[The Chosun Ilbo, August 6 2007] 'D-War' Stirs Up Sensation

With his new monster flick “D-war”, director Shim Hyung-rae has created a box-office sensation. ...

But with success has come controversy over quality and marketing strategy. Leesong Hee-il, the director of “No Regret”, has issued a challenge on his website titled “To blind fans of director Shim Hyung-rae.” His comments are cutting. “D-war is not a movie,” he writes. “It’s like a successful imitation of U.S. toasters assembled in Cheonggyecheon in the 1970s.”

He also criticized the “D-war” marketing strategy, which is heavy on appeals to viewers’ patriotism. Leesong says Shim is milking emotions for all they’re worth by putting the famous traditional Korean song “Arirang” at the end of the movie and talking about his passion and past hardships on every TV show.

The “blind” fans were quick to reply, bombarding the blog with such a stream of counterattacks, some full of verbal abuse, that it has now been closed. An article on the story on an Internet portal site had no fewer than 13,600 replies as of 4 p.m. on Sunday. Inevitably, advance ticket sales for “D-war” surged by 10 percent, online ticket agency Maxmovie said.