People Power Party Sends Letter to Singapore International Film Festival Urging Withdrawal of "Assassin(s)" as Opening Film

On October 6, the People Power Party (PPP) called on the organizers of the Singapore International Film Festival to immediately withdraw their selection of the film "Assassin(s)"—which is based on the attempted assassination of former President Park Chung-hee—as the festival's opening title. The PPP claimed, "This film distorts a historical tragedy involving real victims and surviving family members," and urged the festival to revoke its decision to feature it as the opening film.

Yonhap News Agency

On this day, the PPP—on behalf of its 109 National Assembly members including Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik—sent a letter to Jeremy Chua, the Executive Director of the festival. In the letter, they said, "While we respect artistic freedom and the independence of film festivals, creative freedom does not mean freedom from responsibility regarding historical facts," expressing their stance on the matter.

In the letter, the PPP stated, "We express deep regret over the choice of 'Assassin(s)' as the opening film, and urge you to reconsider this decision immediately." They further emphasized, "The opening film is not simply a screening but symbolizes the values and critical awareness of the festival. Therefore, its selection requires especially careful judgment and responsibility."

The PPP also noted, "The film is based on the incident in which Mun Se-gwang, a Korean-Japanese under the influence of a pro-North Korean group, attempted to assassinate former President Park, resulting in the death of First Lady Yuk Young-soo in the process." The party continued, "The film distorts history by suggesting that former President Park, the victim's spouse, might have been involved in the incident, thereby leaving room for such implication."

Furthermore, the PPP stated, "While artistic imagination and creative freedom must be protected, when works depicting real people and actual events blur the line between historical fact and fiction, and combine unverified allegations regarding incidents with real victims, it becomes an issue that cannot be justified solely by creative freedom."

The PPP went on to say, "Notably, several North Korean defectors have publicly testified that, after watching the film themselves, certain narratives and methods of raising issues in the film reminded them of 'The Nation and Destiny'—one of North Korea’s well-known regime propaganda films, particularly the episode about Park Chung-hee. The fact of these testimonies itself demonstrates the seriousness of the problem."

The PPP also argued, "The issue with 'Assassin(s)' is not simply a matter of personal taste for or against a film, but has already led to social conflict within Korean society and confusion in the film industry. If this film is introduced to international audiences with the authority of being the festival's opening title, such negative influence could expand globally."

In addition, the PPP, while demanding the withdrawal of the opening film selection, stated, "We once again urge you to reconsider whether it aligns with the values the Singapore International Film Festival has pursued for decades to grant the 'opening film' status to a work that distorts a historical tragedy involving real victims and surviving families."

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