The South Korean government’s movie rating regulator reaffirmed that it found no issue with allowing a controversial Chinese propaganda movie celebrating Communist victories in the Korean War to be aired.
The Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) approved a Chinese movie titled “Sacrifice,” or “Jin Gang Chuan” in Chinese, to be distributed in South Korea. It rated the movie as a film intended for audiences ages 15 and over on August 30. The Chinese word “Jin Gang Chuan” refers to the Kumgang River, located on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.
This movie was first introduced in China in October last year. At that time, the Chinese state-run paper Global Times reported that “Sacrifice has become one of the most highly anticipated movies as the entire nation commemorates the 70th anniversary of China’s entry into the war to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea and remembers the Chinese People’s Volunteers [CPV], who sacrificed everything to aid the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea [DPRK].” The Chinese Communist Army claimed during the Korean War that they “slaughtered 50,000 South Korean soldiers” during the battle.
The Chosun Ilbo newspaper asked the KMRB for a comment on September 7 on why they decided to allow the distribution of the movie in South Korea. The board said, “We are not in a position to approve or disapprove but to categorize ratings, and we processed it by following the related protocols.”
The newspaper then asked whether “a movie that glamorizes the comfort women stations operated under Japanese imperialism can be distributed in South Korea.” The board answered, “That case might be different, and I think we can give them a rating as restricted.” The board implicitly acknowledged that they were able to restrict the distribution of this example of Chinese propaganda but did not do so. Once a film is rated as restricted by the board, the movie can only be played at a very limited number of small-sized theaters that are allowed to play certain types of movies. In that case, other sales and distribution is strictly banned.
According to the KMRB’s English website, the restricted category refers to a “film that needs a certain restriction in screening or advertisement as it is considered a highly bad influence to universal human dignity, social value, good customs or national emotion due to excessive expression of nudity, violence, social behavior, etc.” The Korean website goes into more specific detail. It says that the restricted category “means that it denies the basic democratic order, significantly damages national identity, or glorifies and promotes anti-human and anti-social activities such as crime.”
The Chosun Ilbo asked the board whether they believe the movie does not deny the basic democratic order. The board answered, “It appears that the board members made the decision as they did not see certain scenes in the movie and rated it aged 15 and over after considering factors such as violence.” The newspaper then asked, “Are you saying that they considered various factors including killing South Korean soldiers,” and the board answered, “Yes.”
The Battle of Kumsong, also known as the Jincheng Campaign in Chinese, was one of the last battles of the Korean War. It occurred in July of 1953 when the armistice agreement was being finalized. At that time, the Chinese soldiers launched an offensive aimed at the Gangwon region on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean Army retreated about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) due to the attack and lost 193 square kilometers (47,690 acres) of territory. According to the South Korean government, 1,701 South Korean soldiers were killed in action and another 7,548 soldiers were injured. Another 4,136 soldiers were either missing or taken as prisoners of war.
The Chinese media has introduced the movie and the battle completely different from South Korea in starkly violent and anti-South Korean terms. According to Baidu’s movie information section, “It begins with the ambitious South Korean Army aiming to move to the North along with the U.S. Army’s inhumane airstrikes.” It continues, “This was the People’s Army’s last battle that filled the Kumgang River with the blood of the South Korean Army.”
“Sacrifice” will be available online and on TV starting September 16. The local distributor of the movie is Wisdom Film, which was established last year. The company told the media that it does not aim for theatrical release and that it was imported for home streaming.
South Korean conservative politicians reacted angrily to the government’s decision to allow the movie to be distributed.
Former head of the Board of Audit and Inspection Choe Jae-hyeong, who is a presidential candidate from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), asked on his Facebook page on September 7, “Who was the one who really provoked the war?” He added that this movie was produced solely based on the Chinese and North Korean views and that everyone would be able to watch this movie at home. “It is the role of audiences to make a conclusion or criticize the film, but what is the intention of showing a movie that portrays the Chinese People’s Army that intervened in the war of aggression as heroes?”
Yoo Seong-min, another presidential candidate from the PPP, also said, “Are they saying that we have to watch a movie that glamorizes the Chinese Communist Party, which invaded the Republic of Korea, in our living rooms? This is just so shocking.”
Cho Hae-jin, a lawmaker from the PPP, held a one-man protest in front of the Seoul National Cemetery on September 7 with a sign reading, “Withdraw the Chinese Communist Party’s movie that humiliates the young men who defended our country.”
“This is a movie that glamorizes the Chinese Communist Army that tried to destroy the free Republic of Korea and establish a communist country,” Cho said. “Allowing this movie to be played in this country is certainly crossing the line of freedom of speech.” He added that it is “an anti-national activity that shakes the fundamentals of a free democratic system and humiliates fallen soldiers who died after defending our country.”
“The government should apologize in front of the people and cancel its decision to approve the distribution of this movie that glamorizes the idea of unifying [the peninsula] under communism,” Cho said.
