10-million-viewer movie ‘The Roundup’ banned from Vietnam for being “too violent”

▲This phonto, provided by ABO Entertainment and Megabox Plus M, shows movie 'The Roundup'. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- Box office hit “The Roundup”, which reached the 10 million-viewer-mark in South Korea, was banned in Vietnam.

According to the local theaters and multiple sources, although Lotte Cinema promoted the screening of “The Roundup”, Vietnam decided to ban the movie.

Movie distribution and investment production company Lotte Entertainment, an affiliate of Lotte Cinema, applied for the rating process to Vietnamese Film Department, affiliated organization of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

However, related authorities rejected stating “The movie has too many violent scenes.”

This movie is about detective Ma seok-do(Ma Dong-seok) and detectives of serious crime squad from Geumcheon police station sweeping gangster Kang Hae-sang(Son Suk-ku) and his crew members in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh, most populous city in Vietnam, is displayed as a lawless area where Korean criminals do not hesitate to kidnap and kill tourists.

Some analysts say that the negative image of Ho Chi Minh the movie portrays led to the ban of the movie.

An official from one movie theater company said, “There is an inference that the decision was made as authorities believed their national and city images were damaged.”

This is not the first time Vietnam banned Korean movies from screening.

Back in 2012, CJ CGV promoted the screening of “Soar Into the Sun” but did not pass the Vietnamese censorship.

Vietnam said the screening was impossible because “There were scenes of hostilities between the North and the South.”

Vietnamese authorities have been regulating movies that have caused controversy over the government's position or national interests by banning their screenings.

On March 12, Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism also banned the local screening of the movie "Uncharted," starring actor Tom Holland, well-known as "Spider-Man."

This was because China's "Nine-dash-line," which was arbitrarily set up by China claiming that the South China Sea was their territorial sea, appeared.

Meanwhile, beginning January 2023, Vietnam will strengthen censorship by requiring foreign companies to submit screenplays in advance when producing movies locally.

On June 14, National Assembly of Vietnam passed a revision to the film law which requires foreign companies or individuals who want to produce films locally to submit a summary of the movie story and a specific filming script to the authorities before obtaining prior permission from the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism.

The revision also specifies movie production companies to not damage national interest and its cultural value while not violating the Vietnamese constitution and hindering the national integration.

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Jiwon Woo.)

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