"Wanting Coexistence" Controversy Surrounding 'Chiaksan', Wonju City Chases After Screening Venue

Movie 'Chiaksan' Press Screening Held
Wonju City Social Organizations Council Stages Surprise Protest
"Will Change Title" vs "Stop Release"

The movie 'Chiaksan' is facing conflict with Wonju City in Gangwon Province ahead of its release. When the film's team went ahead with a press screening, the Wonju City Social Organizations Association visited the venue and held a surprise press conference in opposition.

On the afternoon of the 31st, at the press screening of the movie 'Chiaksan' held at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University Entrance in Jayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, the Wonju City Social Organizations Association raised their voices, stating, "We strongly condemn the film production company for ignoring the 360,000 citizens of Wonju and pushing forward with the release."

Director Kim Seon-woong Photo by Yonhap News

The association said, "They used the nonexistent Chiaksan dismemberment murder rumor for film promotion, making 'Chiaksan rumor' and 'Chiaksan dismemberment murder' appear when searching 'Chiaksan' on portal sites."

They also claimed, "Despite statements opposing the film release issued by organizations representing Wonju citizens, no measures have been taken, and all of this is only being used as a means of promotion and profit."

Furthermore, they said, "Even though the livelihoods of Wonju citizens are at stake, the production company only issued a meaningless statement refusing to accept Wonju City's request to change the film's title and is pushing ahead with the release without any follow-up actions. This behavior is unforgivable."

The association demanded ▲ the suspension of the film's release ▲ the complete cancellation of the film's preview schedule ▲ and the removal of 'Chiaksan' from the film's title.

The movie 'Chiaksan' depicts events that occur when members of a mountain biking club visit Chiaksan. It is based on a rumor that in the 1980s, ten dismembered bodies were found in Chiaksan and a secret investigation was conducted.

At the screening that day, director Kim Seon-woong of 'Chiaksan' began by saying, "I did not expect it to turn out like this when planning the film." He explained, "The story started from fiction. It began with a story that recorded millions of views on YouTube online." He added, "I hope it is received as horror content. I am very interested in rumors."

Director Kim also said, "I hope the conflicts in other areas are resolved amicably, considering the hard work of the creators. I also hope that this process will be carried out in a way that coexists with the citizens of Wonju."

Seemingly aware of the conflict with Wonju City, Director Kim introduced Chiaksan as "a famous mountain in Korea known for its beautiful autumn foliage. Every year, 800,000 hikers visit, and the newly established trail reportedly attracts 1.22 million visitors annually. It is a famous spot in Korea." He further emphasized, "Like 'Gonjiam' and 'Gokseong,' I hope it can establish itself as another horror content while coexisting and walking the path of coexistence with the famous mountain Chiaksan."

(From left) Yoon Gyun-gang, Kim Ye-won, Yeon Je-wook, Bae Green
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Producer Oh Sung-il of 'Chiaksan' said right after the press conference, "It seems Wonju City misunderstood that we would not change the film's title. Because of that, trust seems to have been lost." He added, "I think it could have gone more smoothly, and I hope it can be resolved smoothly even now."

Regarding the title change, Producer Oh explained, "The fact is that we already sent an official letter to Wonju City stating that a change is possible." He added, "Removing or muting the line 'Chiaksan' would be difficult. Wonju City has not given any feedback yet. We did not anticipate that the title would become controversial."

He also said, "We informed Wonju City in advance about the film's intensity. After watching the film, I don't know how many people might find the intensity high or be too scared to visit Chiaksan. Therefore, we suggested holding a screening for Wonju citizens and having the actors promote the Chiaksan trail together, but it has not been accepted yet."

Lead actor Yoon Kyun-sang said, "I was surprised because it was not an expected situation when I heard about it." He added, "If you watch the film, you will understand that misunderstandings can certainly arise."

He further said, "As an actor, I hope everyone understands that this is a film that everyone can enjoy through an agreement between the production company and Wonju City."

Previously, the movie 'Chiaksan' sparked controversy over an unofficial poster. The unofficial poster shared on the personal account of director Kim Seon-woong on the 21st depicted dismembered corpses graphically, drawing reactions that it was disgusting.

Regarding this, Director Kim said, "If it caused disgust, I sincerely apologize." He added, "The post has been taken down."

He continued, "I like designing. Whenever I make independent or low-budget films, I have created posters. I made this one thinking about trying it at overseas film festivals and lightly posted it on Facebook with limited visibility. I don't know how it spread."

[Photo by Yonhap News]

Earlier, Wonju City announced on the 27th that it would take legal action, including filing for an injunction to ban the screening and a lawsuit for damages related to tangible and intangible harm. The Chiaksan Guryongsa Temple Union also declared a boycott.

Wonju City is demanding the change of the title and background of the film, which is the national park Chiaksan. They cited reasons such as damage to reputation, impact on commercial districts, and concerns about copycat crimes. They requested muting or deleting lines mentioning Chiaksan and notifying that the actual area and incidents are unrelated and that the content is fictional.

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