Choi Woo-shik’s “A Killer Paradox” Glorifies Murder? Director Responds to Controversy

On the morning of Feb 14th, director Lee Chang-hee, who directed Netflix’s original series “A Killer Paradox”, met Xportsnews at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

“A Killer Paradox” tells the story of a man who accidentally murders a serial killer and a detective who pursues him relentlessly. Director Lee Chang-hee received praise for his unique direction and unpredictable storyline.

The series has garnered 3.1 million views (Netflix defines views for a title as the total hours viewed divided by the total runtime) within just three days of release, ranking second in Netflix’s global TOP 10 non-English TV category. It also made it to the TOP 10 lists in 19 countries including Bolivia, India and Qatar.

The series received significant attention domestically as well. The 8-episode series sparked various controversies and concerns.

Initially, concerns were raised about the portrayal of “murder glorification”, where the protagonist, an ordinary college student named Lee Tang (played by Choi Woo-shik), begins to take pleasure in personally dealing with criminals evading the law.

Director Lee Chang-hee addressed these concerns, stating that Lee Tang realizes his fate with sadness and despair rather than joy. He emphasized that while such actions may be unacceptable in reality, they can be explored in the realm of content creation for the purpose of providing catharsis.

Furthermore, the sudden appearance of explicit adult content in some episodes, such as the “revenge porn” segment, also sparked discussions. Some viewers questioned the necessity of these scenes and whether they were used purely for sensationalism.

Director Lee Chang-hee explained that the adult scenes serve to convey moral lessons and illustrate the consequences of Lee Tang’s actions. He defended their inclusion as necessary for the narrative.

Additionally, concerns were raised about the use of real-life images for flashback scenes. Director Lee Chang-hee clarified that these choices were made to maintain narrative coherence and enhance storytelling.

Despite the controversy, Director Lee Chang-hee expressed confidence in his work, stating that while he personally dislikes violence, he enjoys crime dramas. He emphasized the need for realism in the genre to achieve authenticity.

“A Killer Paradox” is now available in its entirety on Netflix.

Source: Daum