La traducción al español está en camino; mientras tanto se muestra la versión en inglés.
Park Geun-ryeong criticises film “Assassin(s)” title, saying plural implies her father
En breve
Park Geun-ryeong, the second daughter of former President Park Chung-hee, criticised the title of the film “Assassin(s)”, saying its plural could be read as implicating her father in the 1974 killing of her mother, Yuk Young-soo. She said creative freedom carries responsibility, but asked critics to target the producers rather than the actors. The film has topped the holiday box office with more than 2.41 million admissions, while screenings were halted in Park Chung-hee’s hometown of Gumi and the row reached a National Assembly audit.
Leer la noticia completa 2 min de lectura
Park Geun-ryeong, the second daughter of former President Park Chung-hee and a former chairwoman of the Yukyoung Foundation, criticised the title of the film “Assassin(s)” in a phone interview with Channel A, saying the plural in the title could be read as referring to her father. The comments, reported on 7 October, were her first public remarks on the controversy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
She questioned what the “assassins” in the title meant, saying that “if it is a plural, wouldn’t people take it to mean the security service or my father?” and that this would make Moon Se-kwang and her father accomplices. She said creative freedom carries responsibility and duty, and that children would also watch the film. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Park recalled the 15 August 1974 shooting at the National Theater in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, when she was 20: waiting for the result of her mother’s emergency surgery, then her father weeping as he told the family their mother had died. She said Park Chung-hee wrote to Park Geun-hye, then studying in France, to soften the shock, and that after the state funeral the empty seat at meals made food impossible to swallow. She said crowds filled the Gwanghwamun area to mourn, and that the film drives nails into those people’s hearts. [ 2 , 3 ]
She drew a line at attacks on the cast, saying the actors “are only actors” and asking supporters to focus on who planned and produced the work. She added that she hoped they would not be dragged into unnecessary lawsuits. [ 2 , 3 ]
The film is based on the attempted assassination of Park Chung-hee and the fatal shooting of Yuk Young-soo on 15 August 1974, and its characters trace the background of the attack and possible accomplices, including the possible involvement of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. Moon Se-kwang, the attacker, was executed. The treatment of those events has fuelled the historical-distortion dispute. [ 2 , 3 ]
The dispute has spread beyond the film. Screenings were halted at CGV Gumi, Park Chung-hee’s hometown, from the previous day after conservative civic groups and politicians there demanded a stop. On 4 October conservative group members protested outside the Seoul home of lead actor Yoo Hae-jin, and on 5 October People Power Party leader Chang Dong-hyuk visited Yuk Young-soo’s birthplace in Okcheon and condemned the film at a press conference. At the National Assembly’s Government Affairs Committee audit on 7 October, the People Power Party argued it was inappropriate to use state money for the film, while the Democratic Party said the film does not overturn historical facts. [ 2 , 3 ]
The controversy has not hurt the film’s performance. According to the integrated cinema ticketing network, “Assassin(s)” topped the box office over the National Foundation Day holiday and passed 2.41 million cumulative admissions as of 6 October. [ 3 ]
Por qué importa
The dispute has moved from film criticism into party politics, with ruling and opposition lawmakers clashing at a National Assembly audit over state support for the film and screenings halted in Park Chung-hee’s hometown. It also tests how works based on contested episodes of the Park era are handled, with the family of those involved and conservative groups pressing for limits while others defend what they call cinematic imagination.
Datos clave
- Park Geun-ryeong, second daughter of former President Park Chung-hee and a former chairwoman of the Yukyoung Foundation, criticised the title of the film “Assassin(s)” in an interview with Channel A. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She said the plural in the title could be read as meaning the presidential security service or her father, which would make Moon Se-kwang and her father accomplices. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She said creative freedom carries responsibility and duty, and that children would also watch the film. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She asked that criticism focus on the company that planned and produced the work rather than the actors, saying “they are only actors”, and said she hoped supporters would not be dragged into unnecessary lawsuits. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Yuk Young-soo was shot by Moon Se-kwang on 15 August 1974 during a Liberation Day ceremony at the National Theater in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, and died; Park Geun-ryeong was 20 at the time. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Screenings of the film were halted at CGV Gumi, Park Chung-hee’s hometown, from the previous day after conservative civic groups and politicians demanded a stop. [ 2 ]
- At the National Assembly’s Government Affairs Committee audit, the People Power Party said state funding for the film was inappropriate, while the Democratic Party said the film does not overturn historical facts. [ 3 ]
- The film topped the box office over the National Foundation Day holiday and passed 2.41 million cumulative admissions as of 6 October. [ 3 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
- Park Geun-ryeong criticised the film’s title and the plural in it in remarks to Channel A. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She said creative freedom comes with responsibility and duty. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- She drew a line at excessive criticism of the cast, saying the actors are only actors. [ 2 , 3 ]
- She spoke to Channel A by phone on 6 October, and the remarks were reported the next day. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Yuk Young-soo was killed in the shooting on 15 August 1974. [ 2 , 3 ]
Aún sin aclarar
- Whether the film distorts history. The documents record a dispute rather than a finding: the People Power Party called state support for the film inappropriate, while the Democratic Party said the film does not reverse historical facts and is a matter of cinematic imagination.
- Who produced the film. Park Geun-ryeong urged critics to focus on the production company as well as the planning side, but the documents do not name it.
- Whether screenings were halted anywhere other than Gumi. Only the suspension at CGV Gumi is reported, by a single outlet.
- Whether any legal action has been filed. Park said she hoped supporters would not be caught up in unnecessary lawsuits; the documents report no filings.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Yuk Young-soo is shot by Moon Se-kwang during a Liberation Day ceremony at the National Theater in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, and dies; Park Geun-ryeong is 20. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Members of conservative groups protest outside the Seoul home of lead actor Yoo Hae-jin, criticising the production company and the cast. [ 3 ]
- People Power Party leader Chang Dong-hyuk visits Yuk Young-soo’s birthplace in Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, and condemns the film at a press conference. [ 3 ]
- Park Geun-ryeong tells Channel A by phone that the plural in the title could implicate her father and that creative freedom carries responsibility. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Screenings of the film are halted at CGV Gumi, Park Chung-hee’s hometown. [ 2 ]
- The film passes 2.41 million cumulative admissions, according to the integrated cinema ticketing network. [ 3 ]
- At the National Assembly’s Government Affairs Committee audit, the parties clash over a veterans centre’s plan to offer the film as a free Veterans Week screening. [ 3 ]
- Newsis publishes its report on Park Geun-ryeong’s remarks. [ 1 ]
- Maeil Business publishes her fuller comments, including her recollections of 1974. [ 2 ]
- Asia Economy reports her remarks together with the political and box-office fallout. [ 3 ]