A still image from the documentary "The Birth of Korea" shows South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee / Courtesy of Kim Deog-young

"The Birth of Korea," a documentary depicting the life of South Korea's first president, Syngman Rhee (1875-1965), has quickly become a must-see film for moviegoers across the country since its release on Feb. 1.

As of Thursday, the documentary has attracted 430,000 viewers to theaters, ranking third at the box office, following Paul King's fantasy musical film "Wonka" and Japanese animation film "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba-To he Hashira Training."

Initially, the documentary's strong sales at the box office were driven by word of mouth among moviegoers. Subsequently, its popularity was further fueled by celebrity endorsements and mentions in campaigns of high-powered conservative politicians aiming to garner support ahead of the April 10 legislative elections.

It's rare for a politically-themed, low-budget independent documentary film about a late former president, especially one who died almost six decades ago, to achieve box office success.

Kim Deog-young, also known as Young Kim, the director and screenwriter of "The Birth of Korea," suggested that the reason his film has created such a buzz could be attributed to its role in dispelling decades of disinformation about South Korea's first president. He referred to this phenomenon as "the power of fact."

"The Birth of Korea" is Kim's ode to Rhee, whom the director believes has long been unfairly accused of being a self-serving, corrupt leader who prioritized the interests of the wealthy and powerful establishments.

"I realized that he was quite a good person," he told The Korea Times. "I was emotional and wiped tears from my face several times while editing the film. I felt sorry for him because his legacy didn't get due attention for the past decades. Contrary to public perception, Rhee was a patriot and an advocate for the have-nots, the weak and women's rights."

Kim claimed Rhee's legacy has been distorted and contain a lot of misinformation spread by the North Korean regime and its supporters in the South.

"Rhee became a target of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung who tried to discredit Rhee to establish a reputation that he was the only legitimate leader on the Korean Peninsula. Here in South Korea, there were and still are North Korea sympathizers and they cooperated with Kim to paint Rhee as a pro-Japan politician," he said.

Talk of "The Birth of Korea" spread quickly online as those who watched the film shared their favorable reviews. Social media platforms have been inundated with positive reviews. Some viewers said they had complex feelings of sadness and regret because they realized their prior knowledge about the nation's first president was not based on facts.

Director Kim Deog-young / Courtesy of Kim Deog-young

The number of theaters screening the film has increased from dozens to hundreds nationwide as it created a buzz.

"I anticipated that the documentary would have a significant impact on society because it brought to light several new facts about Rhee, some of which are quite shocking," he said. "But I never imagined that people's reactions would be as profound as they have been. This is truly unbelievable."

"The Birth of Korea" is a biopic of the late president, unearthing his legacies and lesser-known stories about his life.

Based on his thorough literary research and interviews with experts both at home and abroad over the past three and a half years, Kim traced the footsteps of the former president. According to the filmmaker, Rhee was not only an educator and humanitarian worker but also a visionary leader who laid the groundwork for South Korea's meteoric rise as a prosperous, free democracy from the ashes of the Korean War.

"We owe Rhee a lot. He is the man who built the infrastructure of the freedom and democracy that we enjoy today," he said.

"I wonder how many Koreans are aware that he was a leader in women's rights. He established a school in Hawaii for the many Korean girls who were abandoned or neglected, without receiving proper care from their parents, and some who had become homeless."

They were the children of Korean sugarcane plantation workers who migrated to Hawaii in the early 1900s.

"It was Rhee who championed the enfranchisement of women, leading to Korean women being able to exercise their right to vote as early as 1948, which preceded similar rights granted in countries like Switzerland and France," he said.

"The Birth of Korea" has ignited a culture war, a struggle between right- and left-wing groups vying to impose their respective ideologies and values upon society.

The documentary has been screening concurrently with another film about another former president, titled "Kim Dae-jung on the Road," which debuted in local theaters in January. Despite its left-leaning perspective, the film has attracted only 120,000 viewers.

The release of "The Birth of Korea" followed the phenomenal success of "12.12: The Day," a movie centered around a 1979 military coup that propelled military general-turned-authoritarian leader Chun Doo-hwan to power, which garnered 13 million viewers.

The culture war in South Korea peaked during the previous Moon Jae-in administration (2017-2022). Throughout Moon's five years in office, there was a surge of films portraying pro-democracy activists in the 1980s as heroes, exemplified by movies like "1987: When the Day Comes" (2017). Additionally, films like "The Man Standing Next" (2020) addressed human rights violations under authoritarian governments.

Kim said his documentary couldn't be as successful as it is today if it had been released when Moon was president.

"It wouldn't have created a buzz," he said.

He claimed that he had a hard time selling his previous documentary, "Kim Il-sung's Children," a tale of thousands of Korean War orphans who were sent to Europe during and after the war, which was released in 2020, because of what he called various "institutional barriers."

Conservative politicians continue to endorse the documentary on social media.

Han Dong-hoon, interim leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), watched the movie on Feb. 12 in a theater near the National Assembly. Han told reporters that Rhee made several critical decisions that helped South Korea become what it is today.

"Without the Mutual Defense Treaty signed between South Korea and the United States on Oct. 1, 1953 and the land reform policies, the nation would have been very different from what it is today," he said.

South Korea's Land Reform Act, enacted in 1949, stands as a pivotal measure that facilitated the transition of tenant farmers into landowners. This shift played a significant role in propelling the nation toward double-digit economic growth while maintaining relatively low income inequality during the 1970s. On the security front, the Mutual Defense Treaty has been instrumental in safeguarding South Korea against further invasions from North Korea.

President Yoon Suk Yeol said "The Birth of Korea" provides an opportunity to learn history, according to an official from the presidential office.