'Seoul Spring' Interview with Kim Eui-seong as Minister of National Defense Oh Kuk-sang

Celebration of ‘Spring in Seoul’ reaching 10 million mark
Kim Eui-seong "Jung Woo-sung, who never had a ticket of 10 million, is happy and congratulates him on his achievement in numbers."
Actor Kim Eui-seong (58) could not hide his excitement over the success of the movie ‘12.12: THE DAY’.

On the 21st, Kim Eui-seong met with Ten Asia at Megabox in Seongsu-dong, Seoul and told various stories of his life, including the movie '12.12: THE DAY' (directed by Kim Seong-su).

On this day, Kim Eui-seong said about '12.12: THE DAY', "It is a movie that only has the conditions to not be a box office success," and "It only features men in their 40s and 50s, and it is an old story. Historically, it is a story about good people losing to bad people, and the men are in their 40s and 50s." “Isn’t it the kind of movie where you wear military uniforms, scream, and make phone calls?” he said.

He added, "Besides, it's being released in November. I'm really touched that people like this movie even though it was released in the off-season. I can't express it in words." He added, "Currently, the '12.12: THE DAY' team is all on the same team and different teams. “I’m enjoying the good times,” he said, laughing.

Director Kim Seong-soo was cited as the reason behind the success of ‘12.12: THE DAY’. He said, “I think the most effective thing was that director Kim Seong-soo created a powerful and powerful film. In fact, I think he is a director who is becoming an old director, and I am very happy that such a person has created such a wonderful work.”

Kim Eui-seong "Jung Woo-sung, who never had a ticket of 10 million, is happy and congratulates him on his achievement in numbers."
Kim Eui-seong "Jung Woo-sung, who never had a ticket of 10 million, is happy and congratulates him on his achievement in numbers."
"There is a saying that 'Kim Seong-su is the god of movies,' but as someone who participated in director Kim's field, I have no negative feelings at all. I think he is a touching human being. I have known the director for over 30 years, and he still addresses me with respect, calling me 'Mr. Uiseong.' Write it down. You treat even the youngest staff members with respect on set. You really treat everyone as a person. From small roles to lead actors, it was surprising to see them directly directing and discussing things personally. The movie did well, but the atmosphere on set was “It was a truly rare task from a directing standpoint.”

Kim Eui-seong, who owns 10 million works including ‘Assassination’ (2015), ‘Extreme Job’ (2018), ‘Train to Busan’ (2016), and ‘12.12: THE DAY’ (2022), responded to the comment, ‘Isn’t it 10 million if you just pass by?’ by saying, “It’s a bit more important.” “I want to do my best with this role,” he said with a laugh. At the same time, he did not spare a message of congratulations to his colleague Jung Woo-sung, who had not received 10 million tickets so far.

“There was something like a ticket if there were 10 million movies on a portal site. But actor Jung Woo-sung didn’t have that, so this was the first time he put it on. I think the journey of 10 million movies is too much of a story for actor Jung Woo-sung. Even now, actor Jung Woo-sung never misses a stage greeting and greets the audience. "They're standing next to each other and saying hello. The support is huge and I'm so happy that they're doing well. It's great that they've achieved numerical success through their own movie. I really want to take this opportunity to say congratulations."

Kim Eui-seong "Jung Woo-sung, who never had a ticket of 10 million, is happy and congratulates him on his achievement in numbers."
Meanwhile, 'Spring in Seoul' depicts the Seoul military revolt on December 12, 1979, which changed the fate of the Republic of Korea. It contains 9 hours of tense action between Chun Doo-gwang (Hwang Jung-min)'s rebel army and Lee Tae-shin's (Jung Woo-sung) suppression army. Kim Eui-seong plays the role of Oh Guk-sang, the Minister of National Defense who is only concerned about his own safety when the coup breaks out, drawing the ire of the audience.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr
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