(Marie Claire Korea)

Song Joong-ki talked about the controversy surrounding his recent film “The Battleship Island” in a recent interview for the Busan International Film Festival special issue of fashion and lifestyle magazine Marie Claire Korea.

The war flick, which deals with the turbulent history of Koreans forced into slave labor by the Japanese, has been at the center of a heated debate on whether the film depicted Korean characters as overly villainous in comparison to the Japanese corporate executives who held them captive.

(Marie Claire Korea)

“I did feel distressed at the film’s box-office failure and criticism of the film. But I thought at that time, I need to reflect more objectively,” he said. “I have regrets that if I had done better, I could have conveyed the message of the film to more of the audience.”

“I’m sure that all the time I’ve spent with senior actors filming for ‘The Battleship Island’ was a time of growth,” he added.

Song said, “I hope to expand my filmography without regrets and I wish to experience the filming set from different cultures.”

A fashion spread, including more photos and an interview, will be available in the magazine’s BIFF Special issue.

(Marie Claire Korea)

By Kim So-yeon (syk19372@heraldcorp.com)