“Father broke down in tears after Mother passed away” ... Park Geun-ryeong recalls the “empty table” from that day

[Financial News] Park Geun-ryeong, the second daughter of former President Park Chung-hee and former chairwoman of the Yuk Young Foundation, strongly criticized the controversy over historical distortion surrounding the film “Assassin(s),” which deals with the 1974 shooting of Yuk Young-soo, saying, “Freedom of creative expression undeniably comes with responsibilities and obligations.”

In an interview with Channel A that aired on the 6th, former chairwoman Park said, “The plural marker ‘s’ in the title leads viewers to mistakenly think it refers to the Presidential Security Service at the Blue House at the time, or to my father,” and asked, “When the historical facts are clear, does the film’s premise mean that the real culprit, Moon Se-gwang, and my father were accomplices?”
She went on to point out, “It is an undeniable fact that Moon Se-gwang was executed following a Supreme Court ruling. How will young children, the future generation, understand history after watching this film?”
She also recalled former President Park breaking down in tears while waiting for the results of surgery on the day of the shooting, saying, “Mother has passed away,” and the family facing an empty table after the funeral. She added, “It is a source of great pain for the bereaved family, but it also drives a nail into the hearts of the two million people who filled Gwanghwamun and wept at the funeral service at the time,” she said emphatically.

However, former chairwoman Park made clear that she was wary of collective protests or criticism against the film’s actors being raised in some conservative circles. “I’m grateful for your concern, but the cast members are only actors,” she said, urging, “Responsibility should be directed at the production company that planned and made the film, not at individual actors. I hope this does not escalate into unnecessary legal disputes or conflict.”
“Assassin(s),” which opened on the 23rd of last month, is a film that traces the forces behind and the questions surrounding the August 15 shooting of Yuk Young-soo. It has drawn fierce backlash from political circles and historians amid criticism that the film’s direction hints at the possibility of involvement at the regime level. In Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, former President Park’s hometown, the fallout is growing: after strong demands from conservative groups and local political circles to halt screenings, all screenings at multiplex cinemas in the area have been suspended.
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter