"'Assassin(s)' Actors: Is This Why They Won't Apologize?" Joo Jinwoo Reveals Incentive Deal

"They Must Be Held Accountable for Distorting History and Turning It Into a Way to Make Money"
Film Industry Counters: "A Standard Running Guarantee Arrangement"

Joo Jinwoo, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, sparked controversy by claiming that the cast of the film “Assassins” had not responded to demands for an apology because of the hefty incentives they stood to receive.

Yonhap News Agency

On October 8, Joo posted on Facebook under the headline “Incentives for Actors from the Immoral Film ‘Assassins,’ in Addition to Their Acting Fees.”

“Actor Yoo Haejin gets 10% of net profits, while actors Park Haeil and Lee Minho receive 200 won and 180 won, respectively, for each ticket sold after the film breaks even,” Joo wrote. “Is this why they refuse to apologize?” He added, “They must be held accountable for distorting history with public money and using it as a way to make money.”

Calling “Assassins” a film that distorts history and is morally reprehensible, Joo said it should be “removed from film festivals overseas, advertising, the merchandise market and OTT (online video streaming) platforms.” He called for the film to be banned from theaters, excluded from the advertising market, and for its production company, investors, director and cast to apologize.

However, the incentive terms disclosed this time are not exclusive to these actors. The film industry says they are part of the standard “backend compensation” arrangement commonly used in the sector.

“Assassins,” which is reported to have cost about 19 billion won to produce, is estimated to need around 3.7 million ticket sales to break even. According to the Korean Film Council, the film, which opened on September 23, had drawn a cumulative audience of 2.52 million and grossed 24.7 billion won as of October 7, leaving it 1.2 million admissions short of the break-even point.

Meanwhile, at the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s audit of the Supreme Court on October 6, Joo brought up the retrial of Kim Jaegyu, former director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, and said, “An attempt is being made to rewrite history.” He criticized the film for “adding the plural ‘s’ to ‘Assassin’ in its title, thereby creating a narrative that President Park Chunghee may have been behind the killing of First Lady Yuk Youngsoo, and that North Korea may not have been responsible.”

When committee chair Seo Youngkyo asked, “Have you seen the film?” Joo replied, “Is it normal to watch such a morally reprehensible film?” Joo also stirred controversy by describing the appearance of Yoo Haejin, one of the film’s actors, as “North Korean-looking.”

The film “Assassins” is based on the 1974 killing of First Lady Yuk Youngsoo. It tells the story of a journalist and a police officer investigating who was behind the incident. However, the film does not explicitly identify former President Park Chunghee as the person behind the killing. Director Heo Jinho also denied making a film that portrays Park as having ordered Yuk’s murder.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.