Civic Group Files Complaints Against Government and Public Institutions Over Group Screening of 'Assassin(s)'

[Financial News] Amid an ongoing controversy over alleged historical distortion surrounding the film 'Assassin(s),' officials from the Presidential Policy Office, government ministries and public institutions have been collectively reported to police.
According to police and other sources on the 1st, the Committee for the Protection of Ordinary People's Livelihood (Seominwi) filed complaints with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Kim Gyeong-ja, senior secretary for social affairs at the Presidential Policy Office; Choi Hwi-young, minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Kim Byung Jae, chairman of the Korea Media Rating Board; Hong Ji-seon, minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Park Chang-geun, president of the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety; and Lee Sung-hoon, president of Korea Land and Housing (LH), on charges including abuse of authority and dereliction of duty.
Released on the 23rd of last month, 'Assassin(s)' is based on the incident in which Yuk Young-soo was killed in a shooting by Mun Se-gwang, a Korean resident of Japan, on August 15, 1974. The film contains scenes suggesting that then-President Park Chung-hee's side or the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) may have planned the incident.
In its complaint, Seominwi argued, "The film should have been handled with caution because it contains elements that could not only distort history but also divide the public." It claimed that the failure of officials at the Office of the President, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Media Rating Board to make appropriate judgments and conduct proper reviews constituted abuse of authority and dereliction of duty, among other offenses.
The heads of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and its affiliated agencies were included among those reported because public institutions organized group screenings of the film. LH and the Korea Authority of Land & Infrastructure Safety held a group screening for employees at a cinema in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on the 28th of last month. Mirae Asset Securities, the retirement pension provider for the two institutions, paid the cinema rental fees.
Seominwi argued that it was inappropriate for public institutions to organize a group screening of a film embroiled in controversy over historical distortion. It also pointed out that the retirement pension provider's payment of the event costs was problematic.
LH and Mirae Asset Securities explained, "It was unrelated to any political purpose," and added, "We will review the relevant operating standards again."


[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter