Documentary 'Moon Jae-in Imnida' to Release in May... Remarks on "5 Years of Achievements Collapsed, Futile" Omitted

First Screening at Jeonju International Film Festival... "Political Interpretation Part Removed"

The documentary film 'Moon Jae-in Imnida' (hereafter 'the documentary'), which shows the daily life of former President Moon Jae-in after his retirement, was first unveiled on the 29th at the Jeonju International Film Festival.

'Moon Jae-in Imnida' was screened that evening at the Samsung Culture Hall of Jeonbuk National University in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk. This work was included in the screening lineup of the 24th Jeonju International Film Festival's 'Jeonju Cinema Project,' which opened on the 27th. The documentary focuses on former President Moon’s daily life after returning to Pyeongsan Village in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, following his retirement in May last year.

The narrative of the work follows a chronological order from spring to autumn, starting from when former President Moon arrives at Pyeongsan Village. In the documentary, Moon shows a modest side, strolling around the village with his pet dog in casual clothes or tending to the garden at his private residence with a shovel. He is also seen lying on a bench taking a nap and sometimes showing differences of opinion with First Lady Kim Jung-sook about what to plant in the garden.

A scene from the documentary 'This is Moon Jae-in'
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In an interview within the documentary, former President Moon says, "I originally prefer playing to working." His daily life is constantly interrupted by the noise of protestors' loudspeakers who have come to Pyeongsan Village, but the camera captures him working in the garden even amid the loudspeaker noise.

The work also conveys evaluations of 'politician Moon Jae-in' from those around him. Interviewees mainly include Moon’s aides such as former Chief of Staff to the President Im Jong-seok, former Policy Chief Kim Sang-jo, former Director of the National Situation Room Yoon Gun-young, and former spokesperson Kim Eui-gyeom. Additionally, former National Intelligence Service Director Park Ji-won, former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, former Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council Moon Sung-hyun, and former Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Jung Eun-kyeong also recall former President Moon. Furthermore, colleagues from the law firm during Moon’s lawyer days testify about 'lawyer Moon Jae-in' before he entered politics.

Before the documentary’s release, former President Moon appeared in an interview from the documentary on the YouTube broadcast 'Kim Eo-jun’s Das Bweida' on the 18th, where he said, "The achievements over five years are not achievements I made alone but achievements that the people and the Republic of Korea made together," adding, "Seeing those achievements collapse instantly and revert to the past makes me feel somewhat empty," which became a topic of discussion. However, this statement was not included in the completed documentary. The host Kim Eo-jun also stated that the pre-released footage was "an unedited part."

Regarding this, a representative of the production company explained, "This documentary explores Moon Jae-in as a human being," adding, "We tried to exclude parts that could be politically interpreted as much as possible."

Director Lee Chang-jae, who made the documentary, also directed the documentary 'Roh Moo-hyun Imnida' about former President Roh Moo-hyun. 'Moon Jae-in Imnida' was originally scheduled to be released on the 11th of next month but will now be released a day earlier on the 10th.

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