Lee Seungman Documentary 'Geon-guk Jeonjaeng' Surpasses 900,000 Amid Ticket Payment Marketing Controversy

Oh Se-hoon, 'Lee Seungman Memorial Hall' Discussion Begins in Earnest
"A Process of Public Debate and Consensus Building"

The documentary film 'Geon-guk Jeonjaeng' (The Founding War), which highlights the life and politics of former President Syngman Rhee, surpassed 900,000 cumulative viewers on the morning of the 24th. According to the Korea Film Council's integrated computer network, the cumulative audience of 'Geon-guk Jeonjaeng' reached 906,722 (as of 1 PM) on that day. Achieving 1 million viewers, considered the 'dream milestone' for documentary films, is now within reach.

A poster for 'Geon-guk War' is displayed at a movie theater in downtown Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

In the process, the film became embroiled in controversy over so-called 'payback marketing,' where ticket prices were refunded in cash to young audiences (ages 10 to 40). Young viewers in their teens to forties who entered their name, birth year, phone number, and other information through the 'Geon-guk Jeonjaeng Youth Viewing Support Application' on the website of the film's co-producer, Truth Forum, received a text message. By replying to the message with proof of the movie ticket and their bank account number, the ticket price was deposited into their personal account.

Regarding industry criticism that "providing cash instead of vouchers is unusual," Kim Eun-gu, CEO of Truth Forum, responded, "This started purely as a project where seniors moved by Geon-guk Jeonjaeng supported young people's movie ticket costs," adding, "It's simply a project to support youth, so it's absurd to criticize it."

Regarding the film's success, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon mentioned the Open Songhyeon Green Plaza, located in the heart of Jongno-gu downtown, as the site for the construction of the 'Syngman Rhee Memorial Hall.' At the Seoul Metropolitan Council's special session on the 23rd, Mayor Oh said, "The screening of films like Geon-guk Jeonjaeng is a kind of public discussion and consensus-building process. I believe it is now time to seriously discuss where the location should be." However, he added, "Nothing has been decided yet," and "Further discussions with the government are needed."

On the 11th, Mayor Oh posted a review of watching Geon-guk Jeonjaeng on social media, stating, "If President Syngman Rhee had not existed, or if he had not been the first president, I thought about how the fate of this country and our people would have been, and I truly felt the national destiny."

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