Film censorship in South Korea

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At various points in South Korea's history, the social influence of film prompted the government to place strict regulations setting out guidelines that films must follow in order to be viewed by the public. There are two major periods where film censorship strongly impacted the growth of the film industry in South Korea: the period of colonial Korea under Japanese rule (Japanese occupation) and the period of military dictatorship in the mid-twentieth century, [1] when the film industry was placed under heavy surveillance. [2] During these two periods, filmmakers were barred from freely expressing their creativity, thoughts, and ideas, some believe these restrictions led to the decline of the film industry in South Korea.

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Film censorship in Colonial Korea under Japanese rule

Film was introduced to Korea during the Chosun dynasty (1897–1910), and it quickly became a predominant form of media. The beginning of the Japanese occupation in 1910 saw the commencement of censorship laws categorically meant to protect the image of the Japanese empire. Also, films that dissuaded war-related objectives or praised America were forbidden. Laws introduced in this period included the Motion Picture Censorship Regulation and the Chosun Motion Picture Law.

The Motion Picture Censorship Regulation includes:

  1. All foreign and domestic films need consent before being televised
  2. Japanese police must be present for screenings

The Chosun Motion Picture Law includes:

  1. Precondition to obtain license in the film industry
  2. Preliminary restraint of films
  3. Punishment for non-observance of the law

The major impetus for establishing such laws was to strengthen control of the public since such media were excellent vehicles to influence its viewers. They required filmmakers not to tarnish the image of the Japanese Empire nor praise their enemy, in order to prevent any form of doubt on the Japanese paramountcy. They closed down several Korean film production companies and banned some films that were unfavorable to the Japanese Empire.

Major films influenced by censorship:

Film censorship under the new military regime

Film censorship had a severe impact on the South Korean film industry during the depression period between 1973 and 1992. During this period, film censorship was strongly enforced under the military regime by Park Chung Hee and Chun Doo Hwan. Prior to 1987, the government enacted the First Motion Picture Law to take control of the film industry. This law did not allow the industry to freely produce a movie if the contents did not meet their criteria. President Park Chung Hee established the Motion Picture Promotion Corporation (MPPC) to support the film industry. However, Park's main purpose was to prevent any antigovernmental sentiment from being featured in movies.

Elements of MPPC:

  1. License system
  2. Import quotas to set a limitation on the number of films to be produced
  3. Strong censorship

The filmmakers could only depict the positive side of Korean society. Thus, the resulting films were not always able to be genuine expressions of the filmmakers' true visions, which precipitated a quality decline. The filmmakers continuously pushed the government to amend their censorship laws in order to promote freedom of expression, but the attempts were futile due to unyielding political influence. This is considered the main contributor to the decline of South Korea's film industry. [4]

Past

Government censorship has a history with Korean cinema. In 1907, the inspector general created the security law, which stated that anything that is performed in public can be regulated and controlled by the government. When Korea was under Japanese rule, censorship was more strongly regulated. The Governor-General of Korea made an activity regulation committee in 1920 and performance regulation rules in 1922. Many movies were censored during this period of time. Across the Tumen River was allowed to be released after the deletion of some scenes and changing the movie's name to To Find Love. Ben-Hur had been issued because the silent-firm narrator encouraged national consciousness.

In 1960, after the April Revolution, the national movie ethic committee was founded. It was the very first public organization that evaluated movies without government watch. As a result, Aimless Bullet and A Coachman, two films about national consciousness, could be played in the theater. After the 5.16 military takeover, a military government emerged and amended the constitution. The amendment stated that for public morals and social ethics, the government can censor movies or entertainment. After the amendment, Aimless Bullet was pulled from theaters because the state interpreted one line in the movie, "Let's go," to mean "Let's go to the north." During that period, the anti-communism law allowed for the Central Intelligence Agency to arrest people, which was cited in the arrest of Man-hee Lee, the director of Seven Women Prisoners. They stated that he described the North Korean Army as good and cool. They released him under the condition that he make a film that exposed anti-communist ideals, which is why he made Soldier Without Service Number. They arrested him again because he cast an attractive man to be in the North Korean army. During this period of time, all the movies that were made had to pass two different government censorship checks, one before and one after filming. More than 80% of movies had to be revised prior to filming. For example, in Fool’s March, many parts of the script had to be deleted before the film was even made, resulting in the deletion of half an hour of the film.

After South Korea opened the Olympics in 1988, it became viable to import the movies about communism and the censorship policies for eroticism were reduced, but not many things did not change. In September 1996, 10 minutes of the movie Crash directed by David Cronenberg were deleted, which led to great shame at the Busan International Film Festival. One month later, The Constitutional Court ruled that the censorship was unconstitutional. Following that rule, the movie laws had to be changed, and the Korea Media Rating Board was founded. They also made an additional rating level over R rating reserved for movies that cannot be shown in regular movie theaters and can only be shown in designated unrated theaters, which do not exist in Korea. This means that filmmakers have to delete certain scenes in order for their films to receive an R rating. Even though the Korea Movie Rating Board does not have the power to regulate the scenes in the movies, they can imply that the moviemakers need to censor the movies in order for the film to be shown.

Present

In recent years, sexual scenes have been a major issue that sets filmmakers against the Media Rating Board. Pubic hair and male or female genitalia are prohibited on the screen, unless they are digitally blurred. In rare cases, extreme violence, obscene language, or certain portrayals of drug use may become an issue. South Korea has 5 different levels of rating systems: G, PG-12, PG-15, R-18 and Restricted Rate. These are ruled by the Presidential Decree. The first movie that was rated reservation rate was Yellow Hair . The fact that it received the restricted rate made people watch this movie more than usual. It was rejected in early 1999 before being rated an 18+ rate on its second application, after a sex scene between two women and one man was partially cut and digitally altered. The movie Lies sued the Movie Rating Board for a restricted rating to the Constitutional Court, and it ruled that the reservation rate was unconstitutional. They changed from the reservation rate to Restricted Rate. It was not different from the reservation rate, because the Board made restricted rate movie theaters afterwards; they all went bankrupt or shut down. The movies that received an R-rating lost their place to be shown. The movie “I Saw the Devil (2010)” could be shown at the theater only after the deletion of one and half minutes.

The 2014 film, The Interview was banned in South Korea because it depicts of criticizing and killing of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Although it was available in black markets, in 2015, a North Korean defector sent unlicensed copies of the film via a helium balloon into the DMZ. [5]

Lee Jang-ho stated that most of his films had been exhibited following rounds of blue pencil censoring, although he attempted not to be aware of censorship even before and throughout filming. [6]

Related Research Articles

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The Motion Picture Associationfilm rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures are the responsibility of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), previously known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 to 2019. The MPA rating system is a voluntary scheme that is not enforced by law; films can be exhibited without a rating, although most theaters refuse to exhibit non-rated or NC-17 rated films. Non-members of the MPA may also submit films for rating. Other media, such as television programs, music and video games, are rated by other entities such as the TV Parental Guidelines, the RIAA and the ESRB, respectively.

A motion picture content rating system classifies films based on their suitability for audiences due to their treatment of issues such as sex, violence, or substance abuse, their use of profanity, or other matters typically deemed unsuitable for children or adolescents. Most countries have some form of rating system that issues determinations variously known as certifications, classifications, certificates, or ratings. Age recommendations, of either an advisory or restrictive capacity, are often applied in lieu of censorship; in some jurisdictions movie theaters may have a legal obligation to enforce restrictive ratings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hays Code</span> U.S. film studio self-censorship rules (1930–1967)

The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Will H. Hays, president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) from 1922 to 1945. Under Hays's leadership, the MPPDA, later the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Motion Picture Association (MPA), adopted the Production Code in 1930 and began rigidly enforcing it in 1934. The Production Code spelled out acceptable and unacceptable content for motion pictures produced for a public audience in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eirin</span> Movie regulating organization in Japan

The Film Classification and Rating Organization, also known as Eirin (映倫), is Japan's self-regulatory film regulator. Eirin was established on the model of the now-defunct American Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association's Production Code Administration in June 1949, succeeding the US-led occupation authorities' role of film censorship during the Occupation of Japan. It classifies films into one of four categories depending on their suitability for viewing by minors of different ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Taiwan</span> Film industry of Taiwan

The cinema of Taiwan or Taiwan cinema is deeply rooted in the island's unique history. Since its introduction to Taiwan in 1901 under Japanese rule, cinema has developed in Taiwan under ROC rule through several distinct stages, including taiyu pian of the 1950s and 1960s, genre films of the 1960s and 1970s, including jiankang xieshi pian, wuxia pian, aiqing wenyi pian, zhengxuan pian, and shehui xieshi pian, Taiwan New Cinema of the 1980s, and the new wave of the 1990s and afterwards. Starting in the second decade of the new millennium, documentary films also became a representative part of Taiwan cinema.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Korea</span>

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The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was a Catholic group founded in 1934 by Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in motion pictures on behalf of Catholic audiences. Members were asked to pledge to patronize only those motion pictures which did not "offend decency and Christian morality". The concept soon gained support from other churches.

The Ontario Film Review Board is an inactive agency of the government of the Canadian province of Ontario that was formerly responsible for that province's motion picture rating system. Until 2015, the board reported to the Minister of Consumer Services but as of 1 October 2015, the board was overseen by the Ontario Film Authority. The board's activities were based on the Film Classification Act, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft</span> German organization

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Censorship in South Korea is implemented by various laws that were included in the constitution as well as acts passed by the National Assembly over the decades since 1948. These include the National Security Act, whereby the government may limit the expression of ideas that it perceives "praise or incite the activities of anti-state individuals or groups". Censorship was particularly severe during the country's authoritarian era, with freedom of expression being non-existent, which lasted from 1948 to 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film censorship</span> Films that are banned in a particular country

Film censorship is the censorship of motion pictures, either through the excising of certain frames or scenes, or outright banning of films in their entirety. Film censorship typically occurs as a result of political or moral objections to a film's content; controversial content subject to censorship include the depiction of graphic violence, sexual situations, or racial themes. Censorship standards vary widely by country, and can vary within an individual country over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of South Korea</span> Filmmaking industry in South Korea

South Korean films have been heavily influenced by such events and forces as the Korea under Japanese rule, the Korean War, government censorship, the business sector, globalization, and the democratization of South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie and Television Review and Classification Board</span> Philippine government agency for classification of programs and movies

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Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, 236 U.S. 230 (1915), was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court ruling by a 9–0 vote that the free speech protection of the Ohio Constitution, which was substantially similar to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, did not extend to motion pictures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong motion picture rating system</span>

The Hong Kong motion picture rating system is a legal system of movie screening and rating. An official government agency issues ratings for any movie that will be shown in Hong Kong cinemas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion Picture Association</span> Trade organization representing major American film studios

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) and known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1945 until September 2019, its original goal was to ensure the viability of the American film industry. In addition, the MPA established guidelines for film content which resulted in the creation of the Motion Picture Production Code in 1930. This code, also known as the Hays Code, was replaced by a voluntary film rating system in 1968, which is managed by the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA).

The Film Classification Act, 2005 is a statute which governs motion picture and computer game ratings in the province of Ontario, Canada. The law also provides the legal basis for the activities of the Ontario Film Review Board. Prior to this, film censorship and classification in Ontario was mandated first by the Theatres and Cinematographs Act, 1911 then the Theatres Act, 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film censorship in the United States</span>

Film censorship in the United States was a frequent feature of the industry almost from the beginning of the U.S. motion picture industry until the end of strong self-regulation in 1966. Court rulings in the 1950s and 1960s severely constrained government censorship, though statewide regulation lasted until at least the 1980s.

In the Philippines, censorship involves the control of certain information.

References

  1. ↑ "South Korea - History | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  2. ↑ "Introduction". Korean Film Council, 2006. Retrieved 2010-11-30.
  3. ↑ "Film censorship under Japanese rule". Korean Film, march 1 2007. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
  4. ↑ "Elements of MPPC". Cinema Journal, 2002. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  5. ↑ Hancocks, Paula (2015-04-07). "Defector sends thousands of 'The Interview' DVDs to North Korea". CNN. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  6. ↑ Boram, Kim (2019-10-29). "Director says film censorship delayed development of Korean cinema for decades". Yonhap News Agency . Retrieved 2023-09-06.
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