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| Hwang Jung-min, left, and Jung Woo-sung in a scene from "Asura: The City of Madness" / Courtesy of CJ ENM |
'Asura' gains belated attention after corruption allegation
By Kang Aa-young
A 2016 movie has drawn belated public attention after an investigative TV program raised suspicions about Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung's alleged connections with organized crime.
The plot of the award-winning film "Asura" ― dealing with a corruption ring involving the mayor of the fictional city Annam, his colluder, a homicide detective, and a local gang ― parallels what allegedly happened with Governor Lee when he served as mayor of Seongnam.
Asura is a Buddhist term referring to a demigod having three heads and three faces.
The ending credits of the film also stirred speculation that director Kim Sung-soo might have been aware of the governor's alleged organized crime ties well before it was reported.
A message at the end of the film reads: "All things depicted in the film, including characters, names of places and companies and events are works of fiction. So please note that where the story is similar to what happened in the real world is a coincidence."
The similarities between the film and the allegations against Governor Lee as well as the mysterious ending message have caused the once-forgotten movie, which was seen by 2.5 million viewers, to gain excessive public attention.
On July 21, SBS' investigative TV program "Unanswered Question" raised questions about political ties between the city government of Seongnam and a local gang called International Mafia, while Lee was its mayor.
Komatrade, a company operated by a former gangster, paid 8 million won ($7,115) to sponsor an event organized by Seongnam FC, the city's football club, in May 2016, the program reported.
"Asura: The City of Madness," which was released in September 2016, also depicts similar politically suspicious relations between the government and organized crime.
It portrays an orgy of gruesome violence, as hinted by the film's name "Asura," which refers to people caught between the animal world and the human world in Buddhism.
Starring Jung Woo-sung, the film follows corrupt police officer Han Do-gyeong, who is in desperate need of money to pay his ill wife's hospital bills. He has been secretly doing dirty work for the corrupt Mayor Park Sung-bae, played by actor Hwang Jung-min.
"Asura" is based on the imaginary city of Annam, dominated by drug lords. The most evil man in "Asura" is its own mayor, who is depicted more as a gangster than a mayor.
As Mayor Park tries to profit through a redevelopment project, he silences people who oppose his plan.
Everything he does includes acts of violence and manipulation of publicity.
He even engages in large-scale drug trafficking, in addition to quietly ordering acts of violence.
The prosecutor Kim Cha-in, played by Kwak Do-won, wants to bring Park to justice. But he is no different from Park.
Identical stories
Kim speaks of justice in the film, but the way he achieves his goals is rather extreme, including violence; he threatens, blackmails and even assaults suspects.
Throughout the runtime of the film, Jung's face is marred in various ways, with his eyes glaring as if he has gone mad. Most scenes include adult-rated action with lots of cursing.
None of the men portrayed in the film are honorable. There are only villains and bigger villains. No law, no sense of honor or ethics can be found in the film. The concept of good and bad seems to not appear in the film at all. The characters in the film are like animals fighting every day to survive.
Director Kim once said in an interview with the media, "I didn't want to tell a story about good and evil or to have justice prevail as in ordinary action films. I wanted to create an ecosystem of villains consisting only of the food chain of violence."
In October 2016, Komatrade's president was recognized by the Seongnam city government as the CEO of a notable small and medium-sized enterprise, giving the company advantages such as exemptions from local tax audit.
In 2007, Lee served as defense lawyer for two people involved in a case involving the International Mafia.
"If prosecutors decide to investigate, I will submit to them and if any fault is found on my part, I will take responsibility," Lee said in a statement Wednesday.
SANAI Pictures, the film's production company, declined to comment on any similarities between the film and the political scandal. Director Kim was unavailable for comment.
