also deeply disappointed and angry at the members of the National Assembly who did not even vote as a group. Honestly, I think the president who caused great chaos in the Republic of Korea and brought shame to the world should step down on his own. If not, he should definitely be impeached.

In the past, our country has overcome times of political chaos by gathering strength and wisely overcoming them, and I believe that we will also overcome this difficult time at the end of 2024.

So I sincerely hope that the world will continue to be one where I, and we, can freely express the stories we want to tell through movies or books.


Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com

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