Yesterday, the death of director Kim Ki Duk struck Korea. However, some started to raise their voice against honoring his death. Their opinion is that though he may have left significant footmarks in Korean cinema, he is still a monster who committed terrible crimes.
Darcy Paquet, best known as a translator for the film Parasite, expressed his opinion on his Twitter: “I stopped teaching Kim Ki-duk‘s films in my classes in 2018 when the program about his sexual assaults screened on Korean TV. If someone does such awful violence to people in real life, it’s just wrong to celebrate him. I don’t care if he’s a genius (and I don’t think he was).”
I stopped teaching Kim Ki-duk's films in my classes in 2018 when the program about his sexual assaults screened on Korean TV. If someone does such awful violence to people in real life, it's just wrong to celebrate him. I don't care if he's a genius (and I don't think he was).
— Darcy Paquet (@darcypaquet) December 11, 2020
Pierce Conran, Crush And Blush director Lee Kyung Mi’s husband and a film critic, also write some strong words on his Facebook: “When the sudden news of Kim Ki-duk’s death hit the wire today, I initially resisted the urge to speak ill of the dead, but I’m saddened to see so many gushing laments (largely from the west) about the passing of a great artist with little to no mention of his horrific behaviour on set. His contribution to cinema should never be forgotten, but nor should the victims of his monstrous sexual abuse.”
https://www.facebook.com/pierce.conran/posts/10100343421901924
While the Korean film industry has not officially paid tribute at the group level, only some filmmakers are leaving messages of condolence in their social media accounts.
Director Kim Ki Duk debuted in 1996 with the film Crocodile and became the only South Korean director to win awards at the world’s top three film festivals, Cannes, Venice and Berlin �” Berlin’s Silver Bear with Samaria; Cannes’ Prix un certain regard with Arirang; Venice’s Silver Lion with 3-Iron and Golden Lion with Pietà. However, his shining achievements were disgraced when he got involved in the #MeToo movement back in 2017.
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