'Geon-guk Jeonjaeng' Surpasses 1 Million on 27th Day...Ranks 4th Among Documentary Films

Political Documentary's Unprecedented Success Leads to Sequel Plans

The documentary film "Geon-guk Jeonjaeng" covering the life and political career of former President Syngman Rhee surpassed 1 million viewers 27 days after its release.

According to the Korea Film Council's integrated box office data as of 3 PM on the 27th, "Geon-guk Jeonjaeng" exceeded a cumulative audience of 1 million.

[Photo by Yonhap News]

The film, released on the 1st of this month, gained attention around the Lunar New Year holiday earlier this month. Starting with about 160 screens, it attracted 500,000 viewers in 16 days and 1 million viewers in 27 days, achieving an unprecedented success for a documentary film.

This marks the fourth time a Korean documentary film has attracted 1 million viewers, following "My Love, Don't Cross That River" (2014, 4.8 million viewers), "Old Partner" (2009, 2.93 million viewers), and "A Man Who Was President" (2017, 1.85 million viewers).

Director Kim Deok-young, who made the film, sparked controversy on social media on the 26th by criticizing the film "Pamyoh," which surpassed 2 million viewers since its release on the 22nd. Kim claimed, "Leftists are flocking to 'Pamyoh,'" and argued that "those who feel threatened by 'Geon-guk Jeonjaeng' are taking it out on us." Additionally, the co-production company held an event refunding movie tickets to young viewers, which was criticized as "payback marketing."

Director Kim plans to produce a sequel to "Geon-guk Jeonjaeng," aiming for a release in March next year. The sequel is expected to cover personal aspects of former President Syngman Rhee. A press conference will be held on the 29th to announce detailed production plans.

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