Oh Se-hoon Again Criticizes 'Assassin(s)' Five Days Later: "Bullet-Wound Ticket Is Commercialism Gone Too Far"

[Financial News] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon publicly criticized the film "Assassin(s)" again, this time taking issue with the so-called "bullet-wound ticket," five days after raising concerns about the controversy over historical distortions in the film. He argued that creative freedom should be respected, but there must be limits to the commercial exploitation of a real person's tragedy. Oh wrote on his Facebook page on the 4th, "This time, even the so-called 'bullet-wound ticket,' which evokes the moment First Lady Yuk Young-soo was shot, has appeared." He criticized it as "a thoughtless commercial act that has gone far beyond the line—far too far to be dismissed as shallow salesmanship." He asked rhetorically, "Before being the first lady of the Republic of Korea, Yuk Young-soo was a wife and the mother of three children. She lost her life to a bullet at an August 15 Liberation Day ceremony watched by countless citizens. Must even that horrific moment become material for merchandise that people hold in their hands and enjoy?"
He also made clear that he respects freedom of expression and creation. Oh said, "I consider freedom a very precious value. I do not want a society in which the state judges the content of art and sets the boundaries of creation," while emphasizing, "The freer a society is, the more certain lines it must observe." He added, "Restraint—the discipline to refrain even when one can act, and the propriety not to sell even when something can make money. That is the minimum level of dignity that sustains a free society."
He continued, "Strong stimulation does not make good content, nor does a major controversy make great art," adding, "A society's cultural level is revealed not only by what it can express, but also by its ability to decide for itself what it will not express."
Oh also called for apologies and follow-up measures from those involved with the film. He urged, "'Creative freedom' or 'marketing' cannot serve as a carte blanche allowing people to sell and mock another person's tragedy. I hope those involved will apologize to the bereaved family and the public who have been hurt, and take responsible measures commensurate with it." He added, "We cannot call a society in which people's pain becomes material for sensationalism and tragedy becomes a product for box-office success an advanced society." He continued, "Low-grade commercialism that has even cast aside human dignity cannot be tolerated under any pretext and deserves the public's condemnation."
Earlier, on the 29th of last month, Oh also publicly criticized the controversy over historical distortions in the same film. At the time, he said, "Historical distortion must not become fuel for box-office success," and stated that while creative freedom should be respected, unverified stories must not be grafted onto historical facts to create new conflicts.

[email protected] Sung Cho-rong Reporter