"Defamation of the Deceased" Late Kim Ki-young's Family Files Lawsuit to Ban Screening of 'Spiderweb'

Lawsuit for Injunction to Ban Screening by Late Director Kim Ki-young's Family
Production Company: "No Motive, Fictional Characters"

The family of the late director Kim Ki-young has filed a provisional injunction lawsuit to ban the screening of the film Geomi-jip (Spider's Web). They claim that director Kim Ji-woon, who directed the film, negatively portrayed the late director, who was the inspiration for the main character 'Director Kim,' thereby infringing on his personality rights and portrait rights. The production company countered that the character is a fictional one reflecting the general image of a creator.

According to the legal community, on the 13th, the Civil Division 60 of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Im Hae-ji) held the first hearing for the provisional injunction lawsuit filed by Kim Dong-yang, the second son of the late Kim Ki-young, and two others against the production company of Geomi-jip and three others.

Movie 'Spiderweb' stills
[Photo by Barunson E&A]

On that day, the bereaved family pointed out the character 'Director Kim' played by actor Song Kang-ho. The family stated, "Director Kim Ji-woon said in a past interview that he was inspired by director Kim Ki-young, and when the film was invited to the non-competitive section of the 76th Cannes Film Festival in May, the character's name was Kim Gi-yeol, not Director Kim."

The production company rebutted, saying, "Director Kim was not inspired by director Kim Ki-young." Regarding claims that the character's horn-rimmed glasses and pipe smoking evoke director Kim Ki-young, they argued, "These are general depictions of film directors in the 1970s." They also stated, "Before the screening of Geomi-jip, a subtitle clarifying that the film has no relation to any specific individual will be displayed."

The court scheduled a mediation session to be held on the 18th at 10 a.m.

On the 14th, Anthology Studio, the production company of Geomi-jip, said, "As filmmakers who hold deep respect for director Kim Ki-young, we sincerely apologize for causing concern to the bereaved family."

They added, "However, the protagonist depicted in Geomi-jip is a fictional character reflecting traits that any director or creator might have, regardless of the era."

Song Kang-ho (left) and Director Kim Ji-woon
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The production company also emphasized, "We have stated in interviews that the character is not inspired by director Kim Ki-young and have never used this in promotions."

They continued, "We will focus on communicating with the bereaved family first and will do our best to prevent any misunderstandings during the upcoming promotional marketing process."

Geomi-jip held a press screening on the 14th at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where the film was unveiled. At the event, director Kim Ji-woon explained, "After the pandemic, the film industry stopped and Korean cinema shrank, leading to a crisis. The film contains reflections and meanings about how to find a breakthrough for Korean cinema."

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