How Did 'The Assassin(s)' Bullet Merchandise Come to Be? Looking at the Apology

[Anchor]

Following historical distortion controversies surrounding the film The Assassin(s), merchandise distributed to audience members has now sparked a backlash. As criticism mounted that the merchandise "commercialized a historical tragedy," Megabox issued an apology and announced that all remaining quantities will be discarded.

Reporter Park Seyong has the details.

[Reporter]

The Assassin(s) is a film facing controversy over historical distortion for dealing with the shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-su.

This is the Original Ticket, a piece of merchandise distributed for free by Megabox to audience members who watched the film.

It consists of a white paper collector's ticket and a transparent plate with six holes.

When overlapping the two, four cartridge cases turn into six, reminiscent of the film's promotional tagline, "Four bullets, six gunshots."

In particular, the holes on the transparent plate resemble bullet marks, with one of them overlapping over a figure seated on the podium at the 1974 Liberation Day ceremony.

This spot is the exact location where First Lady Yuk Young-su was seated at the time of the shooting.

Following criticism from the political sphere the day before yesterday (October 2) that the design "seems to let the audience complete the shooting scene with their own hands," about 50 members of a conservative civic group held a rally in front of actor Yoo Hai-jin's home today, demanding the suspension of the film's screening.

Megabox, which distributed the merchandise, issued an apology.

The company explained that due to a tight schedule, the responsible staff members manufactured the merchandise without having watched the movie in advance, adding, "We failed to deeply grasp the gravity and weight of the historical tragedy and the harrowing incident."

It also apologized to those who felt discomfort and those who suffered pain at the time of the incident, stating that all remaining stock will be entirely discarded.

Amidst the film's historical distortion controversy expanding into political disputes, a protest rally in front of an actor's home, and the merchandise apology, The Assassin(s) has surpassed 2 million moviegoers.

(Video by: Choi Jun-shik | Video Editing by Seeun | Design by Taeyoung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.