[INTERVIEW] Veteran auteur sheds light on injustice against poor in 'The Boys' (2025)

By Lee Gyu-lee

“People with power don’t change. This is why the marginalized must unite and raise their voices.”

Veteran filmmaker Chung Ji-young, who is known for social issue films based on true events, got his hands on bringing limelight on the criminal injustices against the weak with his latest film “The Boys.”

The new drama film, which hits local theaters on Nov. 1, follows a real-life robbery-murder case at a supermarket in the small town of Wanju, North Jeolla Province, in 1999. Only a few days after the supermarket’s owner is murdered, three boys from underprivileged families are identified as the suspects and were soon found guilty.

That is until police officer Hwang Joon-cheol (Sol Kyung-gu), newly transferred to the town, looks into the case and starts to suspect the boys were wrongfully convicted and reopens the investigation.

The director revealed he originally was interested in a murder case from 2000, where a teenage witness to the murder of a taxi driver was falsely incarcerated for 10 years. But when he found out the case was already being made into the 2017 drama film “New Trial,” he decided to follow a similar case, yet with deeper narrative complexities.

“I first came across the 2000 case and wanted to shed light on the relationship between ordinary citizens and law enforcement… Then, I encountered this supermarket case, which was similar but had a deeper and farther-reaching story. The wrongfully accused victims could get exonerated after the real perpetrators confessed. So this case had irony that the victims felt gratitude towards the perpetrators,” he said, during a recent interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Jongno District, Seoul.

The film employs a dual timeline, oscillating between Hwang's 2000 investigation and the boys' 2016 retrial. Hwang fiercely tries to overturn the wrongful conviction and uncover police brutality and injustice against the innocent boys, until getting demoted and transferred to a remote island. Years later, he returns to the town to pick up where he left off to find justice.

Chung added he based the film’s main character, Hwang, on the police officer who solved the taxi driver case.

“Tackling the supermarket case required a complex process. There isn't a clear protagonist that can lead the story, in reality, which will make it difficult and complicated to follow for audiences. But I felt if Hwang leads the story consistently, I could make a more fast-paced and concise narrative,” he said.

The director said he wanted the film to provoke thoughts on both mistreatment against the underprivileged and criminal injustice.

“The reason I named it 'The Boys’ is that it carries the meaning that we need to consider the uneducated and underprivileged boys who are left behind. The character of Hwang does set the film’s tone as a whistleblower movie (against law enforcement). But that’s what the movie also aims to encompass so I didn’t mind that,” he said.

The three real-life victims served three to six years after giving forced confessions during the initial investigation. As the film retraces their painful past, Chung shared that he was careful in balancing the facts with dramatic elements.

“When you base (a film) on true events, you may change characters or adjust circumstances based on facts, but cannot distort the case in a way that is apparent for anyone objectively. I put in dramatic elements for audiences to follow more easily, but I take a careful approach to not distort the facts,” he said.

“For the three boys who suffered, this is a story they may not want to revisit. They gave me permission but I was concerned if it would stir up distress by bringing up painful memories," he said. "(At a screening), one of the boys gave a flower bouquet with a thank-you note, which was touching.”

But despite his concern, the director worked hard to bring the story to the surface to challenge the powers that be and give voices to the poor.

“I despise those with wealth, power and good looks who mistreat the weak for their own success, especially the people in authority. People in law enforcement, the police and the prosecution, I’ve seen often lack conscience, feel no guilt, like those portrayed in ‘The Boys.’ It’s a story that everyone knows but I wanted to at least offer some reflection on their actions,” he said, adding he hopes such reflection will lead society to be more proactive and thoughtful on justice.

“When you look back at events that you overlooked, you'll find yourself thinking proactively. And I hope that this spreads into caring for each other. We're not living in isolation. The ideal society for me is about helping each other to build a better future together.”

This year marks the 40th year of his filmmaking career. Chung has built quite a filmography, pursuing stories based on true events that offer a take on injustice and corruption in society, like “National Security” (2012) and “Black Money” (2019).

The director expressed he finds stories from recent and current events to create films that speak closely to audiences.

“Creating a movie or a novel is about reflecting our lives. There are more desperate and serious topics to meet with audiences in reality than in fiction. I always felt (such a story) could resonate more deeply with them … Also, I constantly seek to understand where I stand, come from and am heading. There's a desire to examine our journey from the past to the present,” he said, adding making films is his way of finding his vision.

“Personally, I’m a nihilist ... I find my vision through films … The characters suffer unjustly through the tragic story, but they don’t give up on their vision in the end, like in ‘Black Money.’ I believe they are about overcoming adversity through such experiences.”

The director emphasized his movies are not about giving an answer but are about opening up a discussion.

“I don't define my films as justice. Justice can vary for each person, depending on their environment and worldview," he said. "I make films to express my thoughts and engage in an exchange with the audience to see if our thoughts align.”