Korean Party Riding on 'Parasite': "We Will Create Bong Joon-ho's Birthplace, Statue, and Street"

Daegu Region Korean Party Preliminary Candidates Running for Bong Joon-ho's Hometown, Flooded with Election Promises
'Restoration of Bong Joon-ho's Birthplace,' 'Erection of Bong Joon-ho Statue,' 'Bong Joon-ho Memorial Hall' Promises
Criticism Arises That These Are Short-Term Promises Riding on Popularity

On the 9th (local time), Bong Joon-ho, director of Parasite, which won four awards including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, posed holding the trophy before a press conference held at The London West Hollywood in LA, USA. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Ahead of the April 15 general election, various pledges surrounding director Bong Joon-ho, who shines as a four-time Academy Award winner, are pouring in. Some have even proposed making a statue of him. Erecting a statue of a living person is very unusual.

Additionally, some have pledged to establish a memorial hall honoring his achievements, such as the "Bong Joon-ho Academy." The ruling party has criticized these as "reckless pledges" that simply ride on his popularity.

Preliminary candidates from the Liberty Korea Party running in Daegu Nam-gu, Bong director's hometown, have effectively started efforts to create a "Bong Joon-ho director street."

On the 11th, Bae Young-sik (71), a Liberty Korea Party preliminary candidate running in the Jung-Nam-gu electoral district, pledged to create a "Bong Joon-ho Film Street," a "Bong Joon-ho Cafe Street," restore the "Bong Joon-ho Birthplace," erect a "Bong Joon-ho Statue," and install a "Parasite movie sculpture," saying, "We must permanently commemorate and inherit the great merits of director Bong, who swept the four Oscars."

Candidate Bae stated, "In countries like the United States, Russia, and Europe, they invest generously to create streets and statues of famous figures such as artists, politicians, scholars, and scientists, holding events to inherit their fame and turn them into world-class tourist attractions. We must make this a catalyst to promote director Bong's national contributions both domestically and internationally."

On the 9th (local time), Song Kang-ho, an actor from Parasite, which won four awards including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, is answering questions from the press at a press conference held at The London West Hollywood in LA, USA. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Moreover, Jang Won-yong (54), another Liberty Korea Party preliminary candidate running in the Jung-Nam-gu electoral district, announced on the same day, "We will build a Bong Joon-ho Memorial Hall and create Bong Joon-ho Park in Daemyeong-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu."

Do Geon-woo (48), also a Liberty Korea Party preliminary candidate in the same electoral district, pledged, "We will establish the Bong Joon-ho Hall of Fame in Daegu and attract a film museum, independent film multi-screening theater, virtual reality (VR) experience center, and Bong Joon-ho Academy."

In summary, these pledges may be to commemorate director Bong, who has risen to the ranks of a global master. However, there are also critical voices. Director Bong was once placed on the so-called "cultural and artistic blacklist" during the Park Geun-hye administration.

During the tenure of the Saenuri Party, the predecessor of the Liberty Korea Party, his works were socially ostracized as potentially problematic, but after sweeping four Academy Awards including Best Picture, the party is criticized for flooding the public with one-off pledges that capitalize on his popularity.

Lee Jae-yong (65), a preliminary candidate from the Democratic Party running in the Daegu Jung-Nam-gu electoral district, released a statement criticizing the Liberty Korea Party candidates. Lee said, "I cannot help but be outraged by the shameless behavior of trying to ride on the public's emotions without the slightest reflection, apology, or shame toward a filmmaker they once stigmatized with a blacklist during their time in power," and pointed out, "They are freeloading on citizens' emotions with hasty pledges."

Director Bong was born in 1969 in Bongdeok-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu, as the youngest of two sons and two daughters. He lived in Daemyeong 9-dong, Nam-gu, and attended Namdo Elementary School. He moved to Seoul in 1978 when he was in the third grade of elementary school.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.