“This is the President” is the title of a documentary that follows the life of the former president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, in Pyeongsan Village, South Gyeongsang Province after leaving office. THE Moon Jae-in was the 12th president of South Korea between 2017 and 2022.

The director of the documentary Lee-Chang-Jay interviewed Moon Jae-in and his aides, but much of the film focuses on their admiration for the former president who is portrayed as patient, calm and a good listener.

The discussions with the former president do not touch on political disputes or issues related to his policy of nuclear phase-out, corruption allegations and justice reform.

Instead, it follows the former politician living a quiet life gardening in his front yard and playing with his beloved cat and dogs.

“I sat down for about a 10-hour interview with him, which was difficult for both of us. President Moon was reluctant to give interviews and was not comfortable speaking in front of the camera. He believed that he was not the right person to be the main character of a documentary,” the director said during a press conference in Seoul for the film.

“I wanted to penetrate the human side of Moon who went from lawyer to politician and then president“, he added.

The documentary, which premiered at this year’s 24th Jeonjo International Film Festival on April 29, was criticized for footage showing Moon saying “My five years of hard work have gone up in smoke.” This was excluded from the final version of the film, according to the director.

Lee said Moon was not involved at any stage of the documentary’s production.

“I suggested that he see the movie before it opened in theaters, but he said that he would pay the ticket and see it later“, he said.