'The Pact' taps former first lady's controversies for box office surprise
On the eve of South Korea's presidential election, an unlikely contender has made waves at the box office. "The Pact" — a darkly provocative occult thriller — claimed second place in nationwide ticket sales Monday, an unexpected showing for a low-budget production with a partisan political agenda.
According to the Korean Film Council's latest box office data, "The Pact" drew 60,140 viewers on its opening day Monday, narrowly edging out $400 million Hollywood juggernaut "Mission: Impossible — Final Reckoning" (59,953 admissions) and trailing only the homegrown comedy "Hi-Five" (75,614 admissions). These numbers were despite the film's relatively limited theatrical release: Just 1,296 screenings on 536 screens nationwide, roughly a third of its competitors.
"The Pact" follows an ambitious woman named Ji-hee (Kim Gyu-ri) who climbs the social ladder through plastic surgery, identity fraud and dark rituals to eventually set her sights on controlling the entire country.
Whether directly stated or not, audiences swiftly made the connection to Kim Keon Hee, the wife of ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose impeachment following his shock Dec. 3 martial law declaration led to Tuesday's snap presidential election.
Allegations of the couple's involvement with shamanistic practices have dogged them since the earliest days of Yoon's political ascent — from the Chinese character for "king" mysteriously appearing on Yoon's palm during televised debates to their controversial decision to abandon the Blue House in Seoul for a new presidential office about 6 kilometers south. Suspicions swriled throughout Yoon's tenure that spiritual advisers introduced by the first lady were pulling strings behind the scenes in major policy decisions.
The film's Korean title, "Shinmyung," is the most glaring reference: It's Kim's given birth name (Myung-shin) backwards. The former first lady legally changed her name to Keon Hee in 2008.
The nature of the production also points to the work's political intent.
The film was bankrolled by progressive YouTube channel Openmind TV, which has faced multiple defamation lawsuits from public figures, and lost on one occasion. While producers claim their story draws from verified investigative reporting, the clearly fictionalized story frequently veers into unsubstantiated territory, depicting graphic shamanistic rituals taking place in the presidential office — scenarios for which no concrete evidence exists.
"The Pact" is not the first purported expose on the former first lady to hit theaters. In December last year, documentary "The First Lady," exploring corruption allegations surrounding Kim, sold 84,888 tickets in its theatrical run — an impressive figure for low-budget independent cinema.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
![[Wang Son-taek] Lessons from Kim Dae-jung's diplomacy](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F08%2F20%2Fnews-p.v1.20250820.80772b0d38a4490b8a1a127155a6a186_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Wang Son-taek] Lessons from Kim Dae-jung's diplomacy](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
[Wang Son-taek] Lessons from Kim Dae-jung's diplomacy
This week marks the 16th anniversary of the passing of Kim Dae-jung, former president of the Republic of Korea. Few leaders in modern Korean history left as deep and lasting an imprint on the nation's development as he did. Kim was a champion of democracy, a reformer who guided Korea through economic peril, and a statesman who dared to extend a hand of peace to the North. His life was one of survival and resilience — he overcame five near-death experiences — and those experiences shaped the philosophy and strategy that defined his diplomacy. Kim Dae-jung's diplomacy grew out of his commitment to democracy and human rights, but it was never naive. He believed in values and principles, but he also believed they should never come at the expense of the nation's core interests. What he practiced was not abstract 'values diplomacy,' but a pragmatic diplomacy built on values. This balance allowed Korea to gain moral legitimacy without sacrificing its real national interest. He did not just insist on our position while conducting diplomacy with other countries. Instead, he preferred a way in which the other side naturally supported our proposal by preparing a mutually beneficial plan. Thus, he could deal with the United States, Japan and China with confidence and dignity while not compromising our core interests. He did his best to win the support of domestic public opinion before negotiating with foreign countries in earnest. This way, he was able to be flexible in diplomatic negotiations. The highlight of his diplomacy came with the June 2000 summit in Pyongyang, the first ever meeting between the leaders of South and North Korea. His policy on North Korea was a carefully crafted strategy to reduce confrontation and open channels of dialogue and exchange. The summit was not a sudden breakthrough, but the result of deliberate and systematic preparation. Kim understood that the Korean question was not just a domestic matter but an international one. He therefore worked first to stabilize Korea's external environment. He pursued normalization with Japan, improved ties with China, strengthened policy coordination with Washington, and sought to defuse potential points of friction between Pyongyang and Washington. Only after these foundations were laid did he move forward with the inter-Korean summit. This was a display of sophisticated and calculated diplomacy, a demonstration that peace initiatives must be embedded in a wider international framework to succeed. Kim did not see North Korea merely as an enemy to be contained, but also as a partner with whom reconciliation and reunification were both possible and necessary. This perspective was not sentimental but strategic. It aimed to ease tension on the peninsula, stabilize the regional security environment, and ultimately integrate the Korean question into a broader peace order in Northeast Asia. For these efforts, he won the Nobel Peace Prize, the first Korean leader to receive the honor, and in doing so elevated Korea's international standing. Kim's diplomacy was never divorced from economic statecraft. He took office at the height of the Asian financial crisis, when Korea faced its gravest economic collapse since the Korean War. With steely resolve, he negotiated with the International Monetary Fund and major powers, restoring international confidence in Korea. At home, he pushed painful reforms, demanding sacrifices but also laying the foundation for recovery. At the same time, he looked ahead and planted the seeds of the digital economy. His promotion of broadband infrastructure, IT development and human capital training transformed Korea into a leader of the information age. He also foresaw the power of culture as a diplomatic tool. By promoting the cultural industries as strategic assets, supporting content exports, easing the "screen quota" system that had restricted American movies in Korea, and even opening to Japanese popular culture, Kim created the conditions for what later became the Korean Wave. Cultural diplomacy, he understood, builds soft power, enhances national image and strengthens ties between peoples. Today's Hallyu owes much to the vision of Kim Dae-jung, who saw culture not only as entertainment but as diplomacy. His approach anticipated the way nations today use culture, technology and communication to project influence in a globalized world. These legacies speak loudly to our own turbulent moment. The world is again in flux. The return of President Donald Trump to the White House has shaken the international order. His tariff policies have imposed enormous stress on Korea, too, forcing Korean businesses to endure unfavorable conditions in the US market and putting the government under new economic and diplomatic pressure. At the same time, some in the Trump administration are promoting policies under the banner of 'alliance modernization,' but they distort and weaken the US-Korea alliance, creating unnecessary losses for both countries. Though the current challenges we are facing are quite difficult, we can manage the alliance with the US if we do not forget the basic elements of sophisticated diplomacy that Kim Dae-jung showed a couple of decades ago. Kim Dae-jung's diplomacy demonstrated that confrontation is not the only path, that dialogue and trust can serve national interest more effectively than hostility. He showed that diplomacy requires patience, preparation and the ability to connect domestic needs with international realities. He also showed the courage to take political risks for peace, understanding that leadership sometimes means moving ahead of public opinion to open new horizons. And above all, he proved that values and pragmatism are not mutually exclusive but can reinforce each other when guided by principle and anchored in the national interest. On this anniversary of his passing, we should not only honor Kim Dae-jung's achievements but also recall the wisdom of his diplomacy. His legacy is not a matter of nostalgia but a living guide for today's challenges. When diplomacy seems blocked and the world uncertain, his vision and determination remind us that breakthroughs come not from force or bravado, but from mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence. That is the enduring lesson of DJ diplomacy. Wang Son-taek is an adjunct professor at Sogang University. He is a former diplomatic correspondent at YTN and a former research associate at Yeosijae. The views expressed here are the writer's own. — Ed.
Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Lee meets creators of 'KPop Demon Hunters,' pledges to promote culture as Korea's next growth engine
President Lee Jae Myung has met with a group of creatives behind the smash-hit Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" and pledged to cultivate South Korea's cultural sector into one of the country's core industries. Appearing on Arirang TV's prerecorded program "K-Pop: The Next Chapter" aired Wednesday, Lee sat down with Maggie Kang, Korean-Canadian co-creator of the global animation phenomenon, alongside a panel of creatives, including TWICE members Jihyo and Jeongyeon, and DJ and music producer who were involved in the project, as well as music critic Kim Young-dae. "The opportunity to show the power of Korean culture is beginning in a full-fledged manner," Lee said. "By building solid foundations, we will make (the cultural sector) a key industry." "I agree with concerns that South Korea's cultural industry may appear glamorous on the surface but is void inside with its roots decaying," he said. "The government will build strong foundations, starting now." The president also noted that the political circle should not attempt to take control of the cultural sector, apparently referring to the creation of blacklists of cultural organizations or artists critical of the government in the past to exclude them from support. "It is the government's duty to create a free environment," Lee added, noting that surveillance and regulation can hurt the cultural sector. The global success of "KPop Demon Hunters," produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Netflix, has raised calls for broader support for Korean companies in developing original content and intellectual property rights in the cultural sector. Lee added that one of the most impressive characters in the film was Derpy the tiger. "(The film) has transformed the tiger, one of the animals most feared by the Korean people, into something lovable and cute." (Yonhap)
Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Bill seeks to open S. Korean barracks to female enlisted soldiers as troop numbers shrink
By 2045, S. Korea's pool of eligible male conscripts could shrink to just 100,000 per year, lawmaker warns, underscoring the need to tap female service A South Korean lawmaker has proposed a new legislative bill that would require the military to begin accepting women as rank-and-file soldiers, as the country faces a growing shortage of military personnel due to persistently low birth rates. Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party, who drafted and submitted the bill to the National Assembly on Tuesday, said opening barracks to women is essential to protecting national security. North Korea is estimated to have around 1 million active-duty troops. Latest figures show South Korea's active-duty force has shrunk to 450,000 as of July 2025. Current law technically permits women to volunteer, but in practice, they are only recruited as officers or non-commissioned officers. Rep. Kim's bill would require military authorities to accept applicants regardless of gender and to report annually to parliament on the experiences and challenges of female soldiers. The opposition lawmaker pointed to demographic projections that the number of male conscript candidates could fall to just 100,000 per year within two decades. She said in a statement that 'a drastic measure is needed to ensure national security' and emphasized the need to widen opportunities for voluntary female service so the armed forces can draw from the broadest pool of talent. The scale of the problem is already visible. Data obtained by Rep. Choo Mi-ae's office from the Defense Ministry and the Military Manpower Administration shows that South Korea's active-duty force has shrunk from 560,000 in 2019 to 450,000 in July this year. The threshold of 500,000 troops, often described as the minimum needed under the armistice with North Korea, was breached two years ago, and troop strength is now about 50,000 below that mark. The army has absorbed the steepest decline, dropping from 300,000 enlisted soldiers to 200,000 in six years. The South Korean government has already loosened health and fitness standards to expand eligibility, lifting the acceptance rate for active-duty service from 69.8 percent in 2019 to 86.7 percent this year.
