Director Summoned to Parliamentary Audit... "Assassin(s)" at the Center of Political Culture War

"Historical Distortion" vs. "Creative Freedom" in Political Row
People Power Party Demands Director's Testimony at Parliamentary Audit... Democrats Call It "Just a Fictional Film"
Bereaved Family Considers Legal Action and Push for Injunction to

The political controversy surrounding the film "Assassins," which centers on the assassination attempt against First Lady Yuk Young-soo, is intensifying. The People Power Party criticized the movie for spreading historical distortion and conspiracy theories by fictionally portraying former President Park Chung-hee as being behind the incident. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Korea argued that this represents excessive interference in creative works by politicians.

At the plenary session of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held on September 29, Eunhee Cho, a member of the People Power Party, stated, "The phrase 'cinematic imagination' must not become a carte blanche for defaming the deceased," and demanded that director Jin-ho Heo be summoned as a reference witness for the upcoming National Assembly audit. She argued that the circumstances of the film’s production and the controversy over historical distortion should be scrutinized through questioning Heo and others involved.

The plenary session of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. Provided by Yonhap News Agency

It has also been reported that former President Park Geun-hye’s family members, including her relatives, are considering legal action for defamation of the deceased. On the same day, former Seoul City Council member Jongbae Lee of the People Power Party filed a complaint with the police, accusing director Heo and the production staff of criminal defamation through dissemination of false information.

People Power Party members in Daegu and Gumi—regions recognized as the political strongholds of former President Park—also joined the criticism. Jinsook Lee, a People Power Party lawmaker, argued at a press conference that "there is a deceptive mixture of historical facts and cinematic imagination aimed at distorting history," asserting that "the film is being used as a tool to reinforce the distorted perspective of the left-wing camp."

Jaekeun Koo and Myungkoo Kang, both People Power Party members, stated, "They are invoking 'freedom of expression' as a pretext to spread preposterous conspiracy theories about an incident that has already been officially concluded through investigation and trial," adding, "There are limits even to cinematic imagination." They announced that they would demand corrections from the production company and consider legal measures, including filing for an injunction to ban screenings and reviewing potential legal violations such as defamation of the deceased.

In contrast, the Democratic Party of Korea maintains that films are, in the end, works of creative fiction. Minhee Choi, a Democratic Party member of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, stated at the plenary session, "Isn't filmmaking essentially about fictionalizing historical facts?" and added, "Ultimately, it is for the public to judge the work." She further noted, "This raises doubts about whether cultural and artistic endeavors fail to flourish whenever the conservative party is in power."

Ji-won Park, another Democratic Party lawmaker, also wrote on social media, "'Assassins' is a fictional movie," recalling that the late President Kim Dae-jung once said that artists should be supported but not interfered with. He went on to say, "With all this noise in the National Assembly, the movie is getting great publicity," and called for people to go see "Assassins."

Director Heo and the production staff have sought to distance themselves from the political conflict. The production team stated, "The film was not made for any particular political purpose beyond its original creative intent and nature," and asked that it be regarded as "a product of artistic creation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.