South Korean university students and civic groups have declared their boycott of the movie "Mulan" in support of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
On Wednesday, student and civic groups rallied in front of Walt Disney Co Korea in Seoul, demanding that Disney scrap its movie release plans. In the protest, participants criticized Mulan's lead actress Liu Yifei for the pro-Chinese comments she wrote on social media as widespread democracy protests broke out in Hong Kong.
Since the movie's story revolves mainly around overcoming discrimination, the protesters said, Liu cannot become the protagonist of Mulan. Besides, her opinions are in favor of the suppression of the Hong Kong protesters, reported Yonhap.
This comes after the 33-year-old Chinese-American actress stirred controversy last August as she supported the Hong Kong police forces during the protests.
What Had Happened?
Liu, also known as Crystal Liu, had re-posted a meme on Weibo from the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party that said, "I support the Hong Kong police," along with a heart emoji. She posted it after the UN Human Rights office slammed the Hong Kong police as they "employed less-lethal weapons in ways that are prohibited by international norms and standards".
On Wednesday, the protesters, while asking Disney and theaters to suspend the release of Mulan, said: "There is no slot for a movie that turns a blind eye to national violence in the movie scene in this country, which had supported the Hong Kong democracy movement."
Mulan Fights Prejudice
The live-action movie, based on the 1998 animated film, centers on the heroine Mulan who becomes a warrior fighting prejudice.
The movie's March release plan was postponed to July due to the coronavirus pandemic. Once again, it was postponed to August as COVID-19 ravages the country.
Along with Hollywood's "Mulan" and Christopher Nolan's "Tenet", there are three big-budget Korean movies that have high expectations in South Korea. These are "Peninsula," a zombie thriller, "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Steel Rain 2: Summit."
