'The Assassin' ticket merchandise draws fire over bullet-hole design

Amid an ongoing controversy over historical distortion surrounding "The Assassin," a film depicting the fatal shooting of late first lady Yuk Young-soo, a new dispute has emerged over the design of a special merchandise ticket that critics say reveals bullet holes. Politicians have called for the merchandise to be destroyed in its entirety and for a public apology.

People Power Party lawmaker Ju Jin-woo on Saturday condemned the Megabox original ticket merchandise for "The Assassin" as "immoral goods" and demanded that the theater chain "destroy all of them immediately and apologize."

Ju posted on social media that day, saying he "cannot bear to look at these immoral goods bearing a vivid bullet mark on the seat where Lady Yuk Young-soo sat," and called on Megabox to "immediately destroy all of the immoral merchandise and issue an apology."

The merchandise in question is a Megabox "original ticket" featuring an image of the Taegukgi, a podium and a figure resembling Yuk Young-soo, over which bullet marks appear. The design works by overlaying a transparent sheet on a white paper ticket, causing the bullet holes to emerge.

Ju warned that if Megabox did not take immediate action Saturday, he would summon CEO Hong Jeong-in as a witness at a parliamentary audit and "strongly punish" the company by calling for a boycott.

Reform Party Emergency Committee Chair Lee Gi-in posted a photo of the ticket on Facebook on Friday, saying it was "the original ticket Megabox released for the film 'Assassins,'" and described how overlaying the transparent sheet on the thick ticket places bullet marks over images of the Taegukgi, a podium and a figure resembling Yuk Young-soo.

Lee said the design appeared to make "the audience complete the shooting scene with their own hands," and questioned whether "a fatal gunshot had to be turned into a collectible item viewed by overlaying a transparent sheet," adding, "Did they think even once about how the bereaved family would feel holding this?"

He went on to say, "How can a tragedy that someone will carry for the rest of their life become a clever promotional idea for someone else?" He added, "If you want to invoke the freedom to release a design like this, you must also bear the voices criticizing its cruelty and vulgarity. Is someone's death your 'collectible value'?"

People Power Party lawmaker Kim Tae-gyu also posted on social media Saturday, saying the merchandise produced for "The Assassin" was "just as immoral as the film itself," and said the design "goes out of its way to depict completing six shots with a missing bullet."

He added that those behind the film were "people steeped in a sense of privilege who believe only their own anti-human conduct deserves absolution."

Meanwhile, "The Assassin," directed by Heo Jin-ho, opened Sept. 23 and follows the background and allegations surrounding the shooting of Yuk Young-soo at a Liberation Day ceremony on Aug. 15, 1974.

Since its opening, the film has sparked fierce debate among politicians and audiences alike, with critics accusing it of distorting historical facts while supporters defend it as an exercise in creative and artistic freedom.