‘The Policeman’s Lineage’ to be first Korean film in theaters next year

“The Policeman’s Lineage,” directed by Lee Kyu-man, will be the first Korean film in the theaters next year, according to the film’s distributor Acemaker Movieworks on Monday.

“Despite the toughened Level 4 social distancing rules this summer, Korean films like ‘Escape from Mogadishu,’ ‘Sinkhole’ and ‘Hostage: Missing Celebrity’ were screened,” the distributor said in a statement. “Although we are in a pandemic situation with limited screening time and seats available, we are preparing to release ‘The Policeman’s Lineage’ for audiences who have been waiting for our movie.”

The film is set to be released on Jan. 5, 2022.

Lee’s film introduces Kang-yoon (Cho Jin-woong), a cop who is not afraid of conducting illegal investigations to make an arrest. Another cop, Min-jae (Choi Woo-shik), who does not have much experience and has strict ethical beliefs, is secretly tasked with keeping an eye on Kang-yoon.

From Saturday through Jan. 2, movie theaters nationwide have to close by 10 p.m. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result is required to enter.

Another film being released as scheduled is “Happy New Year,” directed by Kwak Jae-yong, which will be simultaneously released in theaters and CJ ENM streaming platform Tving on Dec. 29.

Meanwhile, two highly anticipated Korean films -- “Emergency Declaration” and “Kingmaker,” which were scheduled to be released around the Seollal holiday and Dec. 29, respectively -- have decided to postpone their theatrical releases. According to the “Kingmaker” distributor Megabox Plus M, the film is now likely to be released in January, before the Seollal holiday.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)