Director Bong Joon-Ho, second from the right, poses with actress Kim Hye-Ja, second from the left, prior to the screening of the movie "Taking Woodstock" at the 62nd Cannes International Film Festival in France in this May 16, 2009 file photo. Won Bin, left, and Jin Goo are also captured in the photo. Yonhp

By Jung Hae-myoung

Veteran actress Kim Hye-ja, 78, said she was quoted out of context in her past remarks regarding the award-winning director Bong Joon-ho, denying the allegation that she is a victim of sexual misconduct.

In an interview with local daily Chousun Ilbo released on Wednesday, Kim said her remarks during the guest visit for the screening of Bong's 2009 film "Mother" was not accusing anybody of sexual harassment and she had no intention to hurt the director, either.

Her remarks came as a controversy erupted belatedly regarding actor Won Bin going off script in "Mother." In the film, Won placed his hand on Kim's breast which was not included in the initial script.

Earlier, Kim stated that Bong told actor Won Bin to touch Kim's breast, without informing Kim in advance.

"I did not lie when I was filming "Mother." I cannot believe people are thinking so low of the actors. How can they think like that?" Kim Hye-ja blasted some Internet users for spreading assumptions about her intention.

"The woman sleeps without taking off her clothes, including her socks, because she is so worried her son, who has a mental illness, might cause trouble. Some people alleged that director Bong and actor Won conspired to sexually harass me, which is ridiculous," she added.

The incident started when Kim Hye-ja and Bong Joon-ho joined the "Guest Visit" for the black and white version of the film "Mother" on May 9. Answering questions from the audiences, Kim said Won Bin came into the bed and touched her breast, which was not originally in the script. Kim said she "stayed still" thinking "there must be a reason behind his action."

Her remarks caused a stir on the internet as some raised suspicions that Kim was claiming she was a victim of sexual misconduct under the guise of filming.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Barunson Enter & Arts, the production company for Bong's newest film "Parasite," said the company checked with the veteran actress and she told the agency that she had forgotten about the direction given by Bong prior to filming the scene.

According to the production company, Bong did not try to challenge Kim regarding her remarks on the spot because he didn't want Kim to be embarrassed.

"Director Bong said 'Do-joon (Won Bin) might touch your breast' and I thought that a boy with mental illness could touch his mother's breast while she is asleep," Kim said.
The actress said she had no good reason to accuse the director of a deed that occurred 10 years ago. "I think there could be some people who misunderstood what I said," she said.

"I made a slip of the tongue while trying to entertain the audience."

Yet experts say it is necessary that Bong needs to acknowledge his faults.

"Some points she made are still problematic," Hwang Jin-mi, a culture critic said. She pointed out the director should accept both his faults and achievement.

"I agree Bong should be praised for what he did to improve the working conditions of actors and staff members. He signed a standard labor contract with the staff and abided by the shortened working hours while shooting films," she said in a media interview.

However, the critic said, "There are still suspicions remaining. It is not clear whether or not Kim was aware of the sexual misconduct when that happened or whether she tried to cover it up because she didn't want to rock the boat."

"So, the issue needs to be discussed further before concluding whether there was sexual misconduct or not," she said.

Still others argue Kim needs to admit her mistake, as it is not a laughing matter.

The point that Kim explained in her statement as a "lapse in memory" and the fact that she "laughed off" the incident can be compared to many sexual victims are not able to accuse or report their sexual predators because they struggle to find words to describe their experience.

"I assume the film industry back then was different from today, so very few people would have thought that what she went through was sexual misconduct," one twitter user wrote. "Although this could be a personal distress for actor Kim Hye-ja, many women are going through the similar sexual misconduct and suffer from the traumatic experience."

Bong Joon-ho won the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival for his film "Parasite," on May 26. He is a well-acclaimed director in Korea and abroad for several films including "Okja," "Snowpiercer," and "The Host."