'We will establish internal procedures to verify social and ethical impact'

Megabox's original ticket for "The Assassin." [Megabox Instagram]
Megabox's original ticket for "The Assassin." [Megabox Instagram]

Megabox has apologized over a controversy surrounding the design of an original ticket it produced for the film "The Assassin" and said it will destroy all remaining stock.

The multiplex chain issued a statement Sunday saying it "failed to fully appreciate the gravity and weight of a historical tragedy and horrific event," and offered "a sincere apology to those who felt discomfort and to those who suffered pain at the time of the incident."

The original ticket at the center of the controversy was a free promotional item distributed to moviegoers on a first-come, first-served basis. It features an illustration evoking the 1974 ceremony at which first lady Yuk Young-soo was shot, overlaid with a transparent sheet marked with bullet holes.

When the transparent sheet is placed over the ticket, the bullet marks align with the podium, seats and the South Korean flag — a design that drew criticism for treating the historical tragedy of Yuk's death as material for entertainment merchandise.

Megabox said the tight schedule meant staff had not seen the film in advance, and the merchandise was produced using only a limited set of images provided through consultations with the distributor and production company.

The chain said most of the tickets were distributed on opening day and that all remaining copies would be destroyed. It added that it would establish internal procedures to verify the social and ethical impact of original tickets featuring historical events or figures before production.

Meanwhile, conservative groups including Sinjayunyondae and Bellado held a rally Sunday outside the home of lead actor Yoo Hae-jin amid a broader controversy over the film's alleged distortion of history. Sinjayunyondae called for the film to be pulled from cinemas and demanded that the cast and crew issue a public apology and pledge to prevent a recurrence.

The People Power Party also decided Sunday to send a letter — signed in the name of all its lawmakers — to the Singapore International Film Festival requesting that it withdraw "The Assassin" as its opening film.

The letter was initially planned under the individual name of lawmaker Ju Jin-woo, but grew to a full-party submission as more members joined. In a personal letter he had already made public, Ju said the film "inverts the victim's family into suspects in the killing and imposes on the actual bereaved family the horrific framing that the father was involved in the mother's death," adding, "Do not lend the festival's authority to a depraved distortion of history that insults the victim and her family."


hope@heraldcorp.com