(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Won-hee = The controversy over the distortion of history surrounding the movie 'Assassin(s)', which deals with the assassination of Ms. Yuk Young-soo, is spreading to the point where movie events are being canceled and actors are being criticized.
While there are voices in the film industry calling for an end to slandering actors, production staff, and other creators, it is also pointed out that this incident reflects the recent extreme conflict in Korean society.
◇ Is Jungjeong behind Yuk Young-soo’s attack?… Criticism of national power's "distortion of history"
The movie 'Assassin(s)', which was released on the 23rd of last month, is based on an actual incident in 1974 in which First Lady Yuk Young-soo was killed by a bullet while Korean-Japanese Moon Se-gwang attempted to assassinate President Park Chung-hee.
Based on a true story, the production team used their imagination to tell the story of people pursuing the truth about the first lady's assassination. Detective Cheol-gu (played by Hae-jin Yoo), who feels that his colleague responsible for the case was unfair, Jae-hwan (played by Park Hae-il), the head of the newspaper's social department, and Young-il (played by Lee Min-ho), a new reporter, uncover the truth.
The characters in the play delve into the possibility of an accomplice based on questions announced by the investigative headquarters. The characters even go so far as to hypothesize that the Central Intelligence Agency may have been behind this, based on diplomatic relations with Japan at the time.
Regarding this, political circles including the People Power Party criticized the movie, saying it distorted historical facts with a conspiracy theory that former President Park Chung-hee planned the assassination. The President Park Chung-hee Memorial Foundation and the First Lady Yuk Young-soo Memorial Association called for the screening of the film to be halted.
The production team stated, “This is not a film produced to newly confirm a specific historical conclusion or to deny or distort existing facts,” and added, “We ask that you view the work only as a product of creation.”
Director Heo Jin-ho, the director of the work, explained in several interviews that he did not assume former President Park Chung-hee was behind the incident.
◇ Box office stagnation due to intensifying controversy… Actor posts criticism on social media, cancels movie events
The controversy affected the film's box office performance.
'Assassin(s)' was watched by 1.407 million people during the Chuseok holiday period (September 24-27), beating out 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub' and 'The Odyssey', but the pace of audience mobilization slowed down as the number one daily box office was once lost to 'Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub'.
The average daily audience decreased by about 80% from about 351,000 during the Chuseok holiday to about 64,000 (September 28 to October 2) after the controversy arose in the political world. Even considering the difference between holidays and weekdays, this is a significant decrease.
The CGV Egg Index, based on actual audience evaluations, dropped from 95% on the first day of release to 90% on the 3rd. Criticism grew stronger online, with Naver netizen ratings reaching 2.6 out of 10.
The aftermath spread to the actors who participated.
Protesting comments continued on YouTube advertisement videos for fast food brands and securities firms in which Yoo Hae-jin appeared as a model. Comments on the video are currently closed.
The controversy spread, with comments criticizing not only the actors Lee Min-ho and Ryu Hye-young, but also actors who left recommendations for 'Assassin(s)' on social networking services (SNS).
Accordingly, production company Hive Media Corp canceled the film-related event due to the safety of attendees.
Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Min-ho decided not to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival on the 6th, and the outdoor stage greeting event for 'Assassin(s)', which was scheduled to be held at the festival on the 7th, was cancelled. On the same day, the film festival talk program 'Actor's House', in which Lee Min-ho was scheduled to participate, was also canceled.
To mark the second weekend of its release, it was decided not to proceed with the 'Assassin(s)' stage greetings scheduled for the 3rd to 5th.
The Busan Film Commission canceled the public screening of ‘Assassin(s)’ scheduled to be held on the 5th. The committee explained that it comprehensively considered the recent situation of the work and that "this does not mean judgment or support for the content of the work or any specific position surrounding it."
◇ Film industry: “Slander and threats against creators must stop”… It is also pointed out that “reflection of society’s growing conflict”
Film industry groups have repeatedly voiced requests to refrain from criticizing creators. The controversy is heating up, as criticism is directed at personal details such as the actor's face, and one conservative group announces that it will hold a rally in front of Yoo Hae-jin's home.
The Producers Guild of Korea (PGK) said, "Just as there are various interpretations of historical events, it is natural for movies based on historical events to have various interpretations and be evaluated accordingly," and added, "We are seriously concerned that the current controversy is spreading beyond criticism of the work and into a threat to those who participated in the production of the film, such as the production company, director, actors, and staff."
At the same time, he appealed, “Please stop slandering and threatening the individuals involved in the film, discussing their private lives, and threatening their personal safety and livelihood.”
The Directors of Cinematographers Guild of Korea (CGK) also said, "All thoughts you have while watching a work are precious. Sympathy, regret, and different perspectives are also part of the meaningful conversation surrounding the film," adding, "If the conversation goes beyond the work and is directed to individual creators and actors, or if the audience's evaluation is not conveyed as it is, I am concerned that it may become slightly more difficult for creators to challenge new stories in the future."
Some point out that the recent extreme conflict in Korean society is fully reflected in this controversy, compared to the controversy surrounding the black comedy film 'Those People of That Time' (2005), which dealt with the assassination of President Park Chung-hee.
'Those People at That Time' was embroiled in a legal dispute claiming that it had defamed the deceased in a scene in which the president revealed a woman's side and frequently used Japanese, but it was said that it did not affect the identity of the actors at the time or their other activities.
On the other hand, the conflict surrounding movies, including 'Assassin(s)', appears to be deepening. Actress Jeong Yu-mi was criticized for inciting 'male hatred' for appearing in the movie 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982' (2019), and singer Naul received many negative comments after posting a poster for 'National Foundation War' (2024), which depicts the life of President Syngman Rhee, on social media, so the comment function was blocked.
An official from the film industry said, "At the time of the release of 'Those People of That Time', there didn't seem to be any attacks on the actors who appeared in the film," and "Regardless of the film's faults, situations of mutual criticism and conflict seem to be intensifying."
