Hive Media Corp Delivers Framed Photo to Freedom of Speech Committee

Hive Media Corp Delivers Framed Cast Photo to Freedom of Speech Committee

On October 28, 2026, the Dong-a Committee for the Struggle for Freedom of Speech received a framed photograph at its office in the Newstapa Together Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, featuring the cast of the film Assassins positioned in front of the original 1974 Declaration of Freedom of Speech, according to a report by the Journalists Association of Korea.

The production company Hive Media Corp delivered the framed image following a social media campaign launched on October 24 to mark the 52nd anniversary of the declaration. A representative for Hive Media Corp stated that the company consulted Kim Dong-hyun, the vice chairman of the Dong-a committee, to secure permission to use the text before publishing the promotional materials online.

Early Planning Stages and Historical Consultations Begin Years Prior

The relationship between the filmmakers and the committee began two years prior during the early planning stages of the feature. Production staff consulted Kim regarding the interior atmosphere of the Dong-a Ilbo editorial room in the mid-1970s, reporting and desk procedures, and the attire and equipment used by reporters at the time. Kim noted that the production team conducted extensive interviews and telephone consultations to ensure the recreation matched historical records.

The film incorporates specific physical details from the period, including the placement of photographs of two fallen journalists on the editorial room walls rather than images of the company founder or president. The historical figures depicted are Jang Deok-jun, a reporter who went missing while covering the massacre of approximately 2,200 Koreans by the Japanese military in the North 간도 region in October 1920, and Baek Gwang-nam, a correspondent who died in a traffic accident while reporting on the Vietnam War in November 1966.

The project faced political pushback and calls for suspended screenings over historical distortion allegations.

Director Huh Jin-ho Defends Accuracy Amid Calls for Suspended Screenings

During a screening and audience discussion hosted by former Newstapa reporter Bong Ji-wook on November 1 for committee members and subscribers, Bong remarked that the extensive factual detail in the film makes the director’s position difficult.

Director Huh Jin-ho addressed the controversy by pointing to the release of previously classified records. 1974년 수사 발표와 재판 결과를 당시 모든 사람들은 사실이고 역사라고 알고 있었지만, 2005년 정보공개청구가 이뤄지면서 새로운 사실들이 나왔다, Huh stated, noting that major news outlets previously covered the declassified findings. He added that it is unfair for critics to frame the work as a historical distortion when no such concerns were raised during early monitor screenings or press previews.