Film industry opens gender equality center

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Film industry opens gender equality center



The Center for Gender Equality in Korean Film opened on Monday with the aim of achieving gender equality in the film industry and to prevent further cases of assault and harassment within the community.

The center is being funded by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism and is co-sponsored by commissioner Yu Seong-yeop of the Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, the Korean Film Council and Women in Film Korea. Director Yim Soon-rye of the recent film “Little Forest” and Shim Jae-myeong, the head of local film production and distribution company Myung Films, will sit as the joint heads of the organization.

“Up until now, a surprising number of cineastes have been victims of sexual assault and harassment, and were forced to leave the film industry,” said Yim during the organization’s opening ceremony held in central Seoul on Monday.

“With the opening of this organization, we hope to be able to help comfort those victims, [help them] safely return to the film industry and to prevent any similar incidents from occurring against [anyone else.] For future cineastes, we will also make sure to create an environment where they don’t have to give up their dreams to pursue a career in the film industry due to sexual threats.”

Yim also stressed the importance of remaining focused on the fundamental issues behind the Me Too movement instead of dismissing it as a conspiracy that has surfaced to create political schism.

The event was attended by many prominent cineastes, including the head of Korea Film Council Oh Seok-geun and actor Moon So-ri. The Center for Gender Equality in Korean Film also released the results of a survey about sexual misconduct in the film industry conducted among 751 cineastes from July to September of last year, and also hosted a debate to discuss ways to eradicate sexual harassment in the film industry.

By Jin Min-ji
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