Actor Choi Min-sik is sparking controversy with his recent call to lower movie ticket prices. / Yonhap KAIST professor expresses strong criticism against Choi's remarks By KTimes A prominent business professor has openly criticized actor Choi Min-sik for his recent comments on the high cost of movie tickets, questioning whether the actor has contributed to the industry's revenue in any meaningful way. Choi pointed out that expensive tickets are one of the factors contributing to the current crisis in the film industry during a recent television appearance.
Professor Lee Byung-tae of KAIST took to Facebook on Wednesday to express his views on Choi's remarks. "Movie theaters are private enterprises, not power groups, so calling for a price reduction is hardly a principled stance," Lee said, dismissing Choi's comments as "the cheapest talk in the world." Professor Lee, who has served as the director of the Techno Management Research Institute at KAIST and CEO of Youth Startup Venture Capital, is known for his conservative commentary, particularly in the fields of economics and business.
The "principled stance" Lee referred to was Choi's statement made during the Aug. 17 broadcast of MBC's program "Sohn Suk-hee's Questions," where the actor criticized the issue of rising ticket prices. Choi said, "Haven't ticket prices gone up a lot? They need to come down.
With ticket prices at 15,000 won ($11.3) now, why would people go to the theater when they can stay home and watch multiple .