The effect that “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” will have won’t end when the curtain falls or the box office banks its profits.

Chapel Hill actor Augustus Cho, who plays a North Korean leader in the movie, is spearheading a star-studded benefit Saturday for the USO of North Carolina and the U.S. Veterans Corps, a nonprofit community service group.

Cho also has released a public service announcement to raise awareness of the USO’s work and promote the fund-raising event - http://youtu.be/WZk39Ybr8mA.

“Paramount has really, really come through on this. They were very generous to give us this kind of support. This is highly unusual,” Cho said.

The Military Appreciation Day event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Streets at Southpoint in Durham.

Connie Inggs, director of the USO-NC’s Raleigh-Durham International Airport Center, said she expects the event to have a major impact. The nonprofit organization relied on donations to serve 651,000 service members and families last year.

“There is a great burden on us right now to do operations, and we need community support,” she said.

Chapel Hill resident Augustus Cho says a G.I. Joe sequel will blow up the box office when it’s released March 29.

The film, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” was originally set to debut in June. It stars Channing Tatum, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Bruce Willis. Cho plays a Korean leader.

Previews were on the air when test screenings showed the audience wasn’t happy that the movie limited the interaction between Tatum and Johnson, Cho said.

Unfortunately, Tatum’s character was killed off early in the movie.

So the debut was delayed while the production crew brought Tatum back to shoot more scenes. They also converted the film into 3-D, Cho said.

The film is predicted be a big draw, especially in China, where 3-D theaters are growing at a record rate.

Cho, who ran for Town Council in 2009, has three Hollywood credits under his belt, playing a businessman in the HBO television series “Eastbound & Down,” produced by Will Ferrell, and a Chinese pilot in the movie “American Warships.”

He also served on Chapel Hill’s Transportation Advisory Committee and the Community Design Commission.

Erstwhile political candidate Augustus Cho isn’t a dictator; he just plays one on the big screen.

The fit, fiftysomething former taekwondo teacher and author had kept his acting career private until filming his role as a Northern Korean ruler in “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” forced him to miss a Town Council candidates forum last year.

He also ran unsuccessfully for Chapel Hill mayor in 2009 and in the Republican primary against B.J. Lawson for Congress, for the seat held by Rep. David Price, in 2008.

Acting and politics have collided for one Chapel Hill Town Council candidate.

Augustus Cho, who is running for one of four seats on the Town Council, missed a candidates forum Tuesday night because he is filming the new G.I. Joe movie in New Orleans.

Cho plays a Korean leader, in the film G.I. Joe: Retaliation, also starring Bruce Willis, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Channing Tatum. He had kept his acting career a secret before Tuesday. But when the forum and his filming conflicted, Cho said he had to tell people about the film.

Augustus Cho, a candidate for Chapel Hil Town Council released this statement upon filing to run for election.

Today, I’ve filed as a candidate for Chapel Hill Town Council.

I begin my campaign with a “Thank you” to the other candidates:  Choices are important for democracy to remain healthy.  Hence, your willingness to sacrifice the next several months to campaign and serve our community will make our town a better place to live and raise our families.  Regardless of whether we agree on the issues or more importantly, our solutions to them, I am grateful for your presence in the campaign and wish you the best.

Platform

The following three points will be the focus of this campaign:

•Create jobs:  Increase business investments in Chapel Hill by becoming more business-friendly to create more jobs.

•Lower taxes:  Broaden the business revenue tax base to alleviate the disproportionate and unsustainable reliance on residential property taxes.

•Work for greater interests of all:  Make decisions that benefit the entire community instead of special interest groups.

At an election forum this week, mayoral candidate Augustus Cho got the first crack at the question, "What is your position on the rural perimeter?" (That's the boundary that keeps development in Chapel Hill and Carrboro roughly south of I-40 and Eubanks Road, east of Old 86 and north of Highway 54). 

"Moral parameter?" asked Cho. "Was that the question?"

"I think I've heard that one before," said opponent Kevin Wolff.

"No, the rural perimeter," said moderator Jan Richmond, past presdent of the local League of Women Voters.

"I'm sorry," said Cho. "No cheap shot; I didn't mean to."

Cho, like all the other mayoral candidates, said he favored keeping the rural buffer.