South Korea's PPP pushes Singapore film festival to drop “Assassins” opening slot
In short
South Korea's main opposition People Power Party said it will send a letter in the name of all its lawmakers asking the Singapore International Film Festival to withdraw “Assassins,” a film about the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, as the festival's opening title. Floor chief spokesperson Choi Eun-seok said a draft is ready and the letter could be sent next week. Party lawmakers also pressed portal Naver over its review board and demanded that state banks recover indirect investments in the film's producer.
Read the full story 2 min read
South Korea's main opposition People Power Party decided on Oct. 4 to send a letter in the name of all its lawmakers to the Singapore International Film Festival, asking it to withdraw “Assassins,” a film about the 1974 shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo, as the festival's opening title. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
The push began with Rep. Joo Jin-woo, who said he would send a letter in his own name; as more lawmakers asked to join, the party moved to send it under all members' names. Joo also said the party would strongly ask other festivals, including in Brazil, to cancel screenings. Floor spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon told reporters at the National Assembly that many members wanted to join in voicing their views, so opinions were gathered and the party decided to proceed at the floor level. Floor chief spokesperson Choi Eun-seok told Yonhap the draft is ready and the letter could be sent next week. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
In his personal letter, Joo said the film turns the family of the murdered victim into the party suspected of the killing and puts on the real bereaved family what he called a terrible frame that the father was involved in the mother's death, adding that the festival should not lend its authority to an immoral distortion of history. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported the film has drawn more than 2 million admissions. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
The party kept up its offensive during the holiday. Five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won criticized Naver on Facebook over the portal's decision to change the sorting of the film's review board to newest-first; she said Naver explained it had asked police to investigate suspected macro manipulation, which she called a shabby excuse. She said the National Assembly audit should scrutinize the portal's management of public opinion and alleged comment manipulation. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
At a press conference at the National Assembly, Joo said the state-run Korea Development Bank invested 14 billion won and the Industrial Bank of Korea 14.2 billion won indirectly in the film's producer, Hive Media Corp, and called for the money to be recovered and the investments reviewed. Asia Economy reported the figure differently, saying Joo cited 14.2 billion won in indirect investment by the two banks in the producer. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon wrote on Facebook that public anger was natural over using the misfortune of a national leader and his family as a money-making subject, and said vulgar commercial behavior that damages the dignity of Korean pop culture must be clearly rejected, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported. Conservative critics argue the film hints that then-President Park Chung-hee or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency may have been behind the shooting. [ 3 ]
PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk is scheduled to visit Yuk Young-soo's birthplace in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, on Oct. 5 and hold a press conference there. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The party's move takes a domestic dispute over a historical film to an international festival, and Rep. Joo Jin-woo said the party would also press other festivals, including in Brazil, to cancel screenings. Lawmakers are simultaneously raising the film's state-bank financing and Naver's handling of its review board as issues for the coming National Assembly audit. The documents do not indicate how the festival or the banks have responded.
Key facts
- The People Power Party decided on Oct. 4 to send a letter in the name of all its lawmakers to the Singapore International Film Festival asking it to withdraw “Assassins” as the opening film. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The plan grew out of a personal letter by Rep. Joo Jin-woo after more lawmakers asked to join. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Floor spokesperson Choi Bo-yoon said members volunteered to add their voices, so the party gathered opinions and decided to proceed at the floor level. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Floor chief spokesperson Choi Eun-seok said the draft is ready and the letter could be sent to the festival next week. [ 4 , 6 ]
- Joo said the film reverses victim and perpetrator and asked the festival not to lend its authority to what he called an immoral distortion of history. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Five-term lawmaker Na Kyung-won criticized Naver's change of the film's review board sorting to newest-first and called for scrutiny at the National Assembly audit. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Joo said the Korea Development Bank invested 14 billion won and the Industrial Bank of Korea 14.2 billion won indirectly in the film's producer, Hive Media Corp. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk plans to visit Yuk Young-soo's birthplace in Okcheon on Oct. 5 and hold a press conference. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The People Power Party decided to send a letter in the name of all its lawmakers to the Singapore International Film Festival asking it to withdraw “Assassins” as its opening film. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The move was expanded from a personal letter by Rep. Joo Jin-woo as more lawmakers asked to take part. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Choi Bo-yoon said the party gathered opinions and decided to proceed at the floor level after many members volunteered to join. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Choi Eun-seok said the draft is ready and the letter could be sent next week. [ 4 , 6 ]
- Joo Jin-woo said the film turns the victim's family into the party suspected of the killing and asked the festival not to lend its authority to what he called an immoral historical distortion. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Na Kyung-won criticized Naver over its change to the film's review board sorting and called for checks at the National Assembly audit. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- Joo Jin-woo said the Korea Development Bank invested 14 billion won and the Industrial Bank of Korea 14.2 billion won indirectly in Hive Media Corp. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- PPP leader Jang Dong-hyuk plans to visit Yuk Young-soo's birthplace in Okcheon on Oct. 5 and hold a press conference there. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the two state banks invested in the film's producer, and in what amounts. Joo Jin-woo's figures are given by Yonhap, SBS and Seoul Economic Daily as 14 billion won by the Korea Development Bank and 14.2 billion won by the Industrial Bank of Korea, while Asia Economy reports him citing 14.2 billion won in indirect investment by the two banks. No statement from either bank is cited.
- The film's release date and admissions. Kyunghyang Shinmun says the film passed 2 million admissions 11 days after a release on the 3rd, but which month that release fell in is ambiguous and the day count does not line up with the Oct. 4 publication date.
- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's Facebook criticism of the film. Reported only by Kyunghyang Shinmun among the documents, so it rests on a single source.
- The Singapore International Film Festival's response. No document reports a reply or comment from the festival.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Newsis reports that the People Power Party is pushing a letter to the Singapore International Film Festival seeking withdrawal of “Assassins” as the opening film. [ 2 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the party will send the letter in all lawmakers' names, and that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon criticized the film on Facebook as vulgar commercial behavior. [ 3 ]
- Yonhap reports the draft letter is ready and could be sent next week, and that Rep. Joo Jin-woo demanded recovery of state-bank investments in the producer at a National Assembly press conference. [ 4 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reports the offensive is widening to the film's domestic release, Naver's review board and state-bank investment, with Jang Dong-hyuk due at Yuk Young-soo's birthplace on Oct. 5. [ 6 ]