Film row: professor calls lawmaker “vulgar” over remark on actor Yoo Hae-jin
In short
A dispute over the film “Assassin(s)” widened after People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo joined a social media post criticising lead actor Yoo Hae-jin's filmography and left the comment “북한상”, or “North Korean looks”. Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon responded on Facebook on 3 October, calling Joo “vulgar” and saying the film should be criticised rather than its critics and actors attacked. On 4 October the far-right group Shinjayu Yeondae held a protest rally from 2pm in front of a house in Seoul's Seongbuk-gu identified as Yoo's home.
Why it matters
The documents show a debate about how a film treats the 1974 shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo moving from criticism of the work to attacks on its cast, including a protest outside an actor's home. A sitting lawmaker's comment and a public figure's rebuke have pulled the dispute into party politics, with the family of former President Park Chung-hee and far-right groups named among the critics. The outlets reporting it are business-type outlets, and none of the documents carries a response from the actor or the filmmakers.
Key facts
- People Power Party lawmaker Joo Jin-woo joined a social media post criticising the filmography of actor Yoo Hae-jin, the lead of “Assassin(s)”, and left the comment “북한상” (“North Korean looks”), according to NoCut News and Seoul Shinmun. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Jin Joong-kwon, a professor at Dongyang University, wrote on Facebook on 3 October that Joo was “vulgar”, NoCut News and Seoul Shinmun reported. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Jin said criticism of the film is possible but “terror” against critics and actors must stop, and urged people not to “gang up and lynch” them collectively, according to NoCut News. [ 2 ]
- The film “Assassin(s)” deals with the suspicion and the backers behind the shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo on 15 August 1974, NoCut News reported. [ 2 ]
- Joo, Park Geun-hye and Park Ji-man — children of former President Park Chung-hee — and some far-right forces have argued the film distorts history, according to NoCut News. [ 2 ]
- The far-right group Shinjayu Yeondae began a protest rally at 2pm on 4 October in front of a house in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, identified as Yoo Hae-jin's home, NoCut News reported. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- No response from actor Yoo Hae-jin, the film's producers or its distributors is reported. None of the documents carries a statement from the actor or the filmmakers.
- Whether the 4 October rally went ahead as announced and how many people attended. Only one document reports the rally, and only as it was scheduled to begin.
- The film's release date, distribution and box-office performance. The documents describe the film's subject but give no release or commercial details.
- Lawmaker Joo Jin-woo's own explanation of the comment. Only one document reports the comment in detail, and it carries no response from him.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Jin Joong-kwon writes on Facebook that lawmaker Joo Jin-woo is “vulgar” and calls for the film to be criticised instead of its critics and actors being attacked. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Far-right group Shinjayu Yeondae begins a protest rally in front of a house in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, identified as actor Yoo Hae-jin's home. [ 2 ]