South Korea Pays Marvel $3.6M To Make Sure It Looks Cool in 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'
The South Korean government paid an eye-watering £2.4million to the makers of the new Avengers movie to ensure the country is shown in a positive light, it has emerged.
Much of the comic book film, Avengers: Age of Ultron, was shot in Seoul and the country's culture ministry agreed to cover a third of filming costs in the city on the agreement the Republic of Korea is shown as 'high tech' and 'modern'.
The use of public funds in what appears to be an extreme case of product placement has been criticised by South Koreans - as officials are having to wait with the rest of the world to see if the film, released on Thursday, will lift the country's reputation out of the shadow of it's headline-grabbing northern neighbour.
The move echoes that of Sony Pictures Entertainment and MGM, who recently made headlines after leaked emails revealed the Mexican government had offered the studios $20m to ensure a positive portrayal of the country in Spectre.
Kim Young-gun, who overseas the Korean Film Council's (KOFIC) incentive program for foreign films, said the film could transform the status of Seoul, which has been largely overlooked by Hollywood compared to its regional peers.
He told MailOnline: 'If we have that kind of huge film, which shows Korea in a more positive way, then we think the image of Korea will be changed in a positive way.'
In return, the country's culture ministry agreed to pay 30 percent of the cost of production in Seoul, about £2.4m. Only on Thursday will they know if it will boost the international image of the capital and make it as iconic abroad as Asian metropolises like Tokyo.
Kim said: 'KOFIC and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, also, are concerned about how they will portray Korea in the film, but we are looking forward to seeing the film on Thursday.'
KOFIC has estimated the sequel to the 2012 hit The Avengers, which features an all-star cast including Scarlett Johansson and Robert Downey Jnr, could attract some 620,000 extra tourists to the country. The film has already sold 94 percent of its presale tickets.