"Image Damage" vs "Cinematic Fiction": 'Chiaksan' Judgment One Day Before Release

Wonju City "Noise Marketing with False Information"
Film Production Company "Abstract Claims... No Infringement"
Screening Decision in Court on 12th

The conflict between Wonju City in Gangwon Province and the production company over the film 'Chiaksan' has intensified, and the decision on whether the film will be screened in theaters will be made in court on the 12th, one day before its release.

On the 8th, the Civil Division 50 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Park Beom-seok) held a hearing on the injunction request filed by Wonju City and Daehan Buddhist Jogye Order's Guryongsa Temple against the film production company Doho Entertainment to prohibit the screening.

(From left) Director Kim Seon-ung, actors Yoon Kyun-sang, Kim Ye-won, Yeon Je-wook, Bae Green
Photo by Yonhap News

The film 'Chiaksan' (director Kim Seon-ung), set to be released on the 13th, depicts events that occur when members of a mountain biking club visit Chiaksan Mountain. It is a dramatization of an urban legend about ten dismembered bodies found in 18 pieces in Chiaksan during the 1980s and a secret investigation that followed.

In response, Wonju City opposed the film, arguing that it could damage the image of Chiaksan as a tourist resource and the city itself, leading to conflict with the production company.

On this day, Wonju City's legal representative stated, "The citizens of Wonju take pride in Chiaksan to the extent that they regard it as virtually identical to the city itself," adding, "If false information about dismembered murders occurring on such a mountain is used for noise marketing, it will infringe on the citizens' personal rights and property rights."

Representatives of Guryongsa Temple, Wonju Livestock Cooperative, Wonju Horticultural Cooperative, and the agricultural corporation Geumdon also said, "There are organizations that are fighting desperately to maintain the clean image of the Chiaksan brand," expressing concerns that "the damage caused by infringement of trademark value could be significant."

Civic groups opposed the film, stating, "They are using an urban legend about dismembered murders that never actually happened as a means of promotion and profit," and added, "It is unreasonable to produce a film based on false information and internet rumors."

In response, the production company argued, "The film does not contain content that directly infringes on the honor or property of Wonju City, Guryongsa, or others," and called the claims of damage due to brand value infringement "abstract."

They further stated, "The film 'Chiaksan' was already submitted to the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival under this title, and to accommodate the creditors' demands, a subtitle stating 'fiction' was inserted at the beginning of the film. While it is common to include the 'film is fiction' subtitle in the intro, it has been inserted twice, at both the beginning and the end."

Officials from the Wonju City Social Organizations Council are holding a press conference urging the suspension of the film screening at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University Entrance Branch, where the 'Chiaksan' media preview is taking place.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The 'Chiaksan' film team stated, "In modern society, cultural awareness has developed to the extent that the use of a specific place name in a film and the formation of a negative image about that area are separate matters."

Regarding claims that the film benefited from noise marketing, the film side said, "Various preview screenings have been canceled, and the content is awaiting screening without any promotion," appealing for "a swift decision."

The court announced that if no agreement is reached between the parties, it will make a decision on the injunction request on the 12th, one day before the film's release.

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