Film critic Dong-jin Lee directly addressed the wave of criticism and hate comments that poured in after he gave director Hong-jin Na’s film Hope a four-star rating.
On the 20th, Lee posted on his blog to refute various allegations surrounding his Hope rating. Earlier, Lee awarded the film 4 out of 5 stars with a one-line review calling it “a bold, full-throttle charge through a bizarre free-for-all, with the entire film building to a massive crescendo.”
After the rating went public, some netizens swarmed Lee’s blog and YouTube channel with malicious comments. They claimed his assessment was “overly generous,” while others alleged he favored the film due to personal ties with Na Hong-jin, out of sensitivity to the current state of Korean cinema, or even because of financial interests.
Lee first denied any personal friendship with Na. He explained, “I’ve only met him in official settings for interviews or during GV (audience Q&A) sessions,” adding, “We’ve never even had coffee together, and I don’t have his phone number.”
He also pushed back on claims that he inflated the score because of the director’s name value. “My positive view of Hope has nothing to do with who directed it,” Lee said. “If I judged based on reputation or personal relationships, I wouldn’t have been able to deliver cold, honest assessments of many famous directors’ past works.”
Lee rebutted the idea that he gave a friendly score to help the Korean film industry and theaters. “As someone who works in film, of course I want Korean movies to win audiences back and for the box office to recover,” he emphasized. “But that desire doesn’t influence how I evaluate any specific film.”
He was even firmer in rejecting claims of financial gain. “Even this year alone, I was asked to host around 20 Untact Talks and GV events, but I couldn’t accept most of them—and among those, I only did Hope,” he said. “If making money were my top priority, I’d accept as many offers as possible. Income from the film industry already makes up a very small portion of my overall earnings.”
Responding to suggestions that he was simply trying to keep good relations with filmmakers, Lee noted, “These days I spend most of my time holed up in my studio. Aside from broadcasting work, I hardly socialize with people in the film industry.”
Hope is Na Hong-jin’s long-awaited new film following ‘The Wailing’. The story follows Beom-seok (played by Jung-min Hwang), the head of the Hopohang substation near the Demilitarized Zone, who hears reports from local youths about a tiger sighting. As the entire village descends into chaos, he confronts an unbelievable reality. The cast includes Jung-min Hwang, In-sung Jo, Ho-yeon Jung, Moon-suk Um, and Hyun-sik Im.
Hope has been speeding at the box office since opening day. It surpassed 1 million moviegoers in just three days and crossed 2 million in five, marking the fastest momentum among this year’s releases.
Audience reactions, however, are sharply divided. High and low scores are pouring in simultaneously, and debates over the film’s meaning continue to rage.