문화평론

1. The film <Assassins / Directed by Hur Jin-ho> is a narrative about the courage of those who seek the truth hidden by violent power and those who suppress it. The incident begins with the shooting spree at the Gwangbokjeol (Liberation Day) ceremony on August 15, 1974, and the shooting death of Park Chung-hee's wife, Yuk Young-soo. The culprit is identified as Mun Se-gwang, and the masterminds are confirmed to be North Korea and the Chongryon (General Association of Korean Residents in Japan) in Japan. If everything is revealed and settled as historical fact, does the incident end there? The film says no.

2. The film draws attention to the reality that the true nature of the incident was not fully revealed, stemming from questions that arose at the scene of the shooting. The narrative of an investigator and a journalist at the scene joining forces to pursue the hidden secret narrows down to the question left by a single missing bullet. This was a joint operation between the police, who were in charge of security at the time but were punished as whistleblowers, and the media. It's a relationship between entities that are now extinct.

3. At every turn in unraveling the questions, the violence of the Yushin regime operates terrifyingly. One realizes anew that South Korea was, in those days, entirely a world of the extreme right. It was a terrible time. The current rampage by the People Power Party and extreme right-wing forces against this film, questioning whether we should return to such times, is raising our vigilance even further. Eradicating the forces of internal rebellion, the descendants of Park Chung-hee's coup d'état, is truly the greatest political task. If we fail to do this properly, we might see the forces of internal rebellion and reaction come to power again. The Democratic Party must, above all else, quickly decide on the impeachment of Cho Hee-dae as a party policy. The longer they delay, the more they will miss the opportunity.

4. The point where this film presents an excellent narrative lies in the political history of the timeline that goes beyond the questions at the shooting scene. The declaration of the Yushin system in 1972, the abduction of Kim Dae-jung in Japan in 1973, and the Gwangbokjeol (Liberation Day) ceremony on August 15, 1974, and the opening of the Seoul subway. Added to this are the money transferred through the Korea-Japan Agreement, the Korea-Japan diplomatic relations entangled with it, and the huge rebates covered by a dark curtain. In other words, the central pillar of the film is the perspective that explores the possibility that the shooting incident on that day could have been someone's plan placed within this overall context. This is the deep core of this film.

5. The Park Chung-hee regime was cornered by the increasingly tyrannical Yushin system, public dissatisfaction and challenges against it, Kim Dae-jung's overseas activities, and the deteriorating relationship with Japan following his abduction. Furthermore, the massive corruption structure and diplomatic difficulties created by the terms of the Korea-Japan Agreement (which stipulated the use of Japanese services and resources) exacerbated the situation. A political scheme that could reverse this situation at once became desperate, and the rhetoric employed, as expected, involved North Korea and Chongryon. The "conspiracy" of an unknown force X regarding what card could simultaneously rectify the difficult relationship with Japan caused by Kim Dae-jung's abduction and suppress resistance to the Yushin system remains merely a so-called conspiracy theory whose credibility cannot yet be confirmed. However, that does not mean we have given up on this problem. The fact that audiences flock to the movie <Assassins> is one piece of evidence of this.

6. This film does not presuppose Park Chung-hee's planning of this incident. If one views the film that way, there would be no such distortion of the film. Rather, it places more weight on the possibility of him being caught up in the intentions of a plan he was unaware of. However, only the inference remains that even he could not refuse the larger political/diplomatic context and its demands in dealing with this incident. Wasn't it the case that those who sought to protect the Park Chung-hee regime were not just Park Chung-hee himself? Five years later, Park Chung-hee met his end, along with the Yushin system, by the gunshot of one of those who sought to protect the Park Chung-hee regime.

7. In those days, the political tool of military coups was the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), and the violence they wielded became like the very essence of absolute power. No one dared to defy it. However, at that time, Dong-A Ilbo stood at the forefront of this resistance. The "Declaration of Free Press Practice" that appears in this movie was a cry of the times against the terrifying absolute power. It was an era when journalists were patriots.

8. This movie truly features a constellation of brilliant actors everywhere. It exceeds expectations. I pay tribute and applaud all the actors who faithfully performed even in short and seemingly trivial scenes. I also send warm support to actor Yoo Hae-jin, who is suddenly being attacked by far-right forces after the movie's release. Director Hur Jin-ho is a very courageous filmmaker. I send him my support as well.

9. "Write truthfully and be punished by man; write falsely and be punished by heaven." This is the editor-in-chief's cry echoing in the newsroom. It means that if you write the truth as it is, those in power will oppress you, but if you promote falsehoods, heaven will not forgive you. This is said to be an inscription left by Yu Youren on the tombstone of Song Jiaoren, the president of "Min Li Bao," a Chinese politician and journalist who was assassinated in 1913.

10. 그런데 어디 이 말이 언론에게만 해당할까? 오늘의 국회를 보라. 오늘의 정치를 보라. 조희대의 誅둥이를 보라. 진실을 암살하는 자들은 지금도 있다. 내란진압 이후 내란세력들의 반동적 공세는 아직도 도처에 암살자들이 암약하고 있음을 보여준다.

11. 우리는 그날 벌어진 사건의 진실탐색에만 묶여 있지 않다. 지금도 현재진행형 중인 민주주의 “암살자들”의 기획과 음모를 드러내고자 한다. 중정의 후예 안기부는 지금도 사찰 중이며 경찰 역시도 북과의 연계 운운으로 국가보안법을 몽둥이로 휘두르고 있으며 중정의 폭압적인 권력과 다르지 않은 복장만 바뀐 검찰의 내란범죄도 단죄받지 않았으며 조희대의 사법부는 내란을 무죄로 만들려는 공작에 몰두하고 있는데 이런 자조차도 그 자리에 여전히 건재하다. 우리는 1974년 8월 15일로부터 정녕 어디까지 온 것일까? 영화 <암살자(들)>이 우리에게 던지는 질문이다.

12. We actively support the declaration by filmmakers who, in the face of attacks from the People Power Party and far-right forces against the film <Assassins>, stated, “Do not use film as a tool for political strife.” In many cases, film comes closer to historical truth. This is because the questions sparked by the world of imagination are vividly alive. Directors and actors are priests of this land, divinely inspired by the spirit of imagination, which history has bestowed like grace. We must protect them. Then, their next works will show even greater courage.