Seoul mayor calls “Assassins” bullet-mark ticket “vulgar commercialism”
In short
A promotional ticket for the film “Assassins” that places bullet marks over a figure identified in criticism as Yuk Young-soo has drawn condemnation from opposition politicians and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. Reform Party acting chief Lee Gee-in posted photos of the ticket, while People Power Party lawmakers demanded Megabox scrap the items and apologise. Oh called the design vulgar commercialism that abandons human dignity, and the producer cancelled Busan International Film Festival events.
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A promotional ticket for the South Korean film “Assassins” has drawn criticism from opposition politicians and the mayor of Seoul over a design that critics say recreates the 1974 shooting of Yuk Young-soo. Asia Economy reported that on the Megabox original ticket a transparent plate printed with bullet marks is laid over the ticket, placing the marks over a figure identified in the criticism as Yuk Young-soo. Maeil Business described the same item as a white ticket with a transparent plate printed with bullet marks. [ 3 , 11 , 13 ]
Reform Party acting chief Lee Gee-in posted photographs of the ticket on Facebook on Oct 2, saying that overlapping the plate puts bullet marks over the Taegeukgi, a podium and a figure that appears to be Yuk Young-soo. He said the design appears to let the audience complete the shooting scene by hand, and that expressive freedom is not a bulletproof plate against criticism, Asia Economy reported. [ 3 ]
People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo called it unfilial goods and demanded that Megabox scrap the tickets and apologise, saying that without action the same day he would seek to have Megabox CEO Hong Jung-in called as a witness at the National Assembly audit and would push a boycott, according to Asia Economy; Kukmin Ilbo also reported his criticism. Fellow party lawmaker Kim Tae-kyu called the goods unfilial and pointed to what he described as the depiction of completing six rounds from the vanished bullet. [ 2 , 3 ]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon added his criticism on Oct 4 in a Facebook post titled “Vulgar commercialism that has abandoned human dignity cannot be tolerated,” Yonhap reported. He said Yuk Young-soo was a wife and a mother of three children before she was first lady, and asked whether the moment she was shot dead at a Liberation Day ceremony in front of many citizens should become the material of goods to hold and enjoy. He said he does not want a society where the state judges the content of art, but that a free society still has lines that must be kept, and urged the film’s director and producers to apologise to the bereaved family and take responsible measures. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 ]
The film is based on the Aug 15, 1974 shooting in which, Hankook Ilbo reported, Korean resident in Japan Moon Se-kwang fired at then President Park Chung-hee during a Liberation Day ceremony and Yuk Young-soo was hit and killed. The film has drawn accusations of historical distortion from the conservative camp, including the People Power Party, for suggesting Park was behind the attack. Hankook Ilbo reported the film passed 2.04 million cumulative admissions on Oct 3, 11 days after release. [ 3 , 10 ]
Asia Economy reported that the producer, High Media Corp, said on Oct 2 it would cancel its attendance at the Busan International Film Festival opening ceremony and an outdoor stage greeting set for Oct 7, citing the safety of audiences and participants. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
The dispute has moved beyond a film’s historical claims into a fight over marketing, with a sitting mayor and opposition lawmakers demanding an apology and raising the prospect of a National Assembly audit summons and a boycott. Political pressure has already led the producer to cancel planned promotional appearances, and the row keeps the film’s portrayal of the 1974 shooting in public view while it draws large audiences.
Key facts
- The controversy centres on an original Megabox ticket for the film “Assassins”, on which a transparent plate printed with bullet marks is laid over the ticket so the marks sit over a figure critics identify as Yuk Young-soo. [ 3 , 11 , 13 ]
- Reform Party acting chief Lee Gee-in posted photographs of the ticket on Facebook on Oct 2 and criticised the design as cruel and vulgar. [ 1 , 3 ]
- People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo demanded that the tickets be scrapped and Megabox apologise, and said he would seek to have Megabox CEO Hong Jung-in called as a National Assembly audit witness and push a boycott. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on Oct 4 that the ticket was vulgar commercialism that abandons human dignity and urged the film’s director and producers to apologise to the bereaved family. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 ]
- The film deals with the Aug 15, 1974 shooting in which Yuk Young-soo was killed, and has faced accusations of historical distortion for suggesting Park Chung-hee was behind the attack. [ 3 , 10 ]
- The film passed 2.04 million cumulative admissions on Oct 3, 11 days after release, according to Hankook Ilbo. [ 10 ]
- Producer High Media Corp said it was cancelling its Busan International Film Festival opening ceremony attendance and an outdoor stage greeting set for Oct 7, citing the safety of audiences and participants. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon publicly criticised the ticket, calling it vulgar commercialism that abandons human dignity and saying that freedom of expression also has lines that must be kept, and called on the filmmakers to apologise. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 12 , 13 ]
- The criticised item is a Megabox original ticket for the film “Assassins”, on which a transparent plate printed with bullet marks is overlaid so that marks appear over a figure identified in the criticism as Yuk Young-soo. [ 3 , 11 , 13 ]
- People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo called the ticket unfilial goods and demanded that Megabox scrap them and apologise. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The film is based on the Aug 15, 1974 shooting in which Yuk Young-soo was killed. [ 3 , 10 ]
Still unclear
- Neither Megabox nor the film’s producers are reported to have responded to the criticism of the ticket. No document carries a statement from Megabox or the filmmakers; only critics’ comments and the producer’s cancellation of events are reported.
- The detailed description of how the ticket and the transparent plate work comes from a single outlet. Only Asia Economy sets out the design and Lee Gee-in’s Facebook post; other outlets repeat the criticism without an independent description.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Reform Party acting chief Lee Gee-in posts photographs of the Megabox original ticket on Facebook, saying the design appears to let the audience complete the shooting scene by hand. [ 3 ]
- Producer High Media Corp says it will cancel its Busan International Film Festival opening ceremony attendance and an outdoor stage greeting set for Oct 7, citing safety. [ 3 ]
- Seoul Shinmun reports the ticket design controversy, citing criticism that it is cruel and vulgar. [ 1 ]
- Kukmin Ilbo reports People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo calling the ticket unfilial goods. [ 2 ]
- The film passes 2.04 million cumulative admissions, 11 days after release, Hankook Ilbo reports. [ 10 ]
- Asia Economy reports the backlash, including Joo Jin-woo’s demand that Megabox scrap the tickets and apologise. [ 3 ]
- Yonhap reports Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s Facebook post criticising the ticket as commercial behaviour well past the line. [ 5 ]
- Maeil Business reports Oh’s remarks, including his statement that a society where pain becomes material for stimulation and tragedy a product for box office cannot be called advanced. [ 13 ]