The organizing committee of the Busan International Film Festival is locking horns with the host city after Busan demanded the resignation of the festival’s chief organizer in what movie industry insiders see as an attempt by the city to undermine the independence of Korea’s most successful festival.

Busan City openly called for the resignation of Lee Yong-kwan, the festival’s director since 2010 along with the release of its audit results on the festival organization. 

“The festival’s organization is in need of reform, including the position of director Lee,” it said in a press release Saturday.

Lee has more than a year left in his second three-year term.

Many in the local movie industry, however, take the city’s move as retaliation against Lee, who last year went against Mayor Seo Byung-soo by refusing to cancel the screening of “The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol,” or “Diving Bell,” a controversial documentary highly critical of the government’s rescue efforts during the Sewol ferry disaster.

The statement came a day after local media reported that Lee had been asked to step down by city officials, citing the “mayor’s will.”

“We cannot help but think that the city’s move is a show of retaliation against Lee, who pushed ahead with the screening of (the film),” 12 film organizations, including Korean Film Producers Association, claimed in a joint statement issued Monday.

“This damages the festival’s independence and freedom of expression and could shake the 19-year history of the festival’s identity,” read the statement.

Seo is the chairman of the festival organizing committee, as the city provides nearly half of the festival’s 12 billion won ($11.1 million) annual budget.

Lee joined as the executive programmer in 1996 at the festival’s inception. He later served as a deputy director and codirector and in 2010 was appointed director.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)