‘There must be something in this mountain’
Mount Chiak is a 2023 horror film set around the urban legend that there were murders in which the bodies were chopped up and buried at a real location in Wonju.
Written and directed by Kim Sun-Ung [aka Seon-Woong Kim and 김선웅].
The South Korean production stars Yun Kyun-Sang, Kim Ye-Won, Yeon Je-Wook, Bae Geu-Rin and Lee Tae-Hwan.
Plot:
Min-Joon (Yun Kyun-Sang) is the leader of the Sangaja mountain bike group with four other members: Hyun-Jin (Kim Ye-Won), Yang-Bae (Yeon Je-Wook), Soo-A (Bae Geu-Rin) and Yi-Sak (Lee Tae-Hwan).
They go to Mount Chiak where Min-Joon’s uncle has a vacation home to ride their bikes. There, they enjoy their time cycling in the mountains, but a mysterious event takes place.
After initially enjoying the off-roading ride, strange things began to happen to the party and it seems that something unidentified is chasing them. A desperate game for the Sangaja party to survive on Chiaksan Mountain begins…
Release:
In South Korea, the movie releases on September 13, 2023.
Controversy:
The Wonju City government and local social groups protested that the film could hurt the public image of the mountain and the region. They filed for an injunction to ban the film’s opening. However, the Seoul Central District Court turned down the application.
“It cannot be said that the reputation of Chiak Mountain will be damaged or that viewers will have a negative impression of the location just because it appears in this film, which contains clearly fictional content,” the Court said. “It is difficult to say that there is a risk of significant damage to the rights or property of Wonju City and its citizens.”
Social groups from Wonju had previously held a protest in front of the cinema at the Konkuk University entrance of Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul where the press conference for Mount Chiak was held on August 31, 2023, calling for the cancellation of the film’s opening.
Director Seon-Woong Kim had previously posted an image of a body that he drew himself on his personal channel, causing many netizens to reject it. He said, “I love designing. I’ve been making posters whenever I’m doing an independent or low-budget film.” If you saw it and felt disgusted, I sincerely apologize.”
“The post has been taken down,” he added, adding, “I decided not to use it so that it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Trailer [1080p HD]:
Technical specs:
1 hour 25 minutes
Original Hangul title:
치악산
